'Isle Madame' (45º33'00"N, 61º02'57"W) is a
Canadian island located at off the southeastern corner of
Cape Breton Island in
Nova Scotia.
The island was settled by France as part of its colony of "Ile Royale" (present-day Cape Breton Island). It is presumed to have been named for
Madame de Maintenon, the second wife of France's King
Louis XIV. Following the
Seven Years' War, Ile Royale and its constituent territories such as Isle Madame, reverted to British control.
Measuring 16
km long and 11 km wide, Isle Madame is jurisdictionally part of
Richmond County and is separated from Cape Breton Island by a narrow
strait named Lennox Passage. Initially crossed by
ferries, the first bridge crossing Lennox Passage to connect with Isle Madame was constructed beginning in
1916 and opening in
1919. The Grandique ferry service also crossed the passage between Martinique and Louisdale. In the early
1970s the old bridge was demolished and the ferry service was terminated after a new combined
causeway and
bridge (the Burnt Island Bridge) was built across Lennox Passage.
Isle Madame's Website / Information
Isle Madame is home to approximately 4,300 residents located in the following communities on the island:
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Arichat
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Boudreauville
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Cape Auguet
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Cap La Ronde
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D'Escousse
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Lennox
★
Lochside
★
Martinique
★
Poirierville
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Pondville
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Pondville South
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Port Royal
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Poulamon
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Rocky Bay
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St Marys
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West Arichat
Isle Madame is also connected by bridge to neighbouring
Petit-de-Grat Island and by causeway and bridge to
Janvrin Island.