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Nova Scotia



 
 
Nova Scotia (Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for New Scotland; ; ) is a Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 located on Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada

File:Atlantic Canada.svgAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the List of regions of Canada of Canada comprising four Provinces and territories of Canada located on the Atlantic Ocean: the three Maritimes ? New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island ? and Newfoundland and Labrador....
. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 km². Its population of 938,310 makes it the fourth least populous province of the country, though second most densely populated.

Nova Scotia's economy is traditionally largely resource-based, but has diversified since the middle of the 20th century.






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Timeline

1744   The third French and Indian War, known as "King George's War," breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia

1760   Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia Canada taken from the Acadians.

1775   September 12 - "Independence Hurricane" from South Carolina to Nova Scotia kills 4170, mostly fishermen and sailors.

1782   In Switzerland, Anna Goldi in sentenced to death for witchcraft - the last legal witchcraft senten July 1 - American privateers attack Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

1812   War of 1812: ''USS Constitution'' defeats the British frigate ''Guerrière'' off the coast of Nova Scotia. The British shot is said to have bounced off the ''Constitution'' 's sides, earning her the nickname "Old Ironsides".

1843   Abbeville is founded by descendants of Acadians from Nova Scotia.

1867   The British North America Act receives royal assent, forming the Dominion of Canada in an event known as Confederation. This unites the Province of Canada, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia as of July 1. Ottawa becomes the capital, and John A. Macdonald becomes the Dominion's first prime minister.

1873   The British steamer RMS ''Atlantic'' sinks off Nova Scotia killing 547.

1950   St. Roch, first ship to circumnavigate North America arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

1977   A 20.2-kg (44-lb.-9-oz.) lobster is caught off Nova Scotia (heaviest known crustacean).







Encyclopedia


Nova Scotia (Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for New Scotland; ; ) is a Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada

The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the List of countries and outlying territories by total area. The major difference between a Canada province and a territory is that a province receives its power and authority directly from the Monarchy in Canada, via the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their manda...
 located on Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada

File:Atlantic Canada.svgAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the List of regions of Canada of Canada comprising four Provinces and territories of Canada located on the Atlantic Ocean: the three Maritimes ? New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island ? and Newfoundland and Labrador....
. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 km². Its population of 938,310 makes it the fourth least populous province of the country, though second most densely populated.

Nova Scotia's economy is traditionally largely resource-based, but has diversified since the middle of the 20th century. Industries such as fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
, mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
, forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
 and agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 remain very important and have been joined by tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
, technology
Technology

Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its Natural environment....
, film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
, music
Music of Nova Scotia

Music is a part of the warp and weft of the fabric of Nova Scotia's cultural life. This deep and lasting love of music is expressed the through the performance and enjoyment of all types and genres of music....
, and finance
Finance

The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important....
.

The province includes several regions of the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
 nation of Mi'gma'gi, which covered all of the Maritimes, as well as parts of Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
 and the Gaspé Peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula

The Gasp?sie or also Gasp? Peninsula or the Gasp? is a peninsula constituting part of the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, in Quebec, Canada....
. Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when the first European colonists arrived. In 1604, French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 colonists established the first permanent European settlement north of Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
 at Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia

Port Royal is a small rural community in the western part of the Canada province of Nova Scotia. It is located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, near the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia....
, founding what would become known as Acadia
Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empires in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritimes, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia....
. The British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 obtained control of the region between 1713 and 1760, and established a new capital at Halifax in 1749. In 1867 Nova Scotia was one of the founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federalism Dominion of Canada was formed beginning July 1, 1867 from the provinces, colony and Territory of British North America....
, along with New Brunswick
New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
, and the Province of Canada
Province of Canada

The Province of Canada or the United Province of Canada was a British North America#BNA colonies after the American Revolution: in North America from 1841 to 1867....
 (which became the separate provinces of Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 and Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
).

Geography


The province's mainland is the Nova Scotia peninsula
Nova Scotia peninsula

The Nova Scotia peninsula* is a peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America....
 surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
, including numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia is more than 67 km (40 mi) from the ocean. Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island

Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany....
, a large island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
 to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island
Sable Island

Sable Island is a small Canada island situated 180 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2008, the island is a year-round home to approximately five people ....
, a small island notorious for its shipwreck
Shipwreck

A shipwreck is the remains of a ship that has wrecked, either in it having sunk or been Beaching . A shipwreck can refer to a wrecked ship or to the event that caused the wreck, such as the striking of something that causes the ship to sink, the stranding of the ship on rocks, land or shoal, or the destruction of the ship at sea by vio...
s, approximately 175 km (109 mi) from the province's southern coast. Nova Scotia is Canada's second smallest province in area (after Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canada Provinces and territories of Canada consisting of an island of the same name. The Maritimes is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population ....
). Nova Scotia is also Canada's most southern-centered province even though it does not have the most southern location in Canada, which is in Ontario. Because part of Ontario stretches far to the north, Ontario's centre is further north than Nova Scotia's.
Nova Scotia Map 2

Climate

Nova Scotia lies in the mid temperate zone and, although the province is almost surrounded by water, the climate is closer to continental
Continental climate

Continental climate is a climate that is characterized by winter temperatures cold enough to support a fixed period of snow cover each year, and relatively moderate precipitation occurring mostly in summer, although east coast areas may show an even distribution of precipitation....
 rather than maritime
Oceanic climate

An oceanic climate is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia....
. The temperature extremes of the continental climate are moderated by the ocean.

Described on the provincial vehicle licence plate as Canada's Ocean Playground, the sea is a major influence on Nova Scotia's climate. Nova Scotia is known to have cold winters and warm summers. The province is surrounded by three major bodies of water, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean....
 to the north, the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a Headlands and bays on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canada Provinces of Canada of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the United States U.S....
 to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 to the south and east.

Rainfall varies from 140 centimetres (55 in) in the south to 100 centimetres (40 in) elsewhere. Nova Scotia is also very foggy in places, with Halifax averaging 196 foggy days per year and Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth is a town and major fishing and ferry port located on the Gulf of Maine in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as "The Gateway to Nova Scotia"....
 191.

The average annual temperatures are:

  • Spring from 1° to 17°C
  • Summer from 14° to 25°C
  • Fall about 5° to 20°C
  • Winter about -11° to 5°C


Due to the ocean's moderating effect Nova Scotia is the warmest of the provinces in Canada. Nova Scotia also has a fairly wide but not extreme temperature range, a late and long summer, skies that are often cloudy or overcast; frequent coastal fog and marked changeability of weather from day to day. The main factors influencing Nova Scotia's climate are:
  • The effects of the westerly winds
  • The interaction between three main air masses which converge on the east coast
  • Nova Scotia's location on the routes of the major eastward-moving storms
  • The modifying influence of the sea.


Because Nova Scotia juts out into the Atlantic, it is prone to tropical storms and hurricanes in the summer and autumn. There have been 33 such storms, including 12 hurricanes, since records were kept in 1871—about once every four years. The last hurricane was category-one Hurricane Kyle
Hurricane Kyle (2008)

Hurricane Kyle was the eleventh tropical cyclone and sixth hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a strong tropical disturbance that tracked across the northeastern Caribbean Sea in the third week of September....
 in September 2008, and the last tropical storm was in Tropical Storm Noel in 2007.

History

Paleo-Indians
Paleo Indians

Paleoindians or Paleoamericans were the first peoples to enter and inhabit the Western Hemisphere during the final Quaternary glaciation of the late Pleistocene....
 camped at locations in present-day Nova Scotia approximately 11,000 years ago. Archaic Indians are believed to have been present in the area between 1,000 and 5,000 years ago. Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
, the First Nations
First Nations

First Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor M?tis people....
 of the province and region, are their direct descendants.

It is most widely believed that the Italian explorer John Cabot visited present-day Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island

Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany....
 in 1497. The first European settlement in Nova Scotia was established more than a century later in 1604. The French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, led by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts
Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 established the first capital for the colony Acadia at Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia

Port Royal is a small rural community in the western part of the Canada province of Nova Scotia. It is located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, near the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia....
 that year at the head of the Annapolis Basin
Annapolis Basin

The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....
. Also, French fishermen established a settlement at Canso
Canso

Canso can refer to several different things:* Canso, Nova Scotia, a small fishing town in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada.* Canso Causeway, a rock-fill causeway connecting Cape Breton Island to mainland Nova Scotia, Canada...
 the same year.

In 1620, the Plymouth Council for New England
Plymouth Council for New England

The Plymouth Council for New England was the name of a 17th century England joint stock company that was granted a royal charter to found colonial settlements along the coast of North America....
, under King James I (of England) & VI (of Scots)
James I of England

James VI and I was List of monarchs of Scotland as James VI, and List of English monarchs and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Kingdom of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary I of Scotland....
 designated the whole shorelines of Acadia and the Mid-Atlantic colonies south to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia....
 as New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
. The first documented Scottish settlement in the Americas was of Nova Scotia in 1621. On 29 September 1621, the charter for the foundation of a colony was granted by James VI to William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling
William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling

William Alexander, Earl of Stirling was a Scotland who was an early developer of Scottish colonisation of Nova Scotia.When a young man he was appointed tutor to the Earl of Argyll and accompanied him abroad....
 and, in 1622, the first settlers left Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland

The Kingdom of Scotland was a state in North-West Europe which existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a Anglo-Scottish border to the south with the Kingdom of England, with which it was united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707, in 170...
. This settlement initially failed because of difficulties in obtaining a sufficient number of skilled emigrants, and in 1624 James VI created a new order of baronet
Baronet

A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy....
s. Admission to this order was obtained by sending six labourers or artisans, sufficiently armed, dressed and supplied for two years, to Nova Scotia, or by paying 3,000 merks to William Alexander. For six months, no one took up this offer until James compelled one to make the first move.

In 1627, there was a wider uptake of baronetcies and thus more settlers available to go to Nova Scotia. However, in 1627, war broke out between England
Kingdom of England

The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a state in North-West Europe. The Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and a number of smaller outlying islands?what is today the legal unit of England and Wales....
 and France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, and the French re-established a settlement at Port Royal which they had originally settled. Later that year, a combined Scottish and English force destroyed the French settlement, forcing them out. In 1629, the first Scottish settlement at Port Royal was inhabited. The colony's charter, in law, made Nova Scotia (defined as all land between Newfoundland and New England) a part of mainland Scotland; this was later used to get around the English navigation acts
Navigation Acts

The England Navigation Acts were a series of laws which restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England and its colonies. At their outset, they were a factor in the Anglo-Dutch Wars....
. However, this did not last long: in 1631, under King Charles I
Charles I of England

Charles I was List of English monarchs, List of monarchs of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his capital punishment on 30 January 1649....
, the Treaty of Suza
Treaty of Suza

The Treaty of Suza was a 1631 peace treaty which ended a war between England and France that had broken out in 1627.Under the terms of the treaty, Charles I of England returned the Scotland settlement of Nova Scotia to France....
 was signed which returned Nova Scotia to the French. The Scots were forced by Charles to abandon their mission before their colony had been properly established, and the French assumed control of the Mi'kmaq and other First Nations territory.

In 1654, King Louis XIV of France appointed aristocrat Nicholas Denys as Governor of Acadia and granted him the confiscated lands and the right to all its minerals. English colonists captured Acadia in the course of King William's War
King William's War

The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War ....
, but England returned the territory to France in the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick

The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces....
 at the end of the war. The territory was recaptured by forces loyal to Britain during the course of Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War

Queen Anne's War was the second in a series of four French and Indian Wars fought between France and England . in North America for control of the continent and was the counterpart of the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe....
, and its conquest was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht

The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document, comprises a series of individual peace treaty signed in the Dutch Republic city of Utrecht in March and April 1713....
 of 1713. France retained possession of Île St Jean (Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canada Provinces and territories of Canada consisting of an island of the same name. The Maritimes is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population ....
) and Île Royale (Cape Breton Island), on which it established a fortress at Louisbourg to guard the sea approaches to Quebec. This fortress was captured by American colonial forces, then returned by the British to France, then ceded again after the French and Indian War
French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada as the War of the Conquest. The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas forces allied with them....
 of 1755.

Thus mainland Nova Scotia became a British colony in 1713, although Samuel Vetch
Samuel Vetch

Samuel Vetch was an Scotland soldier and former colonial governor of Nova Scotia.Francis Nicholson blamed Vetch for the loss of Nova Scotia during Queen Anne's War to the France due to his poor command....
 had a precarious hold on the territory as governor from the fall of Acadian Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal) in October 1710. British governing officials became increasingly concerned over the unwillingness of the French-speaking, Roman Catholic Acadians, who were the majority of colonists, to pledge allegiance to the British Crown, then George II
George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-L?neburg and Prince-elector#High Offices and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death....
. The colony remained mostly Acadian despite the establishment of Halifax as the province's capital, and the settlement of a large number of foreign Protestants
Foreign Protestants

The "Foreign Protestants" were a group of Immigration to Nova Scotia in the mid-18th century and the ethnonymical basis behind the name "New Brunswick", as well as support behind naming "Prince Edward Island" for a representative of the Braunschweiger dynasty....
 (some French and Swiss but mostly German) at Lunenburg in 1753. In 1755, the British forcibly expelled over 12,000 Acadians in what became known as the Grand Dérangement, or Great Expulsion.

At the same time the British Crown began bestowing land grants in Nova Scotia on favored subjects to encourage settlement and trade with the mother country. In June 1764, for instance, the Boards of Trade requested the King make massive land grants to such Royal favorites as Thomas Pownall
Thomas Pownall

Thomas Pownall , Kingdom of Great Britain colonial statesman and soldier.A son of William and Sarah Pownall, Thomas was educated at Lincoln, England and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1743....
, Richard Oswald
Richard Oswald 1705-1784

Richard Oswald was born in Scotland in 1705 to the Reverend George Oswald of Dunnet. He is best known as the British peace commissioner in Paris in 1782....
, Humphry Bradstreet, John Wentworth
John Wentworth (governor)

Sir John Wentworth was the Kingdom of Great Britain colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. A graduate of Harvard College, he earned a BA in 1755 and MA in 1758....
, Thomas Thoroton and Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are Call to the bar....
 barrister Levett
Levett

Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lord of the manor of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Henry de Ferrers, among the most powerful of William the Conqueror'...
 Blackborne. Two years later, in 1766, at a gathering at the home of Levett Blackborne, an adviser to the Duke of Rutland, Oswald and his friend James Grant
James Grant

James, Jim or Jimmy Grant may refer to:*James Grant , British General in Revolutionary War*James Grant , British Naval Officer, Australian explorer...
 were released from their Nova Scotia properties so they could concentrate on their grants in British East Florida
East Florida

East Florida was originally a part of Spanish Florida. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris , which ended the Seven Years' War, Spain ceded all of its territory east and southeast of the Mississippi River to the Kingdom of Great Britain....
.

The colony's jurisdiction changed during this time. Nova Scotia was granted a supreme court in 1754 with the appointment of Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher

Jonathan Belcher was Colonialism governor of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he attended Harvard University....
 and a Legislative Assembly in 1758. In 1763 Cape Breton Island became part of Nova Scotia. In 1769, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. The county of Sunbury
Sunbury County, Nova Scotia

Sunbury County was a county in the crown colony of Nova Scotia. The county ceased to exist when the crown colony of New Brunswick was created in 1784....
 was created in 1765, and included all of the territory of current day New Brunswick
New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only Constitution of Canada bilingual province in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton....
 and eastern Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
 as far as the Penobscot River. In 1784 the western, mainland portion of the colony was separated and became the province of New Brunswick, and the territory in Maine entered the control of the newly independent American state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
. Cape Breton became a separate colony in 1784 only to be returned to Nova Scotia in 1820.

Nova Scotia Stamp
Ancestors of more than half of present-day Nova Scotians arrived in the period following the Acadian Expulsion. Between 1759 and 1768, about 8,000 New England Planters
New England Planters

The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor and subsequently governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Acadian Expulsion of 1755....
 responded to Governor Charles Lawrence
Charles Lawrence

Brigadier-General Charles Lawrence was a British military officer who, as lieutenant governor and subsequently governor of Nova Scotia, was responsible for overseeing the expulsion of Acadians from the colony in the Great Upheaval....
's request for settlers from the New England colonies. Several years later, approximately 30,000 United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists

The name United Empire Loyalists is a honorific name which has been given after the fact to those Loyalist who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to George III of the United Kingdom after the Kingdom of Great Britain defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris ....
 (American Tories) settled in Nova Scotia (when it comprised present-day Maritime Canada) following the defeat of the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
. Of these 30,000, 14,000 went to New Brunswick and 16,000 went to Nova Scotia. Approximately 3,000 of this group were Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist

A Black Loyalist or African American Loyalist was a formerly Slavery African American or Free Negro who escaped to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War....
s, about a third of whom soon relocated themselves to Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest....
 in 1792 via the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor
Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor

The Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor was a charitable organization founded in London in 1786 to provide sustenance for distressed people of African and Asian origin....
, becoming the Original settlers of Freetown. Large numbers of Gaelic-speaking Highland Scots emigrated to Cape Breton and the western part of the mainland during the late 18th century and 19th century. About one thousand Ulster Scots settled in mainly central Nova Scotia during this time, as did just over a thousand farming migrants from Yorkshire
Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a Historic counties of England of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions were increasingly undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to History of local government in Yorkshire....
 and Northumberland
Northumberland

Northumberland is a Counties of England in the North East England of England. The non-metropolitan counties of England of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of Nort...
 between 1772 and 1775.

Nova Scotia was the first colony in British North America
British North America

British North America consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of United States ....
 and in the British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 to achieve responsible government
Responsible government

Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy....
 in January-February 1848 and become self-governing
Self-governing colony

A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the Colonialism with formal or nominal control of the colony....
 through the efforts of Joseph Howe
Joseph Howe

Joseph Howe, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Nova Scotia journalist, politician and public servant. He was born the son of John Howe and Mary Edes at City of Halifax and inherited from his loyalist father an undying love for Great Britain and her British Empire....
. Pro-Confederate premier Charles Tupper
Charles Tupper

Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, Order of St Michael and St George, Order of the Bath, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Canada father of Confederation: as the Premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led Nova Scotia into Canadian Confederation....
 led Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federalism Dominion of Canada was formed beginning July 1, 1867 from the provinces, colony and Territory of British North America....
 in 1867, along with New Brunswick and the Province of Canada
Province of Canada

The Province of Canada or the United Province of Canada was a British North America#BNA colonies after the American Revolution: in North America from 1841 to 1867....
.

In the provincial election of 1868, the Anti-Confederation Party
Anti-Confederation Party

Anti-Confederation was the name used in what is now Atlantic Canada by several parties opposed to Canadian confederation....
 won 18 out of 19 federal seats, and 36 out of 38 seats in the provincial legislature. For seven years, William Annand
William Annand

William Annand was a Nova Scotia publisher and politician.Born in City of Halifax, Annand was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1836 and supported demands for responsible government....
 and Joseph Howe led the ultimately unsuccessful fight to convince British imperial authorities to release Nova Scotia from Confederation. The government was vocally against Confederation, contending that it was no more than the annexation of the province to the pre-existing province of Canada:

A motion passed by the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 1868 refusing to recognise the legitimacy of Confederation has never been rescinded. Repeal, as anti-confederation became known, would rear its head again in the 1880s, and transform into the Maritime Rights Movement in the 1920s. Some Nova Scotia flags
Flag of Nova Scotia

The flag of Nova Scotia, created in 1858, is a banner of the Coat of arms of Nova Scotia. The flag is based on provincial coat of arms which was granted to the Viceroys of Nova Scotia of the Province in 1625....
 flew at half mast on Dominion Day
Dominion Day

Dominion Day is or was a commemoration day of the granting of national status in various Commonwealth of Nations countries....
 as late as that time.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Canadian census the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia is Scottish
Scottish people

The Scots people are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.Historically, as an ethnic group, they emerged from an amalgamation of Celts, Picts, Gaels and Brythons....
 (29.3%), followed by English
English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England who speak English language in England. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
 (28.1%), Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
 (19.9%), French
French people

French people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law....
 (16.7%), German (10.0%), Dutch
Dutch people

The Dutch are the people native to the Netherlands, a country in north-western Europe.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide,See the Dutch #Dutch diaspora. and form a mentionable part of the population of Canada,Australia, South Africa and the United States....
 (3.9%), First Nations
First Nations

First Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor M?tis people....
 (3.2%), Welsh
Welsh people

The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language. John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman withdrawal from Britain, although Celtic languages seem to have been spoken in Wales far longer....
 (1.4%), Italian
Italian people

The Italian people are a Southern European ethnic group located primarily in Italy and, by virtue of a wide-ranging Italian diaspora, throughout Western Europe, the Americas and Australia....
 (1.3%), and Acadian
Acadian

The Acadians are the descendants of the seventeenth-century France French colonial empires who settled in Acadia . Although today most of the Acadians and Qu?b?cois are francophone Canadians, Acadia was founded in a geographically separate region from Quebec leading to their two distinct cultures....
 (1.2%). Peoples of European descent thus make up approximately 96.8% of the total population. Almost half of all respondents (47.4%) identified their ethnicity as "Canadian."

Top Ten Counties by Population

Language

The 2006 Canadian census
Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the Canada 2011 Census....
 showed a population of 913,462.
Of the 899,270 singular responses to the census question concerning 'mother tongue' the most commonly reported languages were:
RankLanguageRespondantsPercentage
1.English832,10592.53%
2.French32,5403.62%
3.Arabic4,4250.49%
4.Mi'kmaq4,0600.45%
5.German4,0450.45%
6.Chinese3,3700.37%
7.Dutch2,4400.27%
8.Polish1,5700.17%
9.Spanish1,3050.15%
10.Greek1,0350.12%
11.Italian9050.10%
12.Korean8600.10%
13.Gaelic7990.10%
In addition, there were also 105 responses of both English and a 'non-official language'; 25 of both French and a 'non-official language'; 495 of both English and French; 10 of English, French, and a 'non-official language'; and about 10,300 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave some other unenumerated response. Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.

Religion

The largest denominations by number of adherents according to the 2001 census were the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 with 327,940 (37 %); the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada, one of the largest Christian churches in Canada, is an evangelical Protestant denomination with strong Methodist and Presbyterian roots....
 with 142,520 (16 %); and the Anglican Church of Canada
Anglican Church of Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canada representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'?glise Anglicane du Canada....
 with 120,315 (13 %).

Economy

Nova Scotia's traditionally resource-based economy
Natural resource

Renewable resources Renewable resources are sometimes living resources,, which can restock themselves if used sustainably and not over- harvested....
 has become more diverse in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian shelf. The fishery
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
 was pillar of the economy since its development as part of the economy of New France
New France

The Viceroyalty of New France was the area French colonization of the Americas by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763....
 in the 17th century. However, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to overfishing
Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
 in the late twentieth century. The collapse of the cod stocks
Atlantic cod

The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal seafood belonging to the family Gadidae.In the western Atlantic Ocean cod has a distribution north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and round both coasts of Greenland; in the eastern Atlantic it is found from the Bay of Biscay north to the Arctic Ocean, including the North Sea, a...
 and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992. Per capita GDP in 2005 was $31,344, lower than the national average per capita GDP of $34,273 and less than half that of Canada's richest province, Alberta
Alberta

Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
.

Due, in part, to a strong small business
Small business

A small business is a business that is independently owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. The legal definition of "small" often varies by country and industry, but is generally under 100 employees in the United States and under 50 employees in the European Union....
 sector, Nova Scotia now has one of the fastest growing economies in Canada. Small business makes up 92.2% of the provincial economy. Mining, especially of gypsum
Gypsum

Gypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula calciumsulfuroxygen4?2water....
, salt and barite
Barite

Baryte is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate. It is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of barium. Barite is the unofficial American spelling....
, is also a significant sector. Since 1991, offshore oil and gas
Offshore drilling

Offshore drilling typically refers to the act of extracting underground resources which lie underwater near the shoreline. Most commonly, the term is used to describe oil extraction off the coasts of continents, though the term can also apply to drilling in lakes and inland seas....
 has become an increasingly important part of the economy. Agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 remains an important sector in the province. In the central part of Nova Scotia, lumber and paper
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
 industries are responsible for much of the employment opportunities. Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually. Nova Scotia has the 4th largest film industry
Film industry

The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. production company, Movie studio, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, Distribution ; and actors, film directors and other film crew....
 in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.

The Nova Scotia tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 industry includes more than 6,500 direct businesses, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs. 200,000 cruise ship
Cruise ship

File:MSMajestyOfTheSeasEdit1.JPGA cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience....
 passengers from around the world flow through the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia each year. Halifax ranks among the top five most cost-effective places to do business when compared to large international centres in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Government and politics

The government of Nova Scotia is a parliamentary democracy. Its unicameral legislature, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty Canadian monarchy represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada....
, consists of fifty-two members. As Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is the head of Nova Scotia's Executive Council
Executive Council

Executive Council may refer to:In politics:** Executive Council of New South Wales, the body which exercises the supreme executive authority in New South Wales...
, which serves as the Cabinet of the provincial government. Her Majesty's duties in Nova Scotia are carried out by her representative, the Lieutenant-Governor
Lieutenant-Governor (Canada)

In Canada, the Lieutenant-Governor , is the Monarchy of Canada's representative in a Provinces and territories of Canada, much as the Governor General of Canada is the sovereign's representative in the federal jurisdiction....
, currently Mayann E. Francis. The government is headed by the Premier
Premier

A premier is a title for the head of government in some countries.In many nations, the title "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister": for example, the "Italy Premier" is the same person as the "Italian President of the Council of Ministers"....
, Rodney MacDonald
Rodney MacDonald

Rodney Joseph MacDonald, Member of the Legislative Assembly is a politician and educator and the current Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada....
, who took office February 22, 2006. Halifax is home to the House of Assembly and Lieutenant-Governor.

The province's revenue comes mainly from the taxation of personal and corporate income, although taxes on tobacco and alcohol, its stake in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation
Atlantic Lottery Corporation

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation is an organization that operates lottery games in Atlantic Canada. It is owned jointly by the four Atlantic provincial governments: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador....
, and oil and gas royalties are also significant. In 2006-07, the Province passed a budget of $6.9 billion, with a projected $72 million surplus. Federal equalization payments account for $1.385 billion, or 20.07% of the provincial revenue. While Nova Scotians have enjoyed balanced budgets for several years, the accumulated debt exceeds $12 billion (including forecasts of future liability, such as pensions and environmental cleanups), resulting in slightly over $897 million in debt servicing payments, or 12.67% of expenses. The province participates in the HST
Harmonized Sales Tax

In Canada, the Harmonized Sales Tax combines the Goods and Services Tax and Provincial Sales Tax into a single sales tax.The first attempt at creating a harmonized sales tax was in Saskatchewan shortly after the GST was introduced in 1991....
, a blended sales tax collected by the federal government using the GST
Goods and Services Tax (Canada)

The Canada Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value-added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney and finance minister Michael Wilson ....
 tax system.

Nova Scotia has elected three minority government
Minority government

A minority government or a minority cabinet is a Cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when the governing political party or Coalition government of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament....
s over the last decade. The Progressive Conservative government of John Hamm
John Hamm

John Frederick Hamm, Member of the Legislative Assembly is a Canada physician and politician and was the 32nd premier of Nova Scotia, Canada....
, and now Rodney MacDonald
Rodney MacDonald

Rodney Joseph MacDonald, Member of the Legislative Assembly is a politician and educator and the current Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada....
, has required the support of the New Democratic Party
Nova Scotia New Democratic Party

The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a social democracy party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is aligned with the federal New Democratic Party. Originally founded as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1932, it became the NDP in 1961....
 or Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Nova Scotia

The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia is a political party in Nova Scotia, Canada....
 since the election in 2003. Nova Scotia's politics
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 are divided on regional lines in such a way that it has become difficult to elect a majority government. Rural mainland Nova Scotia has largely been aligned behind the Progressive Conservative Party, Halifax Regional Municipality has overwhelmingly supported the New Democrats, with Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island

Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to Brittany....
 voting for Liberals with a few Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats. This has resulted in a three-way split of votes on a province-wide basis for each party and difficulty in any party gaining a majority. Progressive Conservative Premier Dr. Hamm announced his retirement in late 2005 and was replaced by Rodney MacDonald after MacDonald won a closely contested leadership convention, defeating former finance minister, and the race's frontrunner, Neil LeBlanc on the first ballot and Halifax businessman Bill Black on the second. MacDonald is the second youngest premier in Nova Scotia's history.

Halifaxnighttime
The last election on June 13, 2006 elected 23 Progressive Conservatives, 20 New Democrats
Nova Scotia New Democratic Party

The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party is a social democracy party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is aligned with the federal New Democratic Party. Originally founded as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1932, it became the NDP in 1961....
 and 9 Liberals, leaving Nova Scotia with a Progressive Conservative minority government.

Nova Scotia no longer has any incorporated cities; they were amalgamated into Regional Municipalities
Regional municipality

A Regional Municipality is a type of Canada municipal government similar to and at the same municipal government level as a county, although the specific structure and servicing responsibilities may vary from place to place....
 in 1996. Halifax
City of Halifax

The City of Halifax was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and county seat of Halifax County, Nova Scotia, and was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996....
, the provincial capital, is now part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, as is Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Dartmouth , founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a provincially designated Metropolitan Area, and a former city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia....
, formerly the province's second largest city. The former city of Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sydney is a Canada urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
 is now part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The House of Assembly passed a motion in 2004 inviting the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre....
 to join the province, should these Caribbean islands renew their wish to join Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

Education

The Minister of Education is responsible for the administration and delivery of education, as defined by the Education Act and other acts relating to colleges, universities and private schools. The powers of the Minister and the Department of Education are defined by the Ministerial regulations and constrained by the Governor-In-Council regulations.

Nova Scotia has more than 450 public schools for children. The public system offers primary to Grade 12. There are also some private schools in the province. Public education is administered by seven regional school boards, responsible primarily for English instruction and French immersion, and also province wide by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial
Conseil scolaire acadien provincial

The Conseil scolaire acadien provincial is the Francophone school board for Nova Scotia....
, which administer French instruction to students for whom the primary language is French.

The Nova Scotia Community College
Nova Scotia Community College

The Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as the NSCC, is a community college serving the province of Nova Scotia.The college delivers a diverse program of trades, technology, health, human services, applied arts, new media, business administration and adult education through a system of thirteen campuses and six communi...
 system has 13 campuses around the province. The community college, with its focus on training and education, was established in 1988 by amalgamating the province's former vocational schools.

The province has 12 universities and colleges, including Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University is a university located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada.As the largest post-secondary educational institution in the Maritimes it offers a wide array of programs, including a medical program and the Dalhousie Law School....
, University of King's College
University of King's College

The University of King's College is a post-secondary institution in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. King's is a small liberal arts university offering only undergraduate programs....
, Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
Saint Mary's University (Halifax)

Saint Mary's University is located in Halifax , Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Canada. The school is best known today for having one of the best Canadian football programs in Canada, strong undergraduate programs, and nationally leading programs in Business, Astronomy and International Development Studies....
, Mount Saint Vincent University
Mount Saint Vincent University

Mount Saint Vincent University is a university located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada.Locally referred to as The Mount, it has a 135-year academic tradition of offering Canada?s most progressive and unique degree programs....
, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Acadia University
Acadia University

Acadia University is a non-denominational, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level....
, Université Sainte-Anne
Université Sainte-Anne

Universit? Sainte-Anne is a francophone university in Church Point, Nova Scotia. It is the only French-language university in Nova Scotia, and is one of only two such universities in the Maritime Provinces, the other being the Universit? de Moncton in New Brunswick....
, Saint Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia Agricultural College
Nova Scotia Agricultural College

The Nova Scotia Agricultural College is a Canada university college located in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, a village near the town of Truro, Nova Scotia....
, Cape Breton University
Cape Breton University

Cape Breton University , formerly the "University College of Cape Breton" , is a Canada university in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, near Sydney, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia....
, and the Atlantic School of Theology
Atlantic School of Theology

The Atlantic School of Theology is a Canada ecumenical university which provides "graduate level theological education and research, and in formation for Christian ministries, lay and ordained, in church and society, primarily in Atlantic Canada"....
.

Culture

Lighthouse in Nova Scotia
Despite the small population of the province, Nova Scotia's music and culture is influenced by several well established cultural groups, that are sometimes referred to as the "founding cultures".

Originally populated by the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
 First Nation, the first European settlers were the French, who founded Acadia
Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empires in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritimes, and modern-day New England, stretching as far south as Philadelphia....
 in 1604. Nova Scotia was briefly colonized by Scottish settlers in 1620, though by 1624 the Scottish settlers had been removed by treaty and the area was turned over to the French until the mid-18th century. After the defeat of the French and prior expulsion of the Acadians, settlers of English, Irish, Scottish and African descent began arriving on the shores of Nova Scotia.

Settlement was greatly accelerated by the resettlement of Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriot , those that supported the American cause....
 in Nova Scotia during the period following the end of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
. It was during this time that a large African Nova Scotian
Black Nova Scotians

Black Nova Scotians are descendants of African American slavery and Freeman who came to Nova Scotia, Canada during the 18th and 19th century....
 community took root, populated by freed slaves and Loyalist blacks and their families, who had fought for the crown in exchange for land. This community later grew when the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 began intercepting slave ship
Slave ship

Slave ships were cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting Slavery, especially newly purchased African slaves.The most important routes of the slave ships led from the northern and middle coasts of Africa to South America and the south coast of what is today the Caribbean and the USA....
s destined for the United States, and deposited these free slaves on the shores of Nova Scotia.

Later, in the 19th century the Irish Famine and, especially, the Scottish Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances

The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands between the 18th. and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the coast, the Scottish Lowlands and abroad....
 resulted in large influxes of migrants with Celtic cultural roots, which helped to define the dominantly Celtic character of Cape Breton and the north mainland of the province. This Gaelic influence continues to play an important role in defining the cultural life of the province and around 500 - 2000 Nova Scotians today are fluent in Scottish Gaelic. Nearly all live in Antigonish County or on Cape Breton Island.

Modern Nova Scotia is a mix of many cultures. The government works to support Mi'kmaq, French, Gaelic and African-Nova Scotian culture through the establishment of government secretariats, as well as colleges, educational programs and cultural centres. The Province is also eager to attract new immigrants, but has had limited success. The major population centres at Halifax and Sydney are the most cosmopolitan, hosting large Arab populations (in the former) and Eastern European populations (in the latter). Halifax Regional Municipality hosts a yearly multicultural festival.

Arts

Nova Scotia has long been a centre for artistic and cultural excellence. Halifax has emerged as the leading cultural centre in the Atlantic region. The city hosts such institutions such as NSCAD University, one of Canada's leading art, craft and design colleges, and the Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canada orchestra located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia. SNS performs over 50 concerts annually for more than 50,000 people, and its repertoire ranges from classical and baroque to traditional and maritime pops....
, the only full orchestra performing in Atlantic Canada. The province is home to avant-garde visual art and traditional crafting, writing and publishing, and a film industry.

Nova Scotia is arguably best known for its music. While popular music from many genres has experienced almost two decades of explosive growth and success in Nova Scotia, the province remains best known for its folk and traditional based music. Nova Scotia's traditional (or folk) music is Scottish in character, and traditions from Scotland are kept true to form, in some cases more so than in Scotland. This is especially true of the island of Cape Breton, one of the major international centres for Celtic music
Celtic music

Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic peoples of Western Europe....
.

On mainland Nova Scotia, particularly in some of the rural villages throughout Guysborough County, Irish influenced styles of music are commonly played, due to the predominance of Irish culture in many of the county's villages.

See also


Bibliography


Surveys

  • Beck, J. Murray. The Government of Nova Scotia University of Toronto Press, 1957, the standard history
  • Choyce, Lesley. Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea. A Living History. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada, 1996. 305 pp.
  • Donovan, Kenneth, ed. Cape Breton at 200: Historical Essays in Honour of the Island's Bicentennial, 1785-1985. Sydney, N.S.: U. Coll. of Cape Breton Pr., 1985. 261 pp.
  • Fingard, Judith; Guildford, Janet; and Sutherland, David. Halifax: The First 250 Years Halifax: Formac, 1999. 192 pp.
  • Girard, Philip; Phillips, Jim; and Cahill, Barry, ed. The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, 1754-2004: From Imperial Bastion to Provincial Oracle U. of Toronto Press 2004.
  • Johnson, Ralph S. Forests of Nova Scotia: A History. Tantallon: Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forests; Four East Publ., 1986. 407 pp.
  • Loomer, L. S. Windsor, Nova Scotia: A Journey in History. Windsor, N.S.: West Hants Hist. Soc., 1996. 399 pp.
  • Robertson, Allen B. Tide & Timber: Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 1795-1995. Hantsport, N.S.: Lancelot, 1996. 182 pp.
  • Robertson, Barbara R. Sawpower: Making Lumber in the Sawmills of Nova Scotia. Halifax: Nimbus; Nova Scotia Mus., 1986. 244 pp.


Since 1900

  • Beck, J. Murray. Politics of Nova Scotia. vol 2: 1896-1988. Tantallon, N.S.: Four East 1985 438 pp.
  • Bickerton, James P. Nova Scotia, Ottawa and the Politics of Regional Development. U. of Toronto Press 1990. 412 pp.
  • Creighton, Wilfred. Forestkeeping: A History of the Department of Lands and Forests in Nova Scotia, 1926-1969. Halifax: Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forests, 1988. 155 pp.
  • Earle, Michael, ed. Workers and the State in Twentieth Century Nova Scotia. Fredericton: Acadiensis, 1989.
  • Frank, David. J. B. McLachlan: A Biography - the Story of a Legendary Labour Leader and the Cape Breton Coal Miners. Toronto: Lorimer, 1999. 592 pp.
  • Fraser, Dawn. Echoes from Labor's Wars: The Expanded Edition, Industrial Cape Breton in the 1920s, Echoes of World War One, Autobiography and Other Writings. Wreck Cove, N.S.: Breton Books, 1992. 177 pp.
  • McKay, Ian. The Quest of the Folk: Antimodernism and Cultural Selection in Twentieth-Century Nova Scotia. McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1994. 371 pp.
  • McKay, Ian. The Craft Transformed: An Essay on the Carpenters of Halifax, 1885-1985. Halifax, N.S.: Holdfast, 1985. 148 pp.
  • March, William DesB. Red Line: The Chronicle-Herald and Mail-Star, 1875-1954. Halifax, N.S.: Chebucto Agencies, 1986. 415 pp.
  • Morton, Suzanne. Ideal Surroundings: Domestic Life in a Working-Class Suburb in the 1920s. U. of Toronto Pr., 1995. 201 pp. about Richmond Heights
  • Sandberg, L. Anders and Clancy, Peter. Against the Grain: Foresters and Politics in Nova Scotia. U. of British Columbia Pr., 2000. 352 pp.
  • Sandberg, L. Anders, ed. Trouble in the Woods: Forest Policy and Social Conflict in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Fredericton, N.B.: Acadiensis, 1992. 234 pp.


Pre 1900

  • Beck, J. Murray. Joseph Howe Volumes I & II : Conservative Reformer 1804-1848; The Briton Becomes Canadian 1848-1873 (1984)
  • Beck, J. Murray. Politics of Nova Scotia. vol 1 1710-1896 Tantallon, N.S.: Four East 1985 438 pp.
  • Bell, Winthrop P. The "Foreign Protestants" and the Settlement of Nova Scotia: The History of a Piece of Arrested British Colonial Policy in the Eighteenth Century. (1961). reprint Fredericton, N.B.: Acadiensis for Mount Allison U., Cen. for Can. Studies, 1990. 673 pp.
  • Brebner, John Bartlet. New England's Outpost. Acadia before the Conquest of Canada (1927)
  • Brebner, John Bartlet. The Neutral Yankees of Nova Scotia: A Marginal Colony During the Revolutionary Years (1937)
  • Byers, Mary and McBurney, Margaret. Atlantic Hearth: Early Homes and Families of Nova Scotia. U. of Toronto Press, 1994. 364 pp.
  • Campey, Lucille H. After the Hector: The Scottish Pioneers of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Toronto: Natural Heritage Books, 2004. 376 pp.
  • J. A. Chisholm, ed. Speeches and Public Letters of Joseph Howe 2 vol Halifax, 1909
  • Conrad, Margaret and Moody, Barry, ed. Planter Links: Community and Culture in Colonial Nova Scotia. Fredericton, : Acadiensis, 2001. 236 pp.
  • Conrad, Margaret, ed. Intimate Relations: Family and Community in Planter Nova Scotia, 1759-1800. Fredericton, : Acadiensis, 1995. 298 pp.
  • Conrad, Margaret, ed. Making Adjustments: Change and Continuity in Planter Nova Scotia, 1759-1800. Fredericton: Acadiensis, 1991. 280 pp.
  • Cuthbertson, Brian. Johnny Bluenose at the Polls: Epic Nova Scotian Election Battles, 1758-1848. Halifax: Formac, 1994. 344 pp.
  • Donald A. Desserud; "Outpost's Response: The Language and Politics of Moderation in Eighteenth-Century Nova Scotia"
  • Faragher, John Mack. A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland (2006)
  • Frost, James D. Merchant Princes: Halifax's First Family of Finance, Ships, and Steel Toronto: Lorimer, 2003. 376 pp.
  • Gwyn, Julian. Excessive Expectations: Maritime Commerce and the Economic Development of Nova Scotia, 1740-1870 McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1998. 291 pp.
  • Hornsby, Stephen J. Nineteenth-Century Cape Breton: A Historical Geography. McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1992. 274 pp.
  • Johnston, A. J. B. Control and Order in French Colonial Louisbourg, 1713-1758. Michigan State U. Pr., 2001. 346 pp.
  • Krause, Eric; Corbin, Carol; and O'Shea, William, ed. Aspects of Louisbourg: Essays on the History of an Eighteenth-Century French Community in North America. Sydney, N.S.: U. Coll. of Cape Breton Pr., 1995. 312 pp.
  • Lanctôt, Léopold. L'Acadie des Origines, 1603-1771 Montreal: Fleuve, 1988. 234 pp.
  • McKay, Ian. The Craft Transformed: An Essay on the Carpenters of Halifax, 1885-1985. Halifax, N.S.: Holdfast, 1985. 148 pp.
  • MacKinnon, Neil. This Unfriendly Soil: The Loyalist Experience in Nova Scotia, 1783-1791. McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1986. 231 pp.
  • Mancke, Elizabeth. The Fault Lines of Empire: Political Differentiation in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia, ca. 1760-1830
  • Marble, Allan Everett. Surgeons, Smallpox, and the Poor: A History of Medicine and Social Conditions in Nova Scotia, 1749-1799. McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1993. 356 pp.
  • Pryke, Kenneth G. Nova Scotia and Confederation, 1864-74 (1979) (ISBN 0-8020-5389-0)
  • Reid, John G. et al. The "Conquest" of Acadia, 1710: Imperial, Colonial, and Aboriginal Constructions. U. of Toronto Pr., 2004. 297 pp.
  • Waite, P. B. The Lives of Dalhousie University. Vol. 1: 1818-1925, Lord Dalhousie's College. McGill-Queen's U. Pr., 1994. 338 pp.
  • Walker, James W. St. G. The Black Loyalists: The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, 1783-1870. (1976). reprint U. of Toronto Pr., 1992. 438 pp
  • Whitelaw, William Menzies; The Maritimes and Canada before Confederation


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