What strait separates the island of Newfoundland from mainland Canada (Labrador)?

The strait separating the island of Newfoundland from mainland Canada’s Labrador is the Strait of Belle Isle.

Located in eastern Canada, the strait is the northern outlet of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is about 125 kilometres long and narrows to roughly 15 kilometres at its tightest point. The name comes from Belle Isle, an island near the strait’s eastern entrance, whose French name means “Beautiful Island.”

The passage has long been important to Indigenous peoples and later to European mariners. Basque whalers operated in the region, and the wreck of the San Juan at Red Bay dates to 1565. Today, a ferry operates across the western part of the strait between St. Barbe in Newfoundland and Blanc-Sablon in Labrador’s neighbouring Quebec region.

The main common mix-up is Cabot Strait, which lies farther south between Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island. Davis Strait is much farther north, between Greenland and Baffin Island, while Hudson Strait connects the Labrador Sea with Hudson Bay. Navigation in Belle Isle is difficult because of strong tides, fog, gales, Labrador Current waters, and sea ice that can persist for much of the year.