Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Monoliths of the Mingan Archipelago
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 Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
Location in Canada
Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
Location in Quebec
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| Location | Havre-Saint-Pierre / Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Minganie Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada |
| Nearest city | Sept-Îles, Quebec |
| Area | 151 km2 (58 sq mi) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Visitors | 28,862 (in 2007) |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Official name: Site patrimonial de l'Archipel-de-Mingan | |
| Type: | Declared heritage site |
| Designated: | 1978-11-15 |
| Reference #: | 93529 |
The Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve (French: Réserve de parc national de l'Archipel-de-Mingan) is a special national park reserve. It is located in eastern Quebec, Canada. You can find it on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This park is famous for the Mingan Archipelago, which is a group of about 40 islands.
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Amazing Stone Sculptures
The islands in the park have unique stone formations. These formations are called monoliths. They are made of limestone. These islands were formed after the last ice age, when the land slowly rose.
Over thousands of years, the ocean waves, changing sea levels, and strong winds shaped these rocks. Freezing and thawing each season also helped. This process created many amazing limestone sculptures. The Mingan Archipelago has the largest collection of these monoliths in Canada.
Mingan in Film
The Mingan Archipelago was featured in a 2011 documentary film series. It was part of the National Parks Project. The film about Mingan was directed by Catherine Martin. Its music was created by Sebastien Grainger, Jennifer Castle, and Dan Werb.
Animals of Mingan Archipelago
The Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve is home to many different animals. You can find both land animals and marine animals here.
Land Animals
Many small animals live on the islands. These include beavers, river otters, and muskrats. You might also see silver foxes, red squirrels, and snowshoe hares. Other animals like red foxes, ermines, and different kinds of bats also live here. There are also many small rodents.
Sometimes, larger animals like black bears and moose visit the islands close to the coast.
Birds of the Islands
The islands are a great place for birds. You can spot many types of birds, such as warblers and buntings. Large birds like bald eagles and ospreys fly overhead. Smaller birds like passerines are also common.
Water birds are also plentiful. These include eiders, terns, puffins, and razorbills. Many different shorebirds also visit the park's coasts.
Marine Animals
The waters around the islands are full of marine life. You can see different types of seals, like grey seals and harbour seals.
Many kinds of whales swim in these waters. These include minke whales, humpback whales, and fin whales. You might also spot dolphins and porpoises. Harp seals are another common sight in the offshore areas.
See also
Want to learn more? Check out the article in Spanish for kids: Reserva parque nacional Archipiélago de Mingan para niños
