Overview

Territory
Population

Territory (Top)

The Mauricie is one of Québec's seven resources regions. It is divided into six administrative divisions, i.e. Regional County Municipalities or MRC (groupings of mainly rural municipalities within a defined territory): MRC des Chenaux, Maskinongé and Mékinac, and three cities: Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan and La Tuque (mainly identified with the Haut St-Maurice area). The Mauricie includes 49 municipalities: three cities and the MRC's. Key facts about them are provided in our Cities and MRC's section.
The region is well located geographically. Known as the "Heart of Québec", the Mauricie actually lies midway between the large urban centres, i.e. about 2 hours by road from Montreal, the largest city, or Quebec City, the capital.
It covers an area of 39,748 square kilometers or 2.6% of Québec's territory:
- It is bordered to the north by the Abitibi and Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean regions.
- It is bound to the west by the Lanaudière region and to the east by the Quebec City region, the National Capital.
- It extends southward to the St. Lawrence River, which separates it from the Centre-du-Québec region.
The Mauricie is endowed with vast open spaces and countless rivers and streams, which play an important role in its economic and tourism development. In our region you'll find:
- More than 17,000 lakes (including Lake Saint-Pierre, recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve since 2000);
- Several majestic rivers, including: the Saint-Maurice (the region's main river and namesake, flowing almost straight down the middle from north to south), Batiscan, Sainte-Anne, Mattawin, Maskinongé, du Loup.);
- The grandiose St. Lawrence River (which borders the region to the south).

Forests are also an important feature of the Mauricie both for their size (88% of total landmass) and key role in the region's economy.
- The laurentian forest, with its high concentration of maple, a canadian symbol and a source of sweet sap in the spring, grows in the south, while the boreal forest, composed mainly of coniferous trees, is in the north.
- The Mauricie was designated as "Forest Capital of Canada" in 2001, and for good reason: the region has managed to preserve its natural heritage, much to the pleasure of hunting, fishing and outdoors enthusiasts. In addition to the national park (a public institution responsible for preserving the area's natural resources, conducting research, controlling activities and hosting visitors), which is a source of great pride for the region and attracts a large number of visitors every year from all over, our region has:
  - More than 75 outfitters (operations providing facilities on a rental basis for the practice of hunting and fishing);
  - 11 controlled harvesting zones (ZEC) (territory dedicated to managing, harvesting or preserving wildlife or wildlife species);
  - Two wildlife preserves (territory dedicated to the conservation, development and use of wildlife where outdoor activities take place);
  - Several municipal parks.

Population (Top)

In 2004, the region's population was estimated at 259,424 or 3.5% of the population of Québec. The major cities are Trois-Rivières (over 126,000 residents) and Shawinigan (over 50,000 residents). These two cities account for 68% of the population of the Mauricie.

(Top)

Where is the Mauricie?
Clic on the map.

This site was created with financial support from the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec,
the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie and SADC Centre-de-la-Mauricie. See complete credits.