Map of Labrador with towns

Description:
This map shows towns, villages, islands, major highways, and ferry routes in Labrador.

Towns of Labrador

Labrador contains approximately 30,000 residents distributed across several dozen communities. Settlement patterns reflect the region's mining industry in the west, military and transportation infrastructure in the interior, and Indigenous communities along the coast.

Western Labrador

Labrador City, established in the 1960s, serves as the population center for Labrador West with approximately 7,200 residents. The community developed around iron ore mining operations operated by the Iron Ore Company of Canada. Neighboring Wabush, with a population of approximately 1,800, also functions as a mining community. Both towns are located near the Quebec border and are connected by Route 500 (Trans-Labrador Highway) to the rest of Labrador.

Central Labrador

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the largest community in Labrador with approximately 8,000 residents, serves as the regional administrative and transportation hub. Originally established as a military airbase during World War II, the town developed into a civilian center with government services, retail facilities, and healthcare infrastructure serving surrounding communities. The town is located at the head of Lake Melville and functions as a supply center for coastal communities.

Churchill Falls, with fewer than 700 residents, is a company town built to support the Churchill Falls Generating Station, one of the largest underground hydroelectric facilities in the world.

Coastal Labrador

Coastal Labrador communities are predominantly Indigenous, with significant Inuit and Innu populations. Nain, the northernmost permanent settlement in the province with approximately 1,100 residents, serves as the administrative center for the Nunatsiavut government. Other coastal communities include Hopedale (population approximately 600), Makkovik (approximately 400), and Postville (approximately 200).

These communities have historically been accessible only by coastal ferry, known as the Northern Ranger service, or by air. The completion of sections of the Trans-Labrador Highway has provided road access to some previously isolated communities, though several northern settlements remain accessible only by boat or aircraft. Economic activities in coastal communities traditionally centered on fishing, particularly char and salmon, along with hunting and trapping.