Nova Scotia
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.
Nova Scotia official government web sites
Nova Scotia government site
http://www.gov.ns.ca/
Nova Scotia: Official Tourism site
http://explore.gov.ns.ca/
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