Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and the last part of "Piekouagami", the Innu name (meaning "flat lake") for Lac Saint-Jean, with the final "e" added to follow the model of other existing region names such as Mauricie, Témiscamie, Jamésie, and Matawinie. The name Saguenay is possibly derived from the Innu word "Saki-nip" which means "where water flows out". With a land area of 98,708.62 km2 (38,111.61 sq mi), the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is, after the Nord-du-Québec and Côte-Nord regions, the third largest of Quebec regions in area.

This region is bathed by two major watercourses, Lac Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River, both of which mark its landscape deeply and have been the main drives of its development in history. It is also irrigated by several other large watercourses. Bordered by forests and mountainous massifs, the region constitutes a fertile enclave in the Canadian Shield. Both the scenery and the cultural sites and activities of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean attract tourists every year. Lac Saint-Jean is a popular vacation destination in the summer for residents of the more urban regions of Quebec.

The region is considered the heartland of the Quebec sovereignty movement.

The beauty of the region can be seen in the 1991 film Black Robe, directed by Bruce Beresford.

Population
The population of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region was 272,610 at the 2006 census, representing 3.6 % of Quebec's population. It is concentrated primarily in three clusters: the city of Saguenay (born of the merging of the cities of La Baie, Chicoutimi, Jonquière and a few smaller communities) (pop. 143,692), the city of Alma (pop. 29,998) and the agglomeration of Roberval (pop. 10,544), Saint-Félicien (pop. 10,477) and Dolbeau-Mistassini (pop. 14,546). Saguenay, the region's largest city, is located slightly west of the fjord, mostly south of the river.

Subdivisions
Following the Saguenay municipal reorganization in 2002, the region now counts 49 municipalities.

Regional County Municipalities
 * MRC du Fjord-du-Saguenay (pop. 20,025)
 * MRC Lac-Saint-Jean-Est (pop. 51,170)
 * MRC Domaine-du-Roy (pop. 31,956)
 * MRC Maria-Chapdelaine (pop. 25,767)

Independent City
 * Saguenay (pop. 143,692)

Indian Reserve
 * Mashteuiatsh within Le Domaine-du-Roy, (pop. 1,749 Montagnais)

Sources: Government of Quebec, 2003; Statistics Canada, 2006 Census

Major communities

 * Alma
 * Chambord
 * Desbiens
 * Dolbeau-Mistassini
 * Hébertville-Station
 * Métabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croix
 * Normandin
 * Roberval
 * Saguenay
 * Saint-Ambroise
 * Saint-Bruno
 * Saint-Félicien
 * Saint-Honoré
 * Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc