The Gaspésie (official name), or Gaspé Peninsula, the Gaspé or Gaspesia, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River to the east of the Matapédia Valley in Quebec, Canada, that extends into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on its southern side by the Baie des Chaleurs (Chaleur Bay) and the Restigouche River.
The origin of the name "Gaspé" comes from the Mi'kmaq word gespe'g, meaning "end", referring to the end of the land.[2] A Basque linguist has instead suggested "Gaspé" comes from a mutation of the Basque word "geizpe", meaning "shelter", but that view has been debated.[3]
The Gaspé Peninsula is slightly larger than Belgium, at 31,075 square kilometres (11,998 sq mi).[4] The population is 140,599 as of the 2011 census.[5]
