Algoma District

Algoma District
District d'Algoma
Location of Algoma District in Ontario
Location of Algoma District in Ontario
Coordinates: 48°00′N 84°30′W / 48.000°N 84.500°W / 48.000; -84.500
Country Canada
Province Ontario
RegionNortheastern Ontario
Created1858
Area
 • Land48,814.88 km2 (18,847.53 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
 • Total113,777
 • Density2.4/km2 (6/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code705
SeatSault Ste. Marie

Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793–1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the Ojibwe in Sault Ste. Marie region in 1822. "Al" is derived from Algonquin, while "goma" is a variant of gomee, meaning lake or water.[3]

Algoma District has shoreline along Lake Superior and Lake Huron. It has an international border crossing to the American state of Michigan, at Sault Ste. Marie. Historically, it was known for its lumber and mining industries.

The rugged scenery of the region has inspired works by Canadian artists, particularly the Group of Seven. They rented a boxcar from the Algoma Central Railway to travel on excursions through this region.

  1. ^ "Algoma District census profile". 2016 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference cp2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hamilton, William (1978). Canadian Place Names. Macmillan. p. 132. ISBN 0-7715-9754-1.