Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Quaerite prime regnum Dei English: Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)
Capital	St. John's
Largest city	St. John's
Largest metro	St. John's CMA
Official languages	English (de facto)
Demonym	Newfoundlander, Labradorian
Government
Lieutenant-Governor	John Crosbie (Conservative)
Premier	Danny Williams (PC)
Federal representation	in Canadian Parliament
House seats	7
Senate seats	6
Confederation	31 March 1949 (10th)
Area	Ranked 10th
Total	405,212 km2 (156,453 sq mi)
Land	373,872 km2 (144,353 sq mi)
Water (%)	31,340 km2 (12,100 sq mi) (7.7%)
Population	Ranked 9th
Total (2009)	510,272 (est.)[1]
Density	1.36 /km2 (3.5 /sq mi)
GDP	Ranked 8th
Total (2007)	C$29.034 billion[2]
Per capita	C$57,348[3] (3rd)
Abbreviations
Postal	NL (formerly NF)
ISO 3166-2	CA-NL
Time zone	UTC-3.5 for Newfoundland UTC -4 for Labrador (Black Tickle and North)
Postal code prefix	A
Flower	Pitcher plant
Tree	Black Spruce
Bird	Atlantic Puffin
Website	www.gov.nl.ca
Rankings include all provinces and territories

Newfoundland and Labrador (pronounced /ˈnjuːfən(d)lænd ən(d) læbrəˈdɔr/; French: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, Irish: Talamh an Éisc agus Labradóir, Latin: Terra Nova) is a province of Canada on the country's Atlantic coast in northeastern North America. This easternmost Canadian province comprises two main parts: the island of Newfoundland off the country's eastern coast, and Labrador on the mainland to the northwest of the island.

A former colony and dominion of the United Kingdom, it became the tenth province to enter the Canadian Confederation on 31 March 1949, named simply as Newfoundland. Since 1964, the province's government has referred to itself as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and on 6 December 2001, an amendment was made to the Constitution of Canada to change the province's official name to Newfoundland and Labrador.^[4] In day-to-day conversation, however, Canadians generally still refer to the province itself as Newfoundland and to the region on the Canadian mainland as Labrador.

As of October 2009, the province's population is estimated to be 510,272.^[1] Approximately 94% of the province's population resides on the Island of Newfoundland (including its associated smaller islands). The Island of Newfoundland has its own dialects of the English, French, and Irish languages. The English dialect in Labrador shares much with that of Newfoundland. Labrador also has its own dialects of Innu-aimun and Inuktitut.

Etymology

While the name Newfoundland is derived from English as "New Found Land" (a translation from the Latin Terra Nova), Labrador comes from Portuguese lavrador, a title meaning "landholder/ploughman" held by Portuguese explorer of the region João Fernandes Lavrador.

Geography

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. The Strait of Belle Isle separates the province into two geographical divisions, Labrador and island of Newfoundland.^[5] The province also includes over 7,000 tiny islands.^[6]

Newfoundland is roughly triangular, with each side being approximately 400 km (250 mi), and has an area of 108,860 km² (42,030 sq mi).^[6] Newfoundland and its associated small islands have a total area of 111,390 km² (43,010 sq mi).^[7] Newfoundland extends between latitudes 46°36'N and 51°38'N.^[8][9]

Labrador is an irregular shape: the western part of its border with Quebec is the drainage divide of the Labrador Peninsula. Lands drained by rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean are part of Labrador, the rest belong to Quebec. Labrador’s extreme northern tip, at 60°22'N, shares a short border with Nunavut. Labrador’s area (including associated small islands) is 294,330 km² (113,640 sq mi).^[7] Together, Newfoundland and Labrador make up 4.06% of Canada’s area.^[10]

Labrador is the easternmost part of the Canadian Shield, a vast area of ancient metamorphic rock comprising much of northeastern North America. Colliding tectonic plates have shaped much of the geology of Newfoundland. Gros Morne National Park has a reputation as an outstanding example of tectonics at work,^[11] and as such has been designated a World Heritage Site. The Long Range Mountains on Newfoundland's west coast are the northeasternmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains.^[5]

The north-south extent of the province (46°36'N to 60°22'N), prevalent westerly winds, cold ocean currents and local factors such as mountains and coastline combine to create the various climates of the province.^[12] Northern Labrador is classified as a polar tundra climate, southern Labrador is considered to be a subarctic climate while most of Newfoundland would be considered to have a humid continental climate, Dfb: Cool summer subtype.

Climate

The province has been divided into six climate types,^[13] but in broader terms Newfoundland is considered to be a cool summer subtype of a humid continental climate, which is greatly influenced by the sea since no part of the island is more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the ocean. Northern Labrador is classified as a polar tundra climate, southern Labrador is considered to have a subarctic climate.

Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly temperatures

Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly rainfall

Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly snowfall

Monthly average temperatures, rainfall and snowfall for four communities are shown in the attached graphs. St. John's represents the east coast, Gander the interior of the island, Corner Brook the west coast of the island and Wabush the interior of Labrador. The detailed information and information for 73 communities in the province is available from a government website.^[14] The data used in making the graphs is the average taken over thirty years. Error bars on the temperature graph indicate the range of daytime highs and night time lows. Snowfall is the total amount which fell during the month, not the amount accumulated on the ground. This distinction is particularly important for St. John's where a heavy snowfall can be followed by rain so that no snow remains on the ground.

Surface water temperatures on the Atlantic side reaches a summer average of 12 °C (54 °F) inshore and 9 °C (48 °F) offshore to winter lows of −1 °C (30.2 °F) inshore and 2 °C (36 °F) offshore. Sea temperatures on the west coast are warmer than Atlantic side by 1 to 3 °C (34 to 37 °F). The sea keeps winter temperatures slightly higher and summer temperatures a little lower on the coast than at places inland. The maritime climate produces more variable weather, ample precipitation in a variety of forms, greater humidity, lower visibility, more clouds, less sunshine, and higher winds than a continental climate.^[15] Some of these effects can be seen in the graphs. Labrador's climate differs from that of the island not only because it is further north, but also because the interior does not see the moderating effects of the ocean.

Average temperatures in towns & cities

Municipalities

History

Human inhabitation in Newfoundland and Labrador can be traced back over 9,000 years to the people of the Maritime Archaic Tradition.^[16] They were gradually displaced by the Palaeoeskimo people of the Dorset Culture,^[17] the L'nu, or Mi'kmaq and finally by the Innu and Inuit in Labrador and the Beothuks on the island. The oldest known European contact was made over a thousand years ago when the Vikings briefly settled in L'Anse aux Meadows. Five hundred years later, European explorers (John Cabot, Gaspar Corte-Real, Jacques Cartier, and others), fishermen from England, Ireland, Portugal, France and Spain and Basque whalers (the remains of several whaling stations have been found at Red Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador) began exploration and exploitation of the area.

The overseas expansion of British Empire began when Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of Newfoundland in the name of England in 1583. Apart from St. John's, which was already established, early settlements were started at Cupids, Ferryland and other places.^[18]

The Newfoundland Red Ensign was an unofficial commercial ensign from 1904 to 1931.

During its history Newfoundland and Labrador have had many forms of government,^[19] including a time as the Dominion of Newfoundland, equivalent in status to Canada and Australia. Newfoundland and Labrador became the tenth province of Canada on 31 March 1949.

Newfoundland has been a battleground in numerous early wars among Great Britain, France, Spain and even the United States.^[20] The Royal Newfoundland Regiment fought with distinction in World War I. Numerous bases were built in Newfoundland and Labrador by Canada and the United States during World War II,^[21] particularly to safeguard the Atlantic convoys to Europe.

Politics of the province were dominated by the Liberal Party, led by Joseph R. Smallwood, from confederation until 1972. In 1972, the Smallwood government was replaced by the Progressive Conservative administration of Frank Moores. In 1979, Brian Peckford, another Progressive Conservative, became Premier. During this time, Newfoundland was involved in a dispute with the federal government for control of offshore oil resources. In the end, the dispute was decided by compromise. In 1989, Clyde Wells and the Liberal Party returned to power ending 17 years of Conservative government.

Newfoundland and Canadian Government delegation signing the agreement admitting Newfoundland to confederation in December 1948. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and Albert Walsh shake hands following signing of agreement.

In the late 1980s, the federal government, along with its Crown corporation Petro-Canada and other private sector petroleum exploration companies, committed to developing the oil and gas resources of the Hibernia oil field on the northeast portion of the Grand Banks. Throughout the mid-1990s, thousands of Newfoundlanders were employed in the oil industry.

The pressure of the oil and gas industry to explore offshore in Atlantic Canada saw Newfoundland and Nova Scotia submit to a federal arbitration to decide on a disputed offshore boundary between the two provinces in the Laurentian Basin. The 2003 settlement rewrote an existing boundary in Newfoundland's favour, opening this area up to energy exploration.

In 1992 and again in 2003, the federal government declared moratoriums on the Atlantic cod fishery due to declining catches, which deeply affected the economy of Newfoundland.

From late October 2003 to early January 2006, Premier Williams argued that then Prime Minister Paul Martin had not held up his promises for a new deal on the "Atlantic Accord". The issue is the royalties from oil. Toward the end of 2004, Williams ordered the Canadian flag to be removed from all provincial buildings as a protest against federal policies, and asked for municipal councils to consider doing the same. The flags went back up in January 2005 after much controversy nationwide. At the end of January, the federal government signed a deal to allow 100% of oil revenues to go to the province.

Demographics

According to the 2001 Canadian census, [2] the largest ethnic group in Newfoundland and Labrador is English (39.4%), followed by Irish (19.7%), Scottish (6.0%), French (5.5%), and First Nations (3.2%). While half of all respondents also identified their ethnicity as "Canadian," 38% report their ethnicity as "Newfoundlander" in a 2003 Statistics Canada Ethnic Diversity Survey.^[22]

1897 Newfoundland postage stamp, the first in the world to feature mining.

Population since 1951

*Preliminary 2006 census estimate.

Source: Statistics Canada^[23][24]

Language

The 2006 census returns showed a population of 505,469.
Of the 499,830 singular responses to the census question concerning 'mother tongue' the languages most commonly reported were:

Figures shown above are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses. There were also 435 responses of both English and a 'non-official language'; 30 of both French and a 'non-official language'; 295 of both English and French; 10 of English, French and a 'non-official language'; and about 14,305 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave some other unenumerated response.^[25]

Religion

The largest denominations by number of adherents according to the 2001 census were the Roman Catholic Church with 187,405 (37%); the Anglican Church of Canada with 132,680 (26%); and the United Church of Canada with 86,420 (17%).^[26]

Economy

All currency is in Canadian dollars.

In 2005 the gross domestic product (GDP) of Newfoundland and Labrador was approximately fourteen billion dollars.^[27] Service industries accounted for over $8 billion with financial services, health care and public administration being the top three contributors. Other significant industries are mining, oil production and manufacturing. The total workforce in 2005 was 215,000 people.^[27] Per capita GDP in 2006 was 47,520, higher than the national average and second only to Alberta out of Canadian provinces. The GDP in Newfoundland and Labrador surged 9.1 per cent in 2007, nearly three times the rate of its growth in 2006.

Traditional industries include mining, logging, fishery and forest-based industries (sawmills and paper mills).

Mining and oil production

Mines in Labrador, the iron ore mine at Wabush/Labrador City, and the new nickel mine in Voisey's Bay produced a total of $2.5 billion worth of ore in 2006. A new mine at Duck Pond (30 kilometers (18 mi) south of the now-closed mine at Buchans), started producing copper, zinc, silver and gold in 2007 and prospecting for new ore bodies continues.^[28] Mining accounted for 3.5% of the provincial GDP in 2006.^[27] The province produces 55% of Canada’s total iron ore.^[29] Quarries producing dimension stone such as slate and granite, account for less than $10 million worth of material per year.^[30]

Oil production from offshore oil platforms on Hibernia, White Rose Terra Nova oil fields on the Grand Banks was 110 million barrels which contributed 15% of the provinces GDP in 2006. Total production from the Hibernia field from 1997 to 2006 was 733 million barrels with an estimated value of $36 billion. This will increase with the inclusion of the latest project, Hebron. Remaining reserves are estimated at almost 2 billion barrels as of December 31, 2006. Exploration for new reserves is ongoing.^[27]

On April 8, 2009 another oil discovery was announced. StatoilHydro announced that they were making plans to make an application for a Significant Discovery License over the coming months, it revealed that during deepwater drilling in an area about 500 kilometres east-northeast of St. John's "hydrocarbons were encountered".^[31] Just months later on June 16, 2009 Danny Williams announced a tentative agreement to expand the Hibernia Oil Field. The government negotiated a 10-per-cent equity stake in the Hibernia South expansion which will add an estimated $10 billion to Newfoundland and Labrador's treasury.^[32]

Fishing and aquaculture

The fishing industry remains an important part of the provincial economy, employing 26,000 and contributing over $440 million to the GDP. The combined harvest of fish such as cod, haddock, halibut, herring and mackerel was 150,000 tonnes (165,000 tons) valued at about $130 million in 2006. Shellfish, such as crab, shrimp and clams, accounted for 195,000 tonnes (215,000 tons) with a value of $316 million in the same year. The value of products from the seal hunt was $55 million.^[27]

Aquaculture is a new industry for the province, which in 2006 produced over 10,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon, mussels and steelhead trout worth over $50 million.^[27]

Manufacturing

Newsprint is produced by one paper mill, Kruger operates a mill in Corner Brook with a capacity of 420,000 tonnes (462,000 tons) per year. A second mill existed in Grand Falls which had a capacity of 210,000 tonnes (230,000 tons) per year but after a century of operation the mill closed in March 2009. The value of newsprint exports varies greatly from year to year, depending on the global market price. Lumber is produced by numerous mills in Newfoundland.

Apart from seafood processing, paper manufacture and oil refining,^[33] manufacturing in the province consists of smaller industries producing food,^[34] brewing and other beverage production, and footwear.^[35]

Agriculture

Agriculture in Newfoundland is limited to areas south of St. John's, near Deer Lake and in the Codroy Valley. Potatoes, rutabagas, known locally as "turnips", carrots and cabbage are grown for local consumption. Poultry, eggs are also produced. Wild blueberries, partridgeberries (lingonberries) and bakeapples (cloudberries) are harvested commercially and used in jams and wine making.^[36] Dairy production is also another huge part of the Newfoundland Agriculture Industry.

Tourism

Tourism is a significant part of the economy. In 2006 nearly 500,000 non-resident tourists visited Newfoundland and Labrador, spending an estimated $366 million.^[27]

Transportation

Ferry

Within the province, the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Transportation and Works operates or sponsors several passenger and auto ferry services which connect various communities along the province's significant coastline.

A regular passenger and car ferry service, lasting about 90 minutes, crosses the Strait of Belle Isle, connecting the province's island of Newfoundland with the region of Labrador on the mainland. The ferry MV Apollo travels from St. Barbe, Newfoundland on the Great Northern Peninsula to the port town of Blanc-Sablon, Quebec, located on the provincial border and beside the town of L'Anse-au-Clair, Labrador. The MV Sir Robert Bond also provides seasonal ferry service between Lewisporte on the island and the towns of Cartwright and Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador. Several smaller ferries connect numerous other coastal towns and offshore island communities around the island of Newfoundland and up the Labrador coast as far north as Nain. [3]

Inter-provincial ferry services are provided by Marine Atlantic, a federal Crown corporation which operates auto-passenger ferries from Sydney, Nova Scotia to the towns of Port aux Basques and Argentia on the southern coast of Newfoundland island. [4]

Provincial symbols

Provincial Symbols
Official Flower	Purple Pitcher Plant
Official Tree	Black Spruce
Official Bird	Atlantic Puffin
Official Horse	Newfoundland pony
Official Animal	Caribou
Official Game Bird	Ptarmigan
Official Mineral	Labradorite
Official Dog(s)	Newfoundland Dog & Labrador Retriever
Provincial Anthem	Ode to Newfoundland
Provincial Holiday	June 24, Discovery Day
Patron Saint	St. John the Baptist
Official tartan
Great Seal
Coat of arms
Escutcheon
Provincial Wordmark

Notable people

Music

See also

• Labrador
• Dominion of Newfoundland
• List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Higher education in Newfoundland and Labrador

References

• Atlas of Newfoundland and Labrador by Department of Geography Memorial University of Newfoundland, Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1-55081-000-6; (1991)
• Cadigan, Sean T. Newfoundland and Labrador: A History U. of Toronto Press, 2009. Standard scholarly history
• G.J. Casey and Elizabeth Miller, eds., Tempered Days: A Century of Newfoundland Fiction St. John's: Killick Press, 1996.
• Karl Mcneil Earle; "Cousins of a Kind: The Newfoundland and Labrador Relationship with the United States" American Review of Canadian Studies Vol: 28. Issue: 4. 1998. pp: 387-411.
• C. R. Fay; Life and Labour in Newfoundland University of Toronto Press, 1956
• Lawrence Jackson, Newfoundland & Labrador Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd; ISBN 1-55041-261-2; (1999)
• Gene Long, Suspended State: Newfoundland Before Canada Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1-55081-144-4; (April 1, 1999)
• R. A. MacKay; Newfoundland; Economic, Diplomatic, and Strategic Studies Oxford University Press, 1946
• Patrick O'Flaherty, The Rock Observed: Studies in the Literature of Newfoundland University of Toronto Press, 1979
• Joseph Smallwood ed. The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's: Newfoundland Book Publishers, 1981-, 2 vol.
• This Marvelous Terrible Place: Images of Newfoundland and Labrador by Momatiuk et al., Firefly Books; ISBN 1-55209-225-9; (September 1998)
• True Newfoundlanders: Early Homes and Families of Newfoundland and Labrador by Margaret McBurney et al., Boston Mills Pr; ISBN 1-55046-199-0; (June 1997)
• Biogeography and Ecology of the Island of Newfoundland: Monographiae Biologicae by G. Robin South (Editor) Dr W Junk Pub Co; ISBN 90-6193-101-0; (April 1983)

Notes

External links

• Newfoundland and Labrador travel guide from Wikitravel
• Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Newfoundland and Labrador at the Open Directory Project
• Fisheries Heritage website
• Official Tourism Website
• Newfoundland and Labrador's Provincial Register of Historic Places
• Twillingate Ocean Home

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Coordinates: 52°37′28″N 59°41′06″W / 52.62444°N 59.685°W / 52.62444; -59.685