Gaspé Peninsula

(Local Name: Gaspésie) The Gaspé Peninsula (250 km (155 mi.) long and 100-140 km (62-87 mi.) across), on the Gulf of St Lawrence, is more or less cut off from the rest of Québec Province by Lake Matapédia and the Matapédia River. Inland, Gaspésie is a mountainous, wooded wilderness, and the only sizeable settlement has grown up around the copper mine at Murdochville.

The highest point on the peninsula is Mont Jacques-Cartier (1268 m (5162 ft)), part of the Schickshock Mountains, geologically the northern terminal of the Appalachians.

The peninsula has a wild and rugged north coast, where the people live in small villages and depend partly on fishing for their livelihood. The south coast, on the other hand, is gentler and not so steep, and has some farmland as well as the usual timber. Tourism plays a role too, with arts and crafts such as weaving, wood-carving, and making model ships providing another source of income.

Not least of Gaspé's attractions is its excellent cuisine, which is in the best French tradition, especially the game and fish (including trout, Atlantic salmon, lobster and other seafood).