Labrador is the continental part of the
Canadian province called
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Jacques Cartier called Labrador, "The land God gave to
Cain," in 1534. Historically, Labrador has been underdeveloped. Recently, however, much attention has been paid to the rich resources of Labrador (e.g.
Voisey's Bay).
Interestingly, the provincial government of
Quebec does not consider
Labrador part of
Newfoundland, and disputes the border. This dispute harkens back to 1906 when surveyors from Quebec claimed land being used by
Labradorians. In 1909,
Newfoundland (then an independent colony) tried to sell Labrador to
Canada for 9 million dollars. They tried again in 1932 (for 110 million dollars). The borders between Quebec and Labrador were formally decided after Newfoundland joined
Canada in 1949. Much later,
Quebec Nationalists would regard this as a treasonous betrayal. Today, if you buy a map in Quebec you will see Labrador in the same color as Quebec, with a dotted line where the provincial boundary should be!
aside: the Webster 1913 definition is dated from an era when Newfoundland was a British colony.