Nova Scotia
...bordered on the north by the Bay of Fundy, the province of
New Brunswick, Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and on the
east, south, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. Nova Scotia consists primarily of a
mainland section, linked to New Brunswick by the Isthmus of Chignecto, and Cape
Breton Island, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Canso. On July 1,
1867, Nova Scotia became one of the founding members of the Canadian
Confederation. The province's name, which is Latin for New Scotland, was first
applied to the region in the 1620s by settlers from Scotland.
Physical Geography
Nova Scotia can be divided into four major geographical regions-the
Atlantic Uplands, the Nova Scotia Highlands, the Annapolis Lowland, and the
Maritime Plain. The Atlantic Uplands, which occupy most of the southern part of
the province, are made up of ancient resistant rocks largely overlain by rocky
glacial deposits. The Nova Scotia Highlands are composed of three separate areas
of uplands. The western section includes North Mountain, a long ridge of
traprock along the Bay of Fundy; the central section takes in the Cobequid
Mountains, which rise to 367 m (1204 ft) atop Nuttby Mountain; and the eastern
section contains the Cape Breton Highlands, with the province's highest point.
The Annapolis Lowland, in the west, is a small area with considerable fertile
soil. Nova Scotia's fourth region, the Maritime Plain, occupies a small region
fronting on Northumberland Strait. The plain is characterized by a low,
undulating landscape and substantial areas of fertile soil.
History
The area now known as Nova Scotia was originally inhabited by tribes of
Abenaki and Micmac peoples. The Venetian explorer John Cabot, sailing under the
English flag, may have reached Cape Breton Island in 1497.
Colonial Period
The first settlers of the area were the French, who called it...
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