Nova Scotia is known as Canada's Ocean Playground and is the most easterly point on the North American mainland. Nova Scotia is one of Canada's Maritime Provinces. Nova Scotia is bounded by the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the south and the Bay of Fundy to the west. The only land boundary is the Isthmus of Chignecto, shared with New Brunswick.The rolling hills and fertile valleys of the province complement the craggy shoreline indented by thousands of bays and inlets containing over 3,800 coastal islands. The influence of the sea means a moderate climate, featuring warm, comfortable summers and pleasant autumns. In the north, the Cape Breton Highlands plummet seaward, and the Highlands National Park contains one of the most spectacular driving routes in the world. In the south, Kejimkujik National Park is home to many lakes and islands. Rocky coves and white sandy beaches dominate the eastern shore coastline and the rugged south shore menaced ships in early days. The world famous Peggy's Cove lighthouse warns mariners of the hazardous, however spectacular, outcrop of granite on which it stands. On the Bay of Fundy and the Minas Basin, the highest tides in the world have a profound effect on the seascape, while the waters of the Northumberland Strait are the warmest north of the Carolinas. Fishing and maritime trade activities dominate this rustic province. Natural attractions and a pleasant lifestyle combine with historic towns and villages that have all the modern conveniences, but they still treasure their rich heritage. A common greeting by people of all ethnic backgrounds to visitors in the province is a Gaelic saying of the first Scottish settlers: "Ciad Mile Failte - A Hundred Thousand Welcomes."

Nova Scotia's original settlers were members of the Mi'kmaq nation who inhabited the area thousands of years before the first European settlements were established in 1604 in Canso and Annapolis Royal. The next year French explorer Samuel de Champlain built Port Royal on the Bay of Fundy, just a few kilometres from Annapolis Royal. (It was here that the oldest social group in North America, the Order of Good Cheer, was formed. It still exists today and is popular with tourists and visitors). Hundreds of years before Champlain, in 1000, Norsemen had visited the province, and English adventurer John Cabot had taken notice of the rich fishing grounds in 1497. It wasn't until the French took home valuable furs that serious interest by Europeans was taken in the area, which was known as Acadia until the end of the 18th century.

Many of the earlier fishermen were from France. They established fishing villages in Nova Scotia to dry their fish before heading back to their homes. In later years Nova Scotia was to become part of the French Empire. War was declared in 1740 between the English and French, with the English gaining power of the land. The French presence in Canada dates back to the early years of the seventeeth century, when the French became the first European inhabitants of Canada. Here they settled in Acadia, an area lying within the present boundaries of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Maine, and the St. Lawrence River Valley. Port Royal, which overlooked the Bay of Fundy, was founded by the Acadians. When Acadia was ceded to Great Britain in 1713, there were some 1,600 French-speaking colonists in the area, most of whom had settled in the Annapolis Valley where they had developed an efficient technique for diking the marshlands. In 1755, when hostilities broke out between the French and the English in the Ohio Valley, the governor and council of Nova Scotia expelled some 7,000 to 8,000 Acadians from the province and dispersed them among the English colonies on the Atlantic seaboard. When Louisbourg on Ile Royale (Cape Breton) was retaken by the British in 1758, Acadians from Ile Royale and lIe Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) were rounded up and sent to France, the American colonies and England. Some of the Acadians deported to the American colonies settled there permanently, while others went to Louisiana. Still others made their way back to the Saint John River, to Cape Breton and to Nova Scotia, where they were allowed to remain because there was no longer any danger of a French attack. Today they constitute a special branch of the French-Canadian family, with Moncton, New Brunswick, being their cultural centre. As well these resiliant people have formed a significant culture not only in Canada, but in the present day Virginia, Louisinna and New Orleans.

This part of the world was under constant threat from raids by pirates during this period of time due to the many coves and inlets wherein these individuals could hide out. In 1783 there was an influx of United Empire Loyalists from the newly independent New England states. They wanted to remain loyal to Britain after the 13 colonies became the United States of America. The loyalists established the town of Shelburne hoping it would become the capital of Nova Scotia. But the merchants and traders of Halifax retained the power base. The province's population doubled because of these new settlers: giving the province strong ties to both Britain and the New England states. Two forces, the growth of trade and the struggles between the loyalists and pre-loyalists, combined to put a strain on the legislature which was formed in 1758. At that time the power in the House of Assembly had been concentrated in the hands of a few. But in 1848, largely through the efforts of journalist and politician Joseph Howe, Nova Scotia became the first British colony to win responsible government. After the uprisings in England and in particular Scotland, many crofters and other peasant folk from Scotland migrated and settled in Nova Scotia. More Gaelic is spoken in Nova Scotia than in Scotland. In particular the Cape Breton Island area: which has very similar climate and geography to their homeland, became the area of choice for settlement. In 1820, Cape Breton lost its status as a separate colony and became part of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotian's are proudly called "Bluenoses" or "Bluenosers" since the 1700's. The reasons for this odd nickname come from the planting and exporting of Irish Bluenose potatoes; blue marks on the noses of fishermen left by blue mitts; and the nickname given to the Nova Scotia British troops which occupied New York City and Boston during the American Revolution. Nova Scotia was one of the destinations of the Underground Railroad to which newly freed Black slaves escaping persecution in America arrived. The area has a rich history of Black culture and has one of the largest Black communities in Canada.

Nova Scotia and three other provinces joined the federation called the Dominion of Canada in 1867. At the time the province was a leader in international shipbuilding and in the lumber and fish trades. But the old economy, which was based on the overseas sale of these commodities, didn't survive for long. Halifax merchant Samuel Cunard had seen the end of the sailing ship era when he started a trans-Atlantic steamship service in 1840. With Confederation came a railroad to Quebec and the interior of the country was opened up leading to strong growth in Quebec and Ontario. This, combined with the decline in wooden ships, threw the Nova Scotia economy into a slump. The importance of Halifax as a staging point for convoys was restored with the first and second world wars and the city was confirmed as one of the world's major military ports. The postwar growth of American and European markets, and improved transportation also helped strengthen the economy.

Nova Scotia's was built on resource based mining, fishing and forestry industries. The diverse Nova Scotia economy now stands at the forefront of the new economic age, featuring high technology manufacturing, information technology, aerospace, medical and ocean research, the film industry and tourism. Nova Scotia has been acknowledged as a leader in offshore and oceanographic research. Nova Scotia is the leading fishing province in Canada. Agriculture is a significant economic factor with the dairy sector leading the way, and horticulture; poultry and egg production; and beef and hog production contributing to the economy. Specialized production of floriculture and nursery products, tobacco, grapes, fur and sheep also make important contributions to the success of agriculture in the province. Nova Scotia is Canada's second smallest province in area, but its forest resources rank it sixth in the production of pulp and paper and seventh in sawn products. Thermal and metallurgical coal, salt, gypsum, lead, zinc, tin, limestone, dolomite, silica sand and clay are important mined minerals and ores. Exploration for oil and gas is ongoing with more than 120 offshore wells having been drilled since 1967 in the vicinity of Sable Island.

Come for a visit and eat all the lobster you can!