Great Whale River facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Whale River
The first step of the GB1 falls of Great Whale River, Summer 1992
Great Whale River basin in yellow
Native name	Kuujjuaraapiup Kuunga and Abchigamiche River
Other name(s)	Grande rivière de la Baleine
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Nunavik
Physical characteristics
Main source	Lake Saint-Luson 500 m (1,600 ft) 54°49′30″N 70°32′17″W / 54.82500°N 70.53806°W / 54.82500; -70.53806
River mouth	Hudson Bay Kuujjuarapik / Whapmagoostui 0 m (0 ft) 55°15′59″N 77°47′23″W / 55.26639°N 77.78972°W / 55.26639; -77.78972
Length	724 km (450 mi)
Basin features
Basin size	42,700 km2 (16,500 sq mi)

The Great Whale River is a long river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. It starts from Lac Saint-Luson and flows west into Hudson Bay. Its French name is Grande rivière de la Baleine.

The lower part of the river, after Lac Bienville, has a very strong current. You can find many waterfalls there, some as tall as 20 metres (66 ft). There are also many exciting rapids. The upper part of the river is different. It has a series of lakes connected by steep rapids and rocky ledges.

A part of the Great Whale River also comes from the Caniapiscau Reservoir. This branch is often used by canoeists because it's easy to reach from the Trans-Taiga Road.

Two villages are located at the mouth of the river. These are Kuujjuarapik, where most people are Inuit, and Whapmagoostui, a Cree village. These villages used to be known together as "Great Whale River" or "Poste-de-la-Baleine."

History of the Great Whale River

A preliminary camp of the Révillon Frères company on the Great Whale River, 1922

The Great Whale River was a very important place for the Cree and Inuit people. They hunted beluga whales here long before Europeans arrived. Even though both groups moved around, the mouth of the river was a common meeting and camping spot. It also acted as an unofficial border between their lands.

The name "Great Whale River" was first written down in 1744. This was in the logbooks of Thomas Mitchell and John Longland, who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. They were exploring the coast of Hudson Bay. The name likely came from the Cree word Whapmagoostui, which means "River of the Whale." This name refers to the hunting of white whales, or belugas, in the area.

In the early 1970s, a power company called Hydro-Québec planned to build three hydroelectric power stations on the Great Whale River. This was part of a much larger plan called the James Bay Project. Even though detailed plans for this specific project started in 1986, many groups were against it.

The Cree and Inuit people, along with environmental groups like Greenpeace and the Friends of the Earth, spoke out against the project. Because of this strong opposition, the leader of Quebec, Jacques Parizeau, announced in 1994 that the project was stopped for good. However, there is always a chance that the project could be considered again in the future.

Lakes of the Upper River

The upper part of the Great Whale River connects many lakes. Here are some of them:

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Grande rivière de la Baleine para niños