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ABSTRACT. Ninety-three prehistoric components were discovered during this first comprehensive archaeological survey of the Labrador coastline between Cape Charles and Trunmore Bay. The newly discovered sites show that there was continuous prehistoric occupation from northern Labrador through to the Quebec North Shore and the island of Newfoundland, with radiocarbon dates ranging from 5070 +/- 170 to 1050 +/- 50 B.P. Dates from Late Palaeoeskimo sites suggest that Middle Dorset occupation of southern Labrador may have begun as early as 1940 +/- 70 B.P. and lasted until 1050 +/- 50 B.P. Comprehensive survey strategy revealed three broad trends of prehistoric land use and occupation in southern Labrador: the inner coastal zone, in particular the coastline of the largest bays, does not retain any traces of prehistoric coastal occupation; coastal presence by all culture groups is concentrated at or near the mouths of bays and the outer island archipelagoes; and certain coastal locations were preferred areas of land use for prehistoric peoples. At a more specific level, prehistoric Indian sites tend to be situated in protected locations, oriented to both mainland and saltwater resources. Groswater Palaeoeskimo and Late Palaeoeskimo sites, on the other hand, have a decided outer island orientation, which suggests an adaptive focus on saltwater resources. A brief summary of the historic sites recorded during the survey is included. Key words: Southern Labrador, prehistoric sites, culture history, systematic survey, prehistoric Indian versus Palaeoeskimo subsistence-settlement systems, extended Middle Dorset occupation INTRODUCTION During the 1991 and 1992 Labrador South Coastal Survey (LSCS) between Cape Charles and Trunmore Bay in southern Labrador (52 degrees 20'N to 53 degrees 45 'N; Fig. 1), 135 new sites comprising 156 cultural components were recorded, and 13 previously known sites were revisited (Stopp and Rutherford, 1991; Stopp, 1992, 1995; Stopp and Reynolds, 1992; Table 1). Fifty-nine of these 156 are prehistoric components of an identifiable culture group, and 34 are prehistoric components of uncertain cultural affiliation. The LSCS represents the first comprehensive archaeological coverage of the coastline from Cape Charles to Sandy Point (southern Trunmore Bay) and is essentially a continuation of the 1986 coastal survey between the Quebec-Labrador border and Cape Charles (Auger and Stopp, 1986). Previous archaeological work in the survey area has been limited to localized testing at the...