The reserve is home to the largest concentration of erosion monoliths in Canada, important fossil sites, unique ecological environments, alpine arctic flora, including the Mingan thistle, seabirds with the largest concentrations of Arctic terns, Common terns and Common eiders of the St.

[2][3][4][5] The area of the Mingan islands and part of the mainland to the north of them is underlain by Ordovician sedimentary rocks.

[6][7][8][9] The Mingan Archipelago is a major historical heritage site in Quebec; It is also a mid-Nordic natural environment with some original bio-physical elements: Ordovician limestone, cuestas, morphogenesis associated with the sea, subarctic vegetation cover and varied bird fauna.

The vegetation of the Mingan Islands belongs to the Chibougamau-Natashquan boreal forest region, which is dominated by Black spruce.

The high latitude and low altitude, combined with the proximity of the cold currents of Labrador, explain the subarctic vegetation specific to the Minganie.

The entirely calcareous nature of the horizontal stratified rocks, which make up the Anticosti - Minganie, exerts a profound influence on the structure of the flora and on the choice of species.

Nearly 200 species of bird can be observed in the field The large number of habitats here has provided refuge to many different mammals There are three types of seal living around the Mingan Archipelago The waters of and beyond the Mingan archipelago are the hunting grounds of the cetaceans attracted by the huge shoals of plankton and fish that abound in the cold waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

On the route of conquerors, explorers, fishermen, hunters, adventurers, and other navigators, it is by entering the waters of the river that the most difficult operation of the journey begins.

In North America, during the French regime (1534-1763), several shipwrecks marked the history of navigation on the St. Lawrence River.

The First Nations, were attracted to the marine resources of this part of the gulf and engaged in molluscs harvesting, salmon fishing and seal hunting, among other activities.

Route 138, from Moisie River to Havre-Saint-Pierre, opened in the spring of 1976, from there access to the islands of the Mingan Archipelago by sea.