Mékinac Regional County Municipality, Quebec
| Mékinac | |
|---|---|
| Regional county municipality | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 46°49′N 72°31′W / 46.817°N 72.517°WCoordinates: 46°49′N 72°31′W / 46.817°N 72.517°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Quebec
|
| Region | Mauricie |
| Effective | January 1, 1982 |
| County seat | Saint-Tite |
| Municipalities | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Prefecture |
| • Prefect | Alain Vallée |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,554.90 km2 (2,144.76 sq mi) |
| • Land | 5,226.08 km2 (2,017.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 12,924 |
| • Density | 2.5/km2 (6/sq mi) |
| • Pop 2006-2011 |
 2.0% |
| • Dwellings | 8,237 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| Area code(s) | 418 and 581 |
| Website | www |
Mékinac is a regional county municipality (MRC) in the administrative region of Mauricie, in the province of Quebec, Canada. Its seat is Saint-Tite. It is composed of 10 municipalities and 4 unorganized territories.
According to the Commission de Toponymie du Québec, the name Mekinac, pronounced /mekinak/ in French, has an Algonquin origin, that means "turtle". Native Americans often designated places based on the name of the animal kingdom. Once known, the toponym allowed to refer to the same place in conversations. Mikinak designation was assigned to a nearby mountain. A second thesis refers to the abundance of turtles in the area. However, the name is also similar to the historical Algonquin word mekanâc, pronounced /me:kana:ʃ/, meaning "small path". The toponym Mekinac was assigned to the Mékinac River, Mékinac Lake, at Mékinac (township), in the ex-municipality of Saint-Joseph-de-Mékinac, Quebec, and town of Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac.
Mékinac MRC was created on January 1, 1982.
There are 14 subdivisions within the RCM:
Between 2006 and 2011, the population grew by 2.0%. The MRC has 8,237 private dwellings whose 6,096 private dwellings are occupied by usual residents. The median age of the population is 52.6 years old. Statistics Canada reports that in 2011, 88.5% of the population was aged 15 and over, meanings 11,430 individuals (including 5700 men and 5730 women), divided into 3,940 private households. This census indicates that 2,070 people lived alone. Of this population, 1,880 individuals have mastered both French and English, or 14.6%.
Highways and numbered routes that run through the municipality, including external routes that start or finish at the county border:
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Wikipedia