Nova Scotia profile

Along with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces. No part of Nova Scotia is more than 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the sea, which is key to life in the province. The capital is Halifax.


Nova Scotia lies within the Appalachian Mountains. Its landscape is mostly low mountain ranges separated by lowlands. The valley of the Annapolis River is called the garden of Nova Scotia because the soil is good for farming. The lowlands along the Bay of Fundy are marshy because of the bay’s very high tides. The Atlantic coastline is rocky, with many bays and coves.

More than half of Nova Scotia’s people have Scottish, English, or Irish ancestors. French Canadians are the next largest group. They are descended from the original settlers of the territory. Most of the rest of the people have roots in other European countries, though there are small First Nations, Asian, and Black minorities.

Most Nova Scotians live near the coast. About 40 percent of them live in Halifax, the largest city in the Maritime Provinces. Located on the southeast coast, Halifax has one of the world’s largest natural harbors. Cape Breton, on Cape Breton Island, is the second largest city.

Like the rest of Canada, Nova Scotia now has a service-based economy. Most Nova Scotians work in service industries such as sales, banking, tourism, transportation, and shipping. The port of Halifax is one of Canada’s busiest.

However, Nova Scotia’s economy still relies heavily on natural resources. The fishing industry produces valuable catches of swordfish, tuna, scallops, lobsters, cod, and herring. Not much of the land is good for farming, but Nova Scotia is still known for its fruits and vegetables. Farmers also raise chickens and dairy cows. Manufacturing plants process fish and farm products and make wood and paper products. Minerals produced in Nova Scotia include coal, salt, and gypsum, which is used in construction.

Micmac First Nation peoples lived in what is now Nova Scotia when the explorer John Cabot arrived in 1497. He claimed the land for England. In 1605 the French explorers Samuel de Champlain and Pierre de Monts arrived. They started Port Royal, the first colony in what is now Canada, on the Bay of Fundy. They called the land Acadia. In 1621, however, English and Scottish colonists renamed the land Nova Scotia, which means “New Scotland” in Latin.

The French and the British fought over the land for many years. In 1713 a treaty gave the peninsula to the British. In 1755 the British forced most of the French settlers to leave. Great Britain took over Cape Breton Island in 1763 and later made it part of Nova Scotia. During and after the American Revolution, many American colonists loyal to Britain moved to Nova Scotia. In 1867 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario were combined to form the new country of Canada.

During the world wars Halifax played a key role in shipping troops and supplies to Europe. In later years Nova Scotia prospered with the rise of tourism. Population (2019 est.) 971,395.

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