Nova Scotia

The peninsula of Nova Scotia is located on the east coast of Canada. Connected to the province of New Brunswick and the mainland of Canada by the narrow Chignecto isthmus, its roughly 4,500 miles of shoreline, deeply indented in some places, touches the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait. Several islands off shore lie within its boundaries, including Cape Breton, separated by the Strait of Canso.

Nova Scotia is known as one of the Maritime or Atlantic provinces, the others being Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. The second smallest province in Canada (next to Prince Edward Island), less than a million people live in Nova Scotia and most of them live in the capital city of Halifax, part of the regional municipality which includes Dartmouth and Bedford as well.

In the past, the peninsula was known as Acadia, and the French inhabitants (the first French settlement in Canada was in Nova Scotia at Port Royal) were referred to as Acadians.

The province's terrain is made up of photogenic hills, plateaus, valleys and ridges, separated by lakes and rivers, and highways that skirt coves and inlets and dead end at famous points, such as Peggy's Cove. In places the ground is a rich red. Three quarters of land is forested, bearing sugar maple, red maple, yellow birch, beech, ash and other deciduous trees on its north side and the evergreen spruce, fir and hemlock on its south. Acres of blueberries cover hillsides and wild flowers and ferns grow wildly along the road's edge.

Weather is seasonal, with icy winters, foggy springs and cool summers averaging about 65 Fahrenheit Falls are cooler still, dressed in the yellows, reds, and oranges of autumn.

The cities, towns and villages in Nova Scotia are overflowing with historic remnants and historic memories and the people of Nova Scotia are overflowing with historic hospitality. They welcome visitors as they would dear friends, happily sharing their stories, their food and their family.