Labrador

Labrador
/lab"reuh dawr'/, n.
1. a peninsula in NE North America surrounded by Hudson Bay, the Atlantic, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, containing the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Quebec. 510,000 sq. mi. (1,320,900 sq. km).
2. the portion of Newfoundland in the E part of the peninsula. 12,012; ab. 120,000 sq. mi. (310,800 sq. km).
3. (sometimes l.c.) See Labrador retriever.

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Large peninsula, northeastern Canada.

Divided between the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, it occupies an area of about 625,000 sq mi (1,620,000 sq km). Its highest mountains are over 5,000 ft (1,520 m), and its coast is lined with islands. It forms the easternmost portion of the plateau known as the Canadian Shield. Politically, Labrador refers to the Newfoundland and Labrador portion of the peninsula; the Quebec portion is Ungava Peninsula. Political control of the region was disputed by the two provinces until the Quebec-Newfoundland border was established in 1927.

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 northeastern portion of the Canadian mainland. Together with the island of Newfoundland, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Labrador has an area of approximately 113,641 square miles (294,330 square km). It is bounded by the Hudson Strait (north), the Labrador Sea (east), the Gulf of St. Lawrence (south), and the province of Quebec (west).

      As a geographic entity Labrador comprises the easternmost portion of the Canadian Shield, the rocky, glaciated plateau of eastern Canada. This plateau is characterized by numerous lakes draining into the Atlantic via the Churchill, Naskaupi, Eagle, and other rivers; by thin, poorly drained soils; and by a bleak, deeply indented coastline that is swept by the cold Labrador Current.

      The origin of the term Labrador is obscure, but it is believed to have been first applied to Greenland, called Land of Labrador by early Portuguese navigators, and later transferred to the northeastern North American mainland by cartographers. Political control of the peninsula passed back and forth between Newfoundland and Quebec, thus confusing the name's geographic significance until the Quebec-Newfoundland border was established in 1927.

      Many of Labrador's largest communities, such as Labrador City, have sprung up since iron-ore exploitation began in the 1950s, powered by hydroelectric plants at Menihek and Churchill Falls. Fishing and lumbering are of local importance.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Labrador — Labrador1 [lab′rə dôr΄] n. [also l ] LABRADOR RETRIEVER Labrador2 [lab′rə dôr΄] [prob. < Port lavrador, landholder, for 15th c. Port explorer João Fernandes, a landholder in the Azores: the name was first applied to Greenland] 1. Labrador… …   English World dictionary

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  • Labrădor [1] — Labrădor (früher Estotiland, in neuerer Zeit officiell New Britain [Neu Britannien] genannt), große Halbinsel im Osten von Nordamerika, zwischen 50° bis 64° nördl. Breite u. 37° bis 61° westl. Breite (von Ferro), grenzt im Süden an Canada u. den… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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  • Labrador — (also Labrador retriever) ► NOUN ▪ a breed of retriever with a black or yellow coat, used as a gun dog or guide dog. ORIGIN named after the Labrador Peninsula of eastern Canada, where the breed was developed …   English terms dictionary

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  • Labradŏr — (Labradorit, Labradorstein), Mineral der Feldspatgruppe (vgl. Feldspat), zunächst der durch sein prachtvolles Farbenspiel ausgezeichnete Feldspat von der Küste von Labrador, dann jeder diesem gleich zusammengesetzte Feldspat. Man hat den L. als… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Làbrādor — (Labrȃdor) m geogr. najveći poluotok Sjeverne Amerike (SI Kanada) ✧ {{001f}}engl …   Veliki rječnik hrvatskoga jezika

  • labrador — labrador, ra sustantivo agricultor, cultivador, campesino, paisano (Galicia), aldeano (País Vasco), labriego, labrantín, pegujalero, pelantrín, destripaterrones …   Diccionario de sinónimos y antónimos

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