NOVA SCOTIA - N.S.-one of the four Atlantic provinces on the east coast of Canada -second-smallest province (P.E.I. is the smallest) -made up of the mainland and Cape Breton Island -also includes over 3800 coastal islands -capital city and largest city - Halifax - population 375,000 (estimated 2005) -Halifax is an international seaport and transportation center. -flower - the Mayflower, tree -Red Spruce, bird - Osprey -"Nova Scotia" means "New Scotland" in Latin. -motto : " One defends and the other conquers"
THE PEOPLE-There are 937,900 people living in Nova Scotia.(2005) -Many people live in or close to Halifax. -Most of the communities are along the coast. -First people were the Micmac and Abenaki. -People came from Britain, Western Europe, and Southern Europe. -One-quarter of the people are of British origin. -N.S. also has Canada's oldest African-Canadian community.
HISTORY-Explorer John Cabot came to Nova Scotia in 1497. -Micmac lived there. They hunted, fished, gathered plants and berries. -French settlers arrived in 1605. -A French settlement named Port Royal was built in 1605. -The area was turned over to the British after a war. -French colonists were forced to leave. -Some went back to France while others went to the U.S. -Later settlers came from England, Germany, Scotland. -In 1783 thousands came from the United States. -In 1784 the area was divided into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. -In 1867 Nova Scotia became a part of the Dominion of Canada.
WATER AND LAND-The province is almost surrounded by water. -N.S. and N.B. are connected by a small land-bridge (28 km Isthmus of Chignecto) . -The Bay of Fundy is between N.S. and N.B. -The Bay of Fundy has world's highest tides. -Almost 7500 km of N.S. is rocky coastline. -Most of the province is covered with forests and lakes. -There are 3000 lakes in this province. -There are ice-free deep-water harbors along the coast. -Canso Causeway ( a road ) connects Cape Breton Island to the mainland.
RESOURCES/INDUSTRY-Coal mining and fishing/fish processing were once major industries. -The main mineral is coal (used for making electricity). -Refineries turn oil into gasoline and other products. -Scallops, crabs, clams, cod, haddock, pollock, herring, salmon, and haddock are fished. -Lobsters from N.S. are eaten all across Canada. -There are fish packaging plants in N.S. -Haddock and cod were once caught in great numbers. -Forests cover three-fourths of the province. -There are four pulp and paper mills and several hundred sawmills. -Apples and blueberries are grown in the Annapolis Valley.
PEOPLE and PLACES-Anne Murray is a singer from Springhill, who has many gold singles. -Marconi sent the first wireless ( radio) message across the Atlantic Ocean, from Table Head, Cape Breton Island in 1902. -A. Gesner made kerosene in 1856; oil lamps were used instead of candles for light.
-Peggy's Cove - a well-known fishing village with a lighthouse -Citadel - a fort built (1856) on a hill overlooking Halifax harbour -Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site - a museum for the man who invented the telephone -Louisbourg - a French fort built in 1744 at the entrance to the St. Lawrence River -Bras d'Or - a large lake that is a nesting site of the endangered bald eagle
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