Torngat Mountains National Park

Torngat Mountains National Park
Nachvak Fjord
Map showing the location of Torngat Mountains National Park
Map showing the location of Torngat Mountains National Park
Torngat Mountains National Park Location
Map showing the location of Torngat Mountains National Park
Map showing the location of Torngat Mountains National Park
Torngat Mountains National Park (Newfoundland and Labrador)
LocationLabrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Nearest cityNain
Coordinates59°26′09″N 63°41′47″W / 59.43583°N 63.69639°W / 59.43583; -63.69639[1]
Area9,700 km2 (3,700 sq mi)
EstablishedJuly 10, 2008 (2008-July-10)
Governing bodyParks Canada

Torngat Mountains National Park (Inuktitut: Tongait KakKasuangita SilakKijapvinga)[2] is a Canadian national park located on the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The park encompasses 9,700 km2 (3,700 sq mi; 2,400,000 acres) of mountainous terrain between Northern Quebec and the Labrador Sea.[3] It is the largest national park in Atlantic Canada and the southernmost national park in the Arctic Cordillera. It partially contains the Torngat Mountains, the highest mountains in mainland Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.

The Torngat Mountains National Park was created to honour the relationship that Inuit of Labrador and Nunavik have with the land. Parks Canada works with these groups in order to conserve the ecological integrity of the land, as well as to inform visitors of the park's history with Inuit groups. The subarctic mountains are part of the greater Inuit homeland, known as Inuit Nunangat.[4] The area in and around the park is governed by Inuit and it has been named "Nunatsiavut", translating to "our beautiful land" in their native language. The mountains are an important place for the Inuit and have been known as the "place of spirits".

An area called Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve was set aside with enactment of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement on December 1, 2005,[5] with the intention of creating a national park.[6] When the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement came into effect on July 10, 2008, the park was officially established, and the National Park Reserve became Torngat Mountains National Park, the first in Labrador.[7]

In the Torngat Mountains, there are diverse animal and plant species in ecological communities. Indigenous cultures are deeply connected to and dependent on caribou for their food resources and cultures. This park protects wildlife including: boreal woodland caribou, black bears, Labrador wolf packs, red and Arctic foxes, polar bears, peregrine falcon, and golden eagle among others. Four different climatic regions enable these different species to co-exist. As the temperature rises, the ice in this area shrinks and shrubs grow rapidly, affecting local residents, species and tourists.

The park is open year-round and is accessible via charter air flight, cruise ship, or snowmobile.[8] It offers wilderness-oriented recreational activities such as, hiking, scrambling, and kayaking.

  1. ^ "Torngat Mountains National Park". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  2. ^ Lemelin, Harvey; Johnston, Margaret; Lough, Dave; Rowell, Judith; Broomfield, Wayne; Baikie, Gary; Sheppard, Kristie (2016). "Two Parks, One Vision – Collaborative Management Approaches to Transboundary Protected Areas in Northern Canada: Tongait Kak Kasuangita Silak Kijapvinga/Torngat Mountains National Park, Nunatsiavut and le Parc national Kuururjuaq Nunavik". Indigenous Peoples' Governance of Land and Protected Territories in the Arctic. pp. 71–82. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-25035-9_4. ISBN 978-3-319-25033-5.
  3. ^ "Torngat Mountains National Park". www.pc.gc.ca. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  4. ^ "Torngat Mountains National Park". 29 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Nunatsiavut: Our beautiful land". CBC News Online. July 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  6. ^ "Labrador's Inuit cheer land agreement". CBC News. January 23, 2005. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  7. ^ Torngat Mountains National Park, Park Management, the Context for Park Management, Parks Canada, 2014
  8. ^ National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of Canada (Second ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Partners. 2017. pp. 29–33.