Hamilton Inlet, Natural inlet in Labrador, Canada

Hamilton Inlet is a large tidal estuary in Labrador that stretches roughly 140 kilometers inland from Groswater Bay to Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Four major rivers feed the system - the Churchill River, North West River, Kenamu River, and Goose River - creating an extensive network of waterways and channels.

The inlet received its current name in the early 1800s after Charles Hamilton, who served as commodore-governor of Newfoundland. Indigenous Inuit communities had inhabited and used these waters long before the region received its European name.

The inlet has carried several names: Inuttitut speakers called it Aivitok (rendered Ivucktoke), while French maps recorded Baie des Esquimaux, "Bay of the Eskimos", and Baie-St Louis. Its present name honours Charles Hamilton, commodore-governor of Newfoundland in the early 1800s, after whom the Hamilton River (now the Churchill) was also named.

The inlet is best explored by boat, as the shoreline is difficult to access by land. Weather conditions can change rapidly here, so visitors should prepare for proper marine equipment and careful trip planning.

The inlet's earlier names include Ivucktoke (Inuttitut: Aivitok), Eskimo or Esquimaux Bay (French: Baie des Esquimaux), and St Louis Bay (French: Baie-St Louis). These names, used together with Groswater Bay, record Inuit and French presence on this coast before the present name was adopted.