Makkovik
| Makkovik Maquuvik |
|
|---|---|
| Town | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 55°05′N 59°11′W / 55.083°N 59.183°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Region | Nunatsiavut |
| Settled | 1860 |
| Incorporated | March 26, 1970 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (AngajukKâk) | Herbert Jacque |
| • Federal MP | Yvonne Jones (L) |
| • Provincial MHA | Randy Edmunds (L) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 1.97 km2 (0.76 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 361 |
| • Density | 182.9/km2 (474/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Atlantic Time (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | Atlantic Daylight (UTC-3) |
| Canadian Postal code | A0P 1J0 |
| Area code(s) | 709 |
Makkovik (Inuit: Maquuvik)[1] is a town in Labrador in eastern Canada. It had a population of 361 persons in 2011. The main industry is fishing (snow crab) and there is a fishing cooperative.
History[edit]
Settled by Torsten Kverna Andersen and his wife Mary Ann Thomas who set up a trading post there in 1860, the population gradually increased over the next three decades as European settlers and Inuit established roots in the community, though this territory since time immemorial was used by Inuit. Colonization was assured in 1896 when the Moravian Church established a mission station and residential school there. Both the mission and school were destroyed by a fire in 1948 but the economy was instilled in the 1950s by two notable events. First was the forceful resettlement to Makkovik of 150 Inuit residents of the northern communities of Nutak and Hebron. Second was the establishment nearby of a radar warning station by the United States government.
The population is mainly composed of residents of mixed Norwegian and Inuit heritage.
Geography[edit]
The community lies at the end of a peninsula in northern Labrador about 215 kilometres northeast of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Travel is by air year round (served by Makkovik Airport) and by boat in summer. Winter travel is by snowmobile. The community is situated on a sheltered bay in a saddle between two hills. In the lee of the northernmost hill is a large copse of tall spruce trees, which is remarkable given the paucity of tree cover for miles around. Now known as the Moravian Wood, there is a small cemetery in the centre.
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Makkovik, Newfoundland and Labrador Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high humidex | 10.8 | 8.3 | 12.8 | 15.5 | 27.0 | 36.6 | 42.6 | 42.5 | 31.4 | 20.6 | 16.9 | 8.5 | 42.6 |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
10.0 (50) |
13.0 (55.4) |
14.0 (57.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34.5 (94.1) |
29.0 (84.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.0 (57.2) |
34.5 (94.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −12.6 (9.3) |
−12.1 (10.2) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
0.5 (32.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.2 (63) |
12.4 (54.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
−1.1 (30) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
2.68 (36.81) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −16.7 (1.9) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
2.8 (37) |
7.8 (46) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
2.8 (37) |
−3.9 (25) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−1.3 (29.65) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −20.8 (−5.4) |
−20.7 (−5.3) |
−15.0 (5) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.1 (37.6) |
6.7 (44.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
4.7 (40.5) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−5.28 (22.49) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −37.0 (−34.6) |
−37.0 (−34.6) |
−32.5 (−26.5) |
−25.0 (−13) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
0.0 (32) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−22.0 (−7.6) |
−33.5 (−28.3) |
−37 (−34.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 72.6 (2.858) |
75.1 (2.957) |
72.9 (2.87) |
61.8 (2.433) |
52.0 (2.047) |
94.0 (3.701) |
101.0 (3.976) |
97.6 (3.843) |
91.9 (3.618) |
91.6 (3.606) |
84.1 (3.311) |
83.9 (3.303) |
978.5 (38.523) |
| Source: [2] | |||||||||||||
The other Makkovik[edit]
For three years in the late 1950s the United States Air Force encroached in a remote radar base about 15 kilometres north of the settlement. Called Cape Makkovik, it was constructed between 1955 and 1957 and operated until 1961 and was dismantled later in the decade. It was a so-called "gap-filler" in the Pinetree Line set up to monitor the skies for foreign invaders from the north.
References[edit]
- ^ Issenman, Betty. Sinews of Survival: The living legacy of Inuit clothing. UBC Press, 1997. pp252-254
- ^ http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=6778&lang=e&province=NL&provSubmit=go&page=26&dCode=0
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 55°05′N 59°11′W / 55.083°N 59.183°W
