It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the first part of "Saguenay" and the last part of "Piekouagami", the Innu name (meaning "flat lake") for Lac Saint-Jean, with the final "e" added to follow the model of other existing region names such as Mauricie, Témiscamie, Jamésie, and Matawinie.

This region is bathed by two major watercourses, Lac Saint-Jean and the Saguenay River, both of which mark its landscape deeply and have been the main drives of its development in history.

Bordered by forests and mountainous massifs, the southern portion of the region constitutes a fertile enclave in the Canadian Shield called the Saguenay Graben.

Lac Saint-Jean is a popular vacation destination in the summer for residents of the more urban regions of Quebec.

The name Saguenay is possibly derived from the Innu word "Saki-nip" which means "where water flows out".

[5] Saguenay, the region's largest city, is located slightly west of the fjord, mostly south of the river.

The next most common mother tongues were English at 0.6%, followed by Spanish at 0.4% and the related languages of Atikamekw and Innu at 0.3% total.