Established in 1775, Cartwright was named after Captain George Cartwright. He was an English merchant and adventurer who established a fish and fur trading business. The settlement of Cartwright provided him with an excellent sheltered harbour and FlagStaff Hill gave him a lookout point from which he could look for privateers. It's located on the southeast coast with a population of around 550 people and its main industry is the crab fishery.

Air Labrador provides scheduled flights into Cartwright and it is also a major port for the offloading and distribution of freight to the north Labrador Coast. During the winter, there is a series of groomed trails that connects Cartwright to all other regions of Labrador. In 2002 Cartwright was connected to Red Bay via a gravel highway which opened up most of the southeast coast, and in 2009 it was connected to Central and Western Labrador via a gravel road.