Matane

City in Matane County, southeastern Québec, located 85 km/53 mi northeast of Rimouski; population (1991) 12,800. The city lies on the Gaspé Peninsula, and on the south bank of the St Lawrence River, at the mouth of the River Matane.

Matane was settled in the 1680s in the territory of the indigenous Micmac people. In the 19th century, the city developed around forestry, and its economy is still based on the felling and processing of timber. There is also some farming, and the city is a port and distribution centre for the region. Shrimping and salmon fishing are important, and there is a francophone community college.