The
Burin Peninsula is a
CanadianCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
peninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
located on the south coast of the island of
Newfoundland in the province of
Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
The Burin Peninsula extends to the southwest from the main island of Newfoundland, separating
Fortune BayFortune Bay is a fairly large natural bay located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. The Bay is bounded by Point Crewe on the Burin Peninsula and Pass Island at the entrance to Hermitage Bay to the northwest for a distance of 56 kilometers...
to the west from
Placentia BayPlacentia Bay is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long before the first European fishermen arrived in the 16th century. For a time, the...
to the east. It measures approximately 130 km (80.8 mi) in length and between 15 to 30 km (9.3 to 18.6 ) in width. It is connected by a 30 km (18.6 mi) wide
isthmusAn isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
between
TerrencevilleTerrenceville is a small fishing village located on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, south west of Swift Current. It was served by the C.N.R. The population was 300 in 1940; 424 in 1951 and 521 in 1956....
and
MonkstownMonkstown is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
.
It was originally named the
Buria Peninsula by fishermen from the
Basque regionThe Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
during the 16th century.
Fishing
For centuries there were plentiful
codCod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, other fish and crustaceans, which supplied a thriving fishing industry; but irresponsible overfishing destroyed that, leading to local mass unemployment during the second half of the 1990s.
That's because the impossible has happened. The last great schools of northern cod were scooped up in colossal trawler nets and the government has closed the world's greatest fishery for lack of fish--a ridiculous example of closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. In 1996, the Burin Peninsula recorded the highest unemployment rate in Canada for several months in a row. An estimated 30 percent of the workforce was jobless. "Fishin's all there was," said an area fisherman. "Everybody got too greedy for them fish, 'en then there wasn't anything a'tall."
Communities
Route 210Newfoundland and Labrador Route 210 is a highway that extends through the Burin Peninsula from Goobies to Marystown.- See also :*List of Newfoundland and Labrador highways...
traverses the length of the Burin Peninsula, running along the northwest side of the peninsula between
MarystownMarystown is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with a population of 5,436 . Situated 306 km from the province's capital, St. John's, it is on the Burin Peninsula. Up until the early 1990s, its economy was largely based on shipbuilding, and it is due in part to this...
and
FortuneFortune is a Canadian town located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Fortune is situated on the western side of the Burin Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland and was incorporated as a town in 1945. The town is located near the southeastern boundary of Fortune Bay...
. Route 220 runs from Fortune to Marystown on the southern side. A short connecting road Route 222 runs between these two roads west of Marystown. Routes 211, 212, 213, and 221 are numbered local roads.
The Burin Peninsula's economy is tied to the ocean, consequently most of its settlements are located on the coast; some are
outportAn outport is the term given for a small isolated coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally the term was just used for coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland but the term has also been adopted for those on the mainland area of Labrador as...
s and have no road connection.
Communities on the north coast of the peninsula, beginning in the east:
- Terrenceville
Terrenceville is a small fishing village located on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, south west of Swift Current. It was served by the C.N.R. The population was 300 in 1940; 424 in 1951 and 521 in 1956....
- Harbour Mille
Harbor Mille was a small place in Fortune Bay. In 1882 the first Waymaster was J.R. Croucher.Harbour Mille was a small village located east of Belleoram. It had a population of 340 in 1956.-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Little Harbour East
-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Bay L'Argent
Bay L'Argent is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 287 in the Canada 2006 Census.In 2009, The Bay L'Argent town council made Newfoundland and Labrador history by having the first ever all-female elected council....
- Jacques Fontaine
- St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine
St. Bernard's-Jacques Fontaine is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 525 in the Canada 2006 Census.-History:...
- Garnish
Garnish, a town located on the west coast of the Burin Peninsula, is known for its lumbering and lobstering operations. It is 19 miles north west of Grand Banks. The Way Office was established in 1852 and the first Waymaster was Henry Campe. In 2006 the town had a population of 578.-External links:**...
- Frenchman's Cove
- Grand Bank
Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada or 'Grand Banc' as the first French settlers pronounced it, is a small rural town with a population of 2,580. It is located on the southern tip or "toe" of the Burin Peninsula , 360 km from the province's capital of St...
- Fortune
Fortune is a Canadian town located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Fortune is situated on the western side of the Burin Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland and was incorporated as a town in 1945. The town is located near the southeastern boundary of Fortune Bay...
Communities on the south coast of the peninsula, beginning in the west:
- Lories
- Point May
Point May is the most southerly community on the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador with a population of about 150-250 people. It is a Catholic community with a church, town hall, fire hall, two stores, softball and soccer field. It is known for its close proximity to the French islands...
- Calmer
- High Beach
- Allan's Island
Allan's Island, formerly Allan Island, is a Canadian fishing settlement in the Burin District of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.In 1968 it was designated a village. It has a lighthouse which is visible for 9 miles. In 1940 the population was 303, in 1951 it was 196 and down to 187 by...
- Lamaline
- Point au Gaul
Point au Gaul is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 85 in the Canada 2006 Census.-See also:* List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Taylor's Bay
Taylor's Bay an abandoned settlement was located east of Lamaline in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. On a 1744 French map the cove was noted as Baye de Tailleur. William and Martha Bonnell who had moved from Lamaline, is noted as the first settlers to the community.In 1929 a tidal wave...
- Lord's Cove
Lord's Cove is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 207 in the Canada 2006 Census. Lord's Cove has a rich inshore fishing history and heritage....
- Roundabout
Roundabout was a small settlement located west of St. Lawrence near Lawn.-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Lawn
Lawn, population approximately 800 , is located at the tip of the Burin Peninsula on Newfoundland's South coast, Newfoundland and Labrador. Lawn is spread around a small harbor in a relatively lush valley. According to one local tradition it was this lushness that inspired Captain James Cook to...
- Little St. Lawrence
Little St. Lawrence was a small place in the Burin area. The first Postmistress was Mrs. Mary Clarke. It had a population of 225 in 1951.-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence is a Canadian town located on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2006, the population of St. Lawrence was 1,349.-History:...
- Epworth
- Lewin's Cove
Lewin's Cove is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 566 in the Canada 2006 Census.Lewin's Cove is located just outside of the Burin town limits....
- Burin Bay Arm
- Burin
Burin is a town on the Burin Peninsula in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Burin Peninsula is often affectionately nicknamed "The Boot" due to its resemblance to the footwear when seen on a map, with the town of Burin located near the "heel". Burin is approximately 318 km...
- Port au Bras
Port au Bras is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. This small village is located on the eastern shore of the Burin Peninsula, south of Mortier and as the name implies, on the arm of the Burin Bay. The Anglican Church of St. Andrew is a focal point as one passes through the village. The...
- Fox Cove-Mortier
- Little Bay Placentia Bay
- Creston
- Creston North
- Marystown
Marystown is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with a population of 5,436 . Situated 306 km from the province's capital, St. John's, it is on the Burin Peninsula. Up until the early 1990s, its economy was largely based on shipbuilding, and it is due in part to this...
- Spanish Room
- Rock Harbour
Rock Harbour is a village located east of Marystown, Newfoundland and Labrador. The access road to this small hamlet is via Spanish Room, both of which are on Marystown Bay and overlook the narrows which provides a safe harbour for these villages...
- Red Harbour
Red Harbour is a Canadian municipality of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located 20 kilometers northeast of Marystown.- Settlement :Red Harbour was inhabited from the early 19th century until the early 1960s when the half dozen families living there abandoned the community under the resettlement...
- Rushoon
Rushoon is a town located north east of Marystown, Newfoundland and Labrador on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. The post office was established there in 1955 and the first postmaster was Ambrose Joseph Miller. It became a Local Government Community on January 18, 1966. It had a...
- Baine Harbour
Baine Harbour is a Canadian community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Incorporated as a "Government Community" in 1970, it is located northeast of Marystown....
- Parkers Cove
- Boat Harbour West
External links