The seven islands are named La grosse boule ("the big ball"), La petite boule ("the small ball"), La grande Basque ("the large Basque", named after the visiting Basque fishermen), La petite Basque ("the small Basque"), le Manowin (from the Montagnais manouane meaning "where eggs are picked"), le du Corossol (named after the French ship Corossol wrecked on the island in 1693; site of a lighthouse and a bird sanctuary) and lets de Quen (a group of tiny islands named after Jean de Quen who founded the local Catholic mission in 1650).
The Port of Sept-Iles is situated on the North Shore of the Saint-Lawrence River ans is a gateway to the world. Due to its strategic location at the door to the Atlantic Ocean, the Great Lakes, the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and the entire North American continent are all readily accessible.