Shawinigan, city in Saint-Maurice County, southern part of the province of Québec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, near Trois-Rivières. Shawinigan is an important industrial center using power generated by hydroelectric facilities at nearby falls on the Saint-Maurice River. Major manufactures include aluminum, chemicals, plastic items, pulp and paper, and textiles. The city, incorporated in 1921, was known until 1958 as Shawinigan Falls. The name comes from an Algonquian word for “portage on the crest.” Population 21,470 (1986); 18,678 (1996).
