Labrador

Labrador, vast peninsular region of eastern Canada, lying between Hudson Bay on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and incorporating the Ungava Peninsula in the north. It has an area of about 1,620,000 sq km (625,000 sq mi). The region includes much of northern Quebec and the mainland portion of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1927, in a dispute over the boundary between Quebec and Newfoundland in the Labrador interior, the British Privy Council ruled in favour of Newfoundland; however, Quebec continues to contest the boundary. Since 1965 the province of Newfoundland has been called Newfoundland and Labrador. The name Labrador is often applied specifically to the southern portion of the peninsula, which occupies about one-fifth of the total area. Largely a plateau region, it has a deeply indented Atlantic coastline. The northern portion is largely barren tundra; coniferous forests are found in the south. Labrador is only sparsely settled by small numbers of Inuit (Eskimos). Fishing is an important activity along the Labrador coast. In 1954 mining of reserves of iron ore began in the interior. A hydroelectric plant opened in 1971 at Churchill Falls, and another, even larger hydroelectric project is under way on La Grande Rivière in Quebec.