The Magdalen Islands are part of the Canadian province of Quebec.
The archipelago lies in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, surprisingly closer to the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland than to Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula. Despite that geographic separation, the islands are administratively included in Quebec’s Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region.
The group contains 12 islands and islets, including Havre-Aubert, Cap-aux-Meules, Havre-aux-Maisons, Grosse-Île, and Entry Island. Red and grey sandstone cliffs, sandy beaches, salt-marsh habitats, and volcanic formations give the islands a distinctive landscape. The islands’ combined land area is about 205.5 square kilometres.
Mi’kmaq communities used the islands seasonally for thousands of years before European exploration. Jacques Cartier visited in 1534, while the name “Madeleine” became established later under French colonial administration. Their location often causes the mistake: the islands are near the Maritimes, but they belong politically to Quebec.