in a forested area of the canton of Kataskomiq , holds the function of a meeting point for the community. The two territories do not possess any permanent inhabitants. Politics and administration Administrative divisions Regional county municipalities (RCM), with populations per 2016 census Kamouraska Regional County Municipality - 21,073 La Matapédia Regional County Municipality - 17,925 La Mitis Regional County Municipality - 18,210 Les Basques Regional County Municipality - 8,694 La Matanie Regional County Municipality - 21,301 Rimouski-Neigette Regional County Municipality - 56,650 Rivière-du-Loup Regional County Municipality - 33,958 Témiscouata Regional County Municipality - 19,574 Indian reserves Cacouna (not to be confused with Cacouna the city) Kataskomiq Inside the RCMs are important cities including: Rimouski (Rimouski-Neigette RCM) Rivière-du-Loup (Rivière-du-Loup RCM) Matane (La Matanie RCM) Mont-Joli (La Mitis RCM) Amqui (La Matapédia RCM) Cities Rimouski As a service centre, the city of Rimouski is the main urban centre of Bas-Saint-Laurent, located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence, east of Quebec City. Located away from the capital of the nation, the city is the economic, social and cultural metropolis of the region. A number of major regional institutions, like Université du Québec à Rimouski, the cégep de Rimouski, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rimouski, the courthouse, the federal and provincial public administration, the seat of a number of companies and the regional hospital of Rimouski, the most important hospital centre of eastern Quebec, are located there. With a population of 47,687 inhabitants in 2012, this new city created in 2002, as part of the municipal reorganizations which occurred across Quebec. In this reorganization the city of Rimouski was fused with the municipalities of Rimouski-Est, Pointe-au-Père, Sainte-Odile-sur-Rimouski, Sainte-Blandine and Mont-Lebel. Another process of municipal fusion added the municipality Le Bic to the city on the 16 of September 2009. The area of the new city covers and extends itself along the route 132 and the river on . Rivière-du-Loup Rivière-du-Loup is the second most important city of Bas-Saint-Laurent. The main concurrent of Rimouski, the city houses 19,695 inhabitants in 2012. It is the result of the merging of Rivière-du-Loup with the municipality of the parish of Saint-Patrice-de-la-Rivière-du-Loup. Matane The city of Matane is the third-largest city of the region by population. Granted as a fief and seigniory to Mathieu D'Amours in 1667 when it was a trading post of the fur trade and a fishing port, it is also the easternmost