Lake Abitibi
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| Lake Abitibi | |
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| Location | Cochrane District, Ontario Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
| Coordinates | |
| Primary outflows | Abitibi River |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Surface area | 931 km² (359 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | 265 m (870 ft) |
| Islands | over 900 |
Lake Abitibi (French: lac Abitibi) is a lake in northeastern Ontario and western Quebec, Canada. The lake is separated in two distinct portions by a short narrows, making it actually 2 lakes. Its total area is 931 km², and net area 903 km² [1]. The lake is shallow and studded with islands. Its shores and vicinity are covered with small timber.
Its outlet is the Abitibi River which empties into James Bay through the Moose River. "Abitibi" means "middle waters" in Algonquian, a reference to its geographic location halfway between James Bay and the Ottawa River. Rivers to the north flow north towards Hudson Bay and rivers to the south flow south towards the Saint Lawrence River.
One of the first Europeans in this area was Pierre de Troyes, who built a post on Lake Abitibi when he was on his way to capture English HBC posts on James Bay in 1686 [2].
It was formerly used by the Hudson's Bay Company as part of a canoe route to the fur lands of the north. The construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now Canadian National Railway) through this district made it of some importance at the start of the 20th century.
Portions of Lake Abitibi's western shores and a section of the Abitibi River are part of the Abitibi-de-Troyes Provincial Park.
[edit] References
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Abitibbi", a publication now in the public domain.
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