Anticosti Island
Anticosti Island
Anticosti Island is a large, wild island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off the coast of Quebec, Canada. It covers about 7,943 square kilometers (3,068 square miles), is roughly 222 kilometers (138 miles) long and up to 56 kilometers (34 miles) wide. The island’s highest point is Mont de La Hague at 306 meters. It is part of the Côte-Nord region, in Minganie, and the whole island is one municipality, L’Île-d’Anticosti. In 2021, about 177 people lived there, mainly in Port-Menier on the western tip.
Geography
Anticosti sits at the edge of the St. Lawrence estuary. The island has three main geographic zones: two lowland coastal regions (east and west) and a central high plateau that rises a little over 300 meters. The coast is rugged and rocky, with canyons and rivers cutting through the land. The island’s rock is a long, continuous sedimentary layer from the Ordovician and Silurian periods. The coastline stretches about 520 kilometers, and the island is larger than Prince Edward Island but remains sparsely populated. The entire island forms one municipality, and the Jacques Cartier Strait and Honguedo Strait separate it from the mainland and the Gaspé Peninsula.
History
Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples used the island as hunting ground. The Innu called it Notiskuan, and the Mi’kmaq called it Natigôsteg. Jacques Cartier visited and described the island in the 1530s, and the French later named it Île d’Anticosti. In the 17th–18th centuries, ownership and control shifted several times, with the island at times part of Newfoundland and later part of Quebec (Lower Canada). In 1874, the Anticosti Island Company founded villages at English Bay and Fox Bay, while Port-Menier grew under private ownership by Henri Menier in the 1890s. Menier created a cannery, built a village, and turned much of the island into a private game preserve, introducing many animals including a large deer population. After a series of ownership changes, the island was bought by a forestry company and used mainly for timber.
In 1974, Quebec bought the island from Consolidated Bathurst Ltd. and began managing it through government agencies. Since 2001, much of the island has been protected as Anticosti National Park, with a large part of the island still managed by Sépaq (the provincial parks and wildlife agency). In 2023, Anticosti was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List for its exceptionally complete fossil record from the late Precambrian mass extinction era and for its coast, rivers, and landscapes protected by the site.
Nature and wildlife
Anticosti is known for its wild boreal forest, dominated by white spruce, balsam fir, and black spruce, with pockets of birch and aspen. About a quarter of the island sits on peat lands. The island hosts around 700 plant species, including rare species such as Cypripedium arietinum (Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper). The deer population introduced by Menier grew dramatically; by 2018 there were about 37,000 white-tailed deer, far exceeding natural levels, with moose around 1,000. This deer boom has affected forest composition, reducing balsam fir regeneration on much of the island. Other native mammals and birds live here, and the area is home to about 221 bird species and a rich marine life.
The surrounding seas are rich with whales and seals. The Gulf of St. Lawrence and the nearby estuary host many cetaceans, including beluga, humpback and fin whales, as well as several dolphin and porpoise species. The island also supports significant populations of seabirds and is a strong site for bald eagle breeding in Quebec.
Conservation and protected areas
Today most of Anticosti is managed for conservation and recreation. About 4,213 square kilometers are overseen by Sépaq, and 572 square kilometers are designated as Anticosti National Park, which supports activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, birdwatching, and sea kayaking. Five outfitting companies hold exclusive hunting and fishing rights across large areas of the island. A 1-kilometer-wide buffer zone protects the coastline and riverbanks of the UNESCO site.
Tourism and access
Getting to Anticosti is by boat or plane. Relais Nordik ships run to Port-Menier twice weekly from spring to mid-winter, carrying passengers and cargo. Port-Menier Airport offers regular flights to Sept-Îles and Havre-Saint-Pierre, and two other airstrips on the eastern side serve outfitters and private flights. The main road, Henri-Menier Road (Transanticostienne), runs from Port-Menier to the eastern tip, with many logging roads branching off. Car rental is available in Port-Menier. In addition to hunting and fishing, visitors enjoy hiking, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, and kayaking in the national park and protected areas.
UNESCO World Heritage designation
In 2023, Anticosti Island was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The site includes the island’s coastline (except around Port-Menier) and the banks of the Jupiter and Vauréal rivers, plus a 1-kilometer buffer inland. The designation highlights the island’s extraordinary fossil record from the first major mass extinction and its well-preserved landscapes, which remain largely free from industrial activity.
This page was last edited on 28 January 2026, at 18:55 (CET).