The Land
Nova Scotia's 580-kilometre-long peninsula is surrounded by
four bodies of water - the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, the
Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Its geographic
location, together with large, ice-free, deep-water harbours, has
been a key factor in the province's economic development.
With an area of 55 491 km2, Nova Scotia is
larger than Denmark, although somewhat smaller than Scotland,
after which it is named. Its average width of 128 kilometres means
that no part of the province is far from the sea.
Nova Scotia is a mosaic of rugged headlands, tranquil harbours
and ocean beaches. Its indented shoreline stretches 10 424
kilometres, while inland is a myriad of lakes and streams. The
land is framed by the rocky Atlantic Uplands, the Cape Breton
Highlands and the wooded Cobequid Hills. The agricultural areas of
Nova Scotia are predominantly lowlands. When the glacial ice
withdrew from coastal Nova Scotia 15 000 to 18 000 years
ago, the ocean flooded ancient river valleys and carved out
hundreds of small protected harbours which later became fishing
ports.
Nova Scotia lies in the northern temperate zone and, although
the province is almost surrounded by water, the climate is
continental rather than maritime. The temperature extremes of a
continental climate, however, are moderated by the ocean.
The History
The Micmac Indians inhabited Nova Scotia long before the first
explorers arrived from Europe. The first visitors were Norsemen in
the early 11th century, and in 1497, Italian explorer John Cabot
had noted the rich fishing grounds in the area.
In the 17th century, all of Nova Scotia, as well as parts of
Quebec, New Brunswick and Maine, which made up an area known as
Acadia, were settled by the French. Pierre de Monts established
the first successful agricultural settlement in Canada at Port
Royal in 1605. In the next century, the British and the French
feuded over the area. Control passed back and forth until 1713,
when Acadia was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Utrecht.
Conflict between Britain and France continued. The Acadians,
mainly settlers from France, tried to convince both sides of their
neutrality, but by 1755 the British had decided that the Acadians
posed too great a security threat. They expelled all Acadians who
would not swear allegiance to the British Crown. Many returned to
France, some settled in New France and others moved to the United
States. Over time, many would return to their Acadian homeland.
In 1783, thousands of United Empire Loyalists from the newly
independent New England states immigrated to Nova Scotia. They
wanted to remain British despite the formation of the United
States of America. The influx of the Loyalists doubled Nova
Scotia's population, and in 1784, it was partitioned to create the
new colony of New Brunswick.
In 1848, largely through the efforts of newspaper owner and
patriot Joseph Howe, Nova Scotia became the first British colony
to win responsible government. Nova Scotia was one of the four
provinces that constituted the new federation called the Dominion
of Canada in 1867. At that time, the province was at the forefront
of international shipbuilding and the lumber and fish trades.
Confederation helped to finance the railroad to Quebec City, which
opened the province to the interior of the continent. The First
and Second World Wars emphasized the importance of Halifax, Nova
Scotia's capital, as a staging point for convoys and confirmed it
as one of the world's major ports.
The People
Nearly one-quarter of Nova Scotia's population of approximately
941 000 report the British Isles as their place of ethnic
origin. Significant portions of the population also report either
French or European origins.
Many residents of Nova Scotia are of German, Dutch, Polish,
Italian, Jewish and Lebanese descent. After the War of 1812,
several thousand Black people, including the Chesapeake Blacks,
settled in the Halifax area; in 1996, more than 18 000
residents of the province reported having Black origins. More
recent immigrants to Nova Scotia have included Chinese,
Indo-Chinese, African, Asian and eastern European groups.
In 1996, the Aboriginal population of Nova Scotia was 12 380,
mostly belonging to the Micmac Nation.
The largest concentrations of population are found in the
Halifax metropolitan area with a population of approximately 329 000
and Cape Breton County (including Sydney) with approximately 117 000.
Major towns include Yarmouth, Kentville, Bridgewater, Truro,
Amherst and New Glasgow. Approximately half of Nova Scotia's
residents are based in small towns, rural and coastal areas.
The Economy
Nova Scotia's economy is highly diversified, having evolved
from resource-based employment to include many types of
manufactured goods as well as business and personal services.
The resources sector started with the sea and the teeming fish
of the Scotian Shelf. The catch is comprised mainly of cod,
haddock and pollock, as well as lobsters, scallops and crab. This
resource, particularly cod, has been hit by dwindling stocks in
recent years, and quotas are affecting those who derive their
livelihood from this sector.
For a small province, Nova Scotia has a highly developed
forestry sector with four pulp and paper mills and several hundred
sawmills.
The mining sector is dominated by thermal and metallurgical
coal production of 3.2 million tonnes. The province also produces
7 million tonnes of gypsum, over 70 percent of the Canadian total.
Other mining activity includes salt, barite, crushed stone, peat
and sand and gravel. Extensive exploration of offshore oil and gas
has been undertaken in the past decade, and in 1991 the first
commercial production of oil began near Sable Island.
Nova Scotia has a highly specialized commercial agriculture
sector. Dairy is the largest sector, followed by horticultural
crops, poultry, eggs, beef cattle and hogs. Export commodities
include blueberries, apples and processed fruits, vegetables and
juices.
Tourism is an important sector in the provincial economy. Total
tourism receipts exceed $1 billion and over 30 000 people are
employed in the many aspects of the industry. More than two
million people visit the province each year, with almost one
quarter of these coming from outside Canada.
The province's physical location has made it well-suited for
industry and trade. Harbour facilities, modern highways, air
transportation, industrial parks, research and education
facilities all contribute to providing a varied and positive
climate for business.
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