Belles Amours River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Belles Amours River |
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| Other name(s) | Ruisseau des Belles Amours |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| RCM | Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | Gulf of Saint Lawrence 0 metres (0 ft) 51°28′55″N 57°27′23″W / 51.4819444°N 57.4563889°W |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi) |
The Belles Amours River is a cool river in Quebec, Canada. It's known for its salmon! This river flows into the big Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Its French name is Ruisseau des Belles Amours. It's located in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec.
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Where is the Belles Amours River Located?
The river's end, called its mouth, is in a town named Bonne-Espérance. This town is part of the Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent area.
There's also a harbor called Belles Amours. It's like a calm bay that goes inland for over 2 kilometers. For hundreds of years, since the 1500s, fishermen have used this safe spot to dock their boats.
How Did the Belles Amours River Get Its Name?
The harbor got its first name, "Beaulsanim," from a Basque captain named Martin de Hoyarçabal. He wrote about it in his travel book in 1579.
Some people think "Beaulsanim" came from a Basque word, balza. This word means a coast or a place with many coasts. Others believe it came from the French word balsamine, which is a type of plant. Many varieties of this plant grow wild in the area.
Old maps show different spellings of the name. Some examples are Balsamon (1674), Balsanim (1689), and Balsamon (1694). A mapmaker named Jacques-Nicolas Bellin wrote "Belsamont or Belles Amours" on his maps in 1744 and 1755. The name "Belles Amours" became popular after that time.
What is the Belles Amours River Basin Like?
The river basin is the entire area of land that drains into the river. For the Belles Amours River, this area covers about 304 square kilometers.
The Belles Amours River basin is located between two other river basins. To the west is the Saint-Paul River basin, and to the east is the Brador River basin.
This river basin is partly in an area called Petit-Mécatina. It's also partly in the towns of Blanc-Sablon and Bonne-Espérance.
The Brador Hills are a range of hills that stretch for about 40 kilometers. They are located between the Belles Amours River and the border of Newfoundland. Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield named these hills on his map in 1843. The highest point in these hills is 366 meters tall.
Part of the river basin is planned to become a special protected area. This area is called the Basses Collines du Lac Guernesé Biodiversity Reserve.
Are There Salmon in the Belles Amours River?
Yes, the Belles Amours River is known as an Atlantic salmon river. This means salmon swim up the river to lay their eggs. From 2013 to 2017, about 11 salmon were caught in the river each year.
