Nova Scotia
One defends and the other conquers
Where is it?
Flag
Geography
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Location:
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Eastern Canada. |
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Area:
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total: 55,283 sq km (21,345 sq mi)
land: 53,338 sq km (20,594 sq mi) water: 2,599 sq km (1,003 sq mi) coastline: 7,579 km (4,710 miles) |
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Bordering Provinces:
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New Brunswick |
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Elevation extremes:
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highest point: White Hill 535m (1,755 ft) |
| Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province in area after Prince Edward Island. The province's mainland is the Nova Scotia peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, including numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia is more than 67 km (42 mi) from the ocean. Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for its shipwrecks, approximately 175 km (110 mi) from the province's southern coast. |
Population
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Population:
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921,727 (2011) |
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Largest City:
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Halifax: 414,400 (2011) |
History
| The province includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki (mi'gama'gi). Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when the first European colonists arrived. In 1605, French colonists established the first permanent European settlement in Canada and the first north of Florida at Port Royal, founding what would become known as Acadia. The British conquest of Acadia took place in 1710. It was formally recognized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht, when Cape Breton Island (Île Royale) was returned to the French. What is now New Brunswick was still a part of the French colony of Acadia. The name of the capital was changed from Port Royal to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. In 1749, the capital of Nova Scotia was changed from Annapolis Royal to the newly established Halifax. In 1755, the vast majority of the French population (the Acadians) were expelled and replaced by New England Planters who arrived between 1759 and 1768. In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), and New Brunswick) became part of Nova Scotia. In 1769, St. John's Island became a separate colony. Nova Scotia included present-day New Brunswick until that province was established in 1784, after the arrival of United Empire Loyalists. In 1867, Nova Scotia was one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation |
Government
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Capital:
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Halifax |
Confederation:
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March 31, 1949 |
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Provincial Tree:
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Red spruce |
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Provincial Bird:
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Osprey |
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Provincial Flower:
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Mayflower |
| Nova Scotia is ordered by a parliamentary government within the construct of constitutional monarchy; the monarchy in Nova Scotia is the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II, who also serves as head of state of 15 other Commonwealth countries, each of Canada's nine other provinces, and the Canadian federal realm, and resides predominantly in the United Kingdom. As such, the Queen's representative, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (presently John James Grant), carries out most of the royal duties in Nova Scotia. |
Economy
| Nova Scotia's per capita GDP in 2010 was $38,475, significantly lower than the national average per capita GDP of $47,605 and a little more than half that of Canada's richest province, Alberta. GDP growth has lagged behind the rest of the country for at least the past decade. Nova Scotia's traditionally resource-based economy has diversified in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America, historically, was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian Shelf. The fishery was pillar of the economy since its development as part of New France in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to overfishing in the late 20th century. The collapse of the cod stocks and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992. Other sectors in the province were also hit hard, particularly during the last two decades: coal mining in Cape Breton and northern mainland Nova Scotia has virtually ceased production, and a large steel mill in Sydney closed during the 1990s. More recently, the high value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar has hurt the forestry industry, leading to the shut down of a long-running pulp and paper mill near Liverpool. Mining, especially of gypsum and salt and to a lesser extent silica, peat and barite, is also a significant sector. Since 1991, offshore oil and gas has become an increasingly important part of the economy, although production and revenue are now declining. Agriculture remains an important sector in the province, particularly in the Annapolis Valley. Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually. To date, 40% of Canada’s military assets reside in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest film industry in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers. |