'Lake Abitibi' (French: ''lac Abitibi'') is a
lake in northeastern
Ontario and western
Quebec,
Canada. The lake is separated in two distinct portions by a short narrows, making it actually 2 lakes. Its total area is 931 km², and net area 903 km²
[1]. The lake is shallow and studded with islands. Its shores and vicinity are covered with small timber.
Its outlet is the
Abitibi River which empties into
James Bay through the
Moose River. "Abitibi" means "middle waters" in
Algonquian, a reference to its geographic location halfway between James Bay and the
Ottawa River. Rivers to the north flow north towards
Hudson Bay and rivers to the south flow south towards the
Saint Lawrence River.
One of the first Europeans in this area was
Pierre de Troyes, who built a post on Lake Abitibi when he was on his way to capture English HBC posts on James Bay in 1686
[2].
It was formerly used by the
Hudson's Bay Company as part of a canoe route to the fur lands of the north. The construction of the
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now
Canadian National Railway) through this district made it of some importance at the start of the
20th century.
Portions of Lake Abitibi's western shores and a section of the Abitibi River are part of the
Abitibi-de-Troyes Provincial Park.
References
1. Atlas of Canada
2. The Canadian Encyclopedia