Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec in Canada. Gaspé is located about 650 km (400 mi) northeast of Quebec City, and 350 km (220 mi) east of Rimouski. As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the city had a total population of 15,063.
Gaspé | |
|---|---|
| Gaspé | |
North of Gaspé Bay | |
Location within La Côte-de-Gaspé RCM | |
Gaspé Location in eastern Quebec | |
| Coordinates: 48°50′N 64°29′W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Gaspésie– Îles-de-la-Madeleine |
| RCM | La Côte-de-Gaspé |
| Constituted | January 1, 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Daniel Côté |
| • Federal riding | Gaspésie— Îles-de-la-Madeleine |
| • Prov. riding | Gaspé |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,343.40 km2 (518.69 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,118.77 km2 (431.96 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 34.10 m (111.88 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 15,063 |
| • Density | 13.5/km2 (35/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2016–2021 | 3.4% |
| • Dwellings | 7,352 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | G4X |
| Area code(s) | 418 and 581 |
| Highways | R-132 R-198 |
| Website | www |
Gaspé is where Jacques Cartier took possession of New France (now part of Canada) in the name of François I of France on July 24, 1534.
The most common assumption is that "Gaspé" may come from the Miꞌkmaq word Gespeg which means "Land's end". However, other theories hold that the name may be a mutation of the Basque word geizpe or kerizpe which means "shelter" or "place of refuge". Another theory is that it is named after Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real, who explored the Labrador in 1500.
In 1600, Englishman Richard Hakluyt used the name Gaspay in his translation of Cosmosgraphie by Jean Alfonse, which became the common spelling in the early 17th century. Thereafter, many other spellings appeared such as Gachepé, Gachepay, Gaschepay, Gaspey, Gaspèche, and Gapèche.