RIMOUSKI

city, Bas-Saint-Laurent region, eastern Quebec province, Canada. The city lies on a hillside sloping gently toward its deepwater port (sheltered by the le Saint-Barnab) on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The land was granted to Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnire in 1688. Germain Lepage was the first settler (1696), and Recollet missionaries and Jesuits followed in 1701. The name was probably derived from a Micmac Indian word meaning land of the moose. About half the city was destroyed by fire in 1950, but it has since been rebuilt. Rimouski's diversified economy includes food processing and the manufacture of lumber, pulpwood, mattresses, carpeting, leather, and footwear. It is also a transportation and service centre for the lower St. Lawrence and Gaspsie areas. Educational institutions include a branch of the University of Quebec and a marine institute. Saint-Germain is the seat of a bishop. Inc. town, 1869; city, 1963. Pop. (1991) 30,873.