Abitibi, Lake

Lake in northeast Ontario and west Québec, Canada, situated 280 km/175 mi south of James Bay, in the ‘Clay Belt’. Comprising two irregularly shaped lakes joined by a narrows, it covers 930 sq km/360 sq mi. Its forested shores support regional pulp and paper industries, especially at the town of Iroquois Falls, Ontario; population (1991) 6,000. Fur trading (from the late 17th century) and gold mining (in the 20th century) have been important in the area. Tourism and outdoor recreation are now key to the regional economy. The Abitibi River issues from the lake and flows west past Iroquois Falls, then north through Ontario to the Moose River to the south of James Bay; length 550 km/340 mi.