CHIBOUGAMAU

city, Nord-du-Qubec region, central Quebec province, Canada. It lies on the northwest shore of the Lac Dor part of Chibougamau Lake. Gold and copper were discovered in the area by Peter McKenzie in 1903, but his and several subsequent attempts at mining the ore failed because of the region's remoteness. Finally, in the late 1940s, the provincial government began building a road 150 miles (240 km) long, from Saint-Flicien, and laid out a townsite. The road traverses Chibougamau Provincial Park, which occupies 3,000 square miles (7,800 square km). Mineral extraction began in 1949, and development was further stimulated by the completion of a railway westward to the Noranda smelter in 1959. The city is now a major gold, copper, and zinc producer and is connected by both road and rail southeastward to the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean industrial area. Pop. (1991) 8,855.