Entry Island facts for kids
Entry Island (which is Île-d’Entrée in French) is a small island located off the east coast of the Magdalen Islands. These islands are part of Quebec, a province in Canada.
The island is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) wide and 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) long. It sits about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away from Cap-aux-Meules, the main port of the Magdalen Islands. You can only get to Entry Island by boat or plane. It is also home to a community where most people speak English.
Fishing is the main job on the island. The most important catch is lobster. Fishermen also catch crab, scallops, whelk, mackerel, tuna, and herring.
Around 60 people live on Entry Island all year round. This number is much lower than in 1980, when about 270 people lived there.
When you travel by ferry from Prince Edward Island to the Magdalen Islands, Entry Island is the first island you see. You can spot it by its colorful cliffs. The island also has beautiful, untouched green rolling hills. These hills are a big attraction for visitors.
The highest point on the island is called Big Hill. It is 174 meters (571 feet) above sea level. Big Hill is also the highest point in the entire Magdalen Islands group.
Entry Island has a few important places for its community. There are two stores, a restaurant, and an Anglican church. The island also has a post office and a small museum. During the tourist season, you can find a bed and breakfast here.
In July 2010, a small military exercise called "SABRE" happened on the island. It lasted for 18 days.
The school on Entry Island closed for good in 2015. The few students who still live on the island now go to school on the main islands. They attend the English-speaking school in Grosse-Île.
Contents
Getting Around Entry Island
Entry Island is unique because of how people travel there and around it.
Ferry Service
A ferry comes to Entry Island twice a day. It does not run on Sundays, Christmas Day, or New Year's Day. When visitors arrive, they might see more four-wheelers or snowmobiles than cars at the pier. This depends on the season. There is no gas station on Entry Island.
The ferry service runs all year. It carries people, mail, and goods. If you want to bring a vehicle, you need to plan ahead. Only one or two vehicles can come on each trip.
Winter Travel
Sometimes in winter, an ice bridge used to form. This bridge connected Entry Island to Amherst Island. The last time this happened was in 1993. Islanders would use this winter bridge to travel by snowmobiles, horses, or even cars. Some brave people even walked across it when conditions were safe.
Air Travel
Entry Island has an airfield with two paved runways. However, there are no regular passenger flights. There is also a wooden helipad at the northeast corner of the island. This spot is called La Cormorandière in French. It does not have other aviation buildings.
Island Communities
Entry Island is one of three English-speaking communities in the Magdalen Islands. The other two are Grosse-Île and Old Harry. Entry Island is the only community that is completely separate from the others. All the other communities, both English and French-speaking, are connected by sand dunes and a highway, Route 199.
Entry Island in Stories
Entry Island has been featured in a few books:
- The 2013 book Entry Island by Scottish author Peter May is a detective story. Most of the story takes place on the island.
- Quebec author Jean Lemieux wrote La lune rouge (The Red Moon) in 2009. This psychological novel is also set on the island. It is only available in French.
- The science-fiction novel The Odyssey of the Penelope (L'odysée du Pénélope), by Jean-Pierre Guillet, starts on the island. This book won an Aurora Award in 1998.
The song "Where Would I Be?" by Stompin' Tom Connors is also about Entry Island.
See also
In Spanish: Isla de Entrada para niños
