InfoPEI

Quick Facts

The Island was discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534.
The Island's first residents were the Mi'kmaq.
They called this beautiful Island Epekwitk, meaning resting on the waves. Europeans later changed the pronunciation of the name to Abegweit.
The French called the land Ile Saint- Jean while to the British the Island was known as St. John's Island.
The Island renamed itself "Prince Edward", in honour of Edward, Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria) in 1799.
Province House opened in 1847.
The Charlottetown Conference of September 1, 1864, one of Canada's most historical events, was held to discuss a Canadian union.
Canada became a nation in 1867.
PEI joined Confederation in 1873 and is the smallest province in Canada.

The Latin words Parva Sub Ingenti on the Armorial Bearings (formerly the Coat of Arms) translates to "The small under the protection of the great".
The highest honour the Province can bestow on an individual Islander is the Order of P.E.I..
The provincial bird is a blue jay.
The provincial Flag is modelled after the original Coat of Arms.
The provincial flower is the Lady's Slipper.
Our most important natural resource is the provincial soil.
The PEI tartan was adopted in 1960.
The provincial tree is the red oak.
The Island Hymn was written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in the spring of 1908.

Prince Edward Island is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Canada's east coast.
PEI is separated from mainland Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, by the Northumberland Strait.
The Island is 224 km (140 mi) long and from 6-64 km (4-40 mi) wide.
Total area is 5,660 square kilometres (2,184 sq. mi).
No place in the province is more than 16 km (10 mi) from the sea.
The highest point of land is located at Springton in Queens County (152 metres or 466 feet above sea level).
There are three counties, Prince, Queens and Kings.
The Island is formed from sedimentary bed rock of soft, red sandstone which produces the rich, red soil. The redness of the soil is due to the high iron-oxide (rust) content.
PEI is in the Atlantic Time (AST) zone.

According to Statistics Canada, the population of PEI in 1999 was 138,000. Population information is available here.
Approximately 56% of the population is rural.
Majority of the population is of British ancestry.
Approximately 11% of the population speak French.

There are two cities in the province - Charlottetown (capital city) located in Queens County and Summerside located in Prince County.
There are 7 towns - Alberton, Cornwall, Georgetown, Kensington, Montague, Souris and Stratford.
Charlottetown was named after Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III.
Charlottetown was incorporated as a town in 1855 and the Island's first city in 1875.

The major industries in the province are agriculture, tourism, fishing and manufacturing.
There are two lobster seasons. The first runs from approximately the 1st of May to the end of June on the north side of PEI from North Cape to East Point and along the east coast to Victoria. The second season runs from approximately mid-August to mid-October on the south side of PEI from west of Victoria to North Cape.
The provincial sales tax is 10% which is applied after the 7% goods and services tax.
There are no provincial taxes on books, clothing or footwear.

The 12.9 kilometre Confederation Bridge between PEI and New Brunswick opened in 1997.
There are 5,648 km (3,530 mi) of roadway.
Ferry service from Wood Island, PEI to Caribou, Nova Scotia runs for 8 months of the year (May 01 to December 20) - weather and ice permitting.

The Legislative Assembly is a unicameral Parliament responsible for the enactment of legislation, and contains 27 seats.
The Premier of the Province is the Honourable Patrick Binns.
There are four Members of Parliament who represent PEI in the House of Commons.
The Province also has a Lieutenant Governor, who is the Queen's provincial representative.

Lucy Maud Montgomery,one of Canada's most famous authors, was born in PEI.
The musical Anne of Green Gables opened in 1965 at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.
Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908.
Sullivan Entertainment has produced movies and a television series based on L.M. Montgomery's novels.
Green Gables House is one of PEI's most popular attractions.

For more detailed information, see All About PEI