Boularderie Island (pronounced "bull-la-dree") is an island separating the
Cabot Strait from
Bras d'Or Lake on the eastern coast of
Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia,
Canada. It takes its name from
Louis-Simon le Poupet de la Boularderie, who was granted the area as a concession from the King of France.
At 40 km (25 mi) long and between 3 km (2 mi) to 10 km (6 mi) wide, Boularderie Island is Nova Scotia's second largest island after
Cape Breton Island.
Two outlets of Bras d'Or Lake run on each side of the island to the
Atlantic Ocean:
- the Great Bras d'Or channel runs along the island's northwestern shore, and
- St. Andrews Channel and the Little Bras d'Or channel run along the island's southeastern shore.
The extreme northeastern end of the island at
Point Aconi fronts the Cabot Strait, whereas the extreme southwestern end at
Kempt Head fronts the northern basin of Bras d'Or Lake.
The majority of the island is heavily forested, however it is encircled by roads. The
Trans-Canada Highway (
Highway 105) traverses the island diagonally from
Bras d'Or in the east to
Big Bank in the west. The island hosts a number of farms along its southern and eastern shores.
The island is divided across two of the province's counties with the north and western side being part of
Victoria County (approximately 2/3 of the island's land mass), and the remainder of the southeastern end being part of
Cape Breton County.
The northern end of the island in the community of
Point Aconi has been...
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