TORNGAT MOUNTAINS

Nachvak Fjord in the Torngat Mountains, Labrador, Canada; it is the highest range in the Canadian range in northern Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. The Torngat range extends northward for 120 miles (190 km) from Hebron Fjord to Cape Chidley, between the Quebec border (west) and the Atlantic Ocean (east). Named from an Eskimo (Inuit) term Torngarsuak, meaning ruler of all sea animals, the mountains are sometimes locally referred to as Devil Mountains, or home of the spirits. With elevations reaching 5,500 feet (1,700 m) at Cirque Mountain (the highest point in Newfoundland) near Ramah, the range is the loftiest in the Canadian Shield (the rocky, glaciated plateau of eastern Canada). Severely glaciated, the peaks rise abruptly from the sea, have a rugged fjord coastline, and are virtually without vegetation or inhabitants.