Ungava

Ungava, region in eastern Canada. A part of the Canadian Shield, the region encompasses most of northern Québec province. It also includes a small area of western Labrador, which is part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As defined in 1895, when it was made a district of the Northwest Territories, the Ungava region includes about 1,619,000 sq km (about 625,100 sq mi) and is bordered on the north by Hudson Strait, on the south by the Eastmain River, on the east by Ungava Bay and the Labrador Sea, and on the west by James Bay and Hudson Bay. In 1912 the area became part of Québec, and in 1927 a small section was assigned to Labrador after the Québec-Newfoundland border was established. The sparsely inhabited Ungava Peninsula, in the north, is treeless, but vegetation increases to the south. Vast iron-ore deposits are located near Schefferville, Québec, and Labrador City, Newfoundland. The majority of the population is Inuit, residing mostly on the coastal fringe. The term “Ungava” means “toward the open water.”