The Land
One of the four Atlantic Provinces, Prince Edward Island is
also Canada's smallest province in both area and population.
The crescent-shaped island is 224 kilometres in length and
ranges in width from 6 to 64 kilometres, giving it a total area of
5 660 km2. It lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
separated from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by Northumberland
Strait. Its highest point is 152 metres above sea level. The
province has numerous lakes and rivers, most of which are quite
small.
Rich soil and a temperate climate make Prince Edward Island an
ideal place for mixed farming. Half of its land is under
cultivation, earning it the nickname "the Garden
Province." It is renowned for its red soil, sand dunes and
800 kilometres of beaches.
The History
Prince Edward Island was called "Abegweit" by the
Micmac Indians, who lived there for some 2 000 years before
the arrival of the Europeans. The name means "lying down
flat," but is freely translated as "cradled by the
waves." There is evidence that the ancestors of the Micmacs
lived on the island 10 000 years ago, presumably having
migrated across the low plain now covered by Northumberland
Strait.
The Europeans discovered the island when Jacques Cartier landed
there in 1534; he described it as "the most beautiful stretch
of land imaginable." In spite of his enthusiastic
description, it was a long time before the island was settled. No
permanent colony existed until the French established one in 1719;
thirty years later, the population numbered a mere 700.
The English population of the island multiplied after the
British deported the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755. By 1758,
the island's population had risen to 5 000.
In 1766, Captain Samuel Holland prepared a topographic map of
the island, then known as the Island of Saint John, dividing it
into 67 parcels of land and distributing it by lot to a group of
British landowners. The absentee landlords, many of whom never set
foot on the island, gave rise to numerous problems. Some refused
to sell their lands to their tenants, while others demanded
exorbitant purchase or rental prices.
In 1769, the Island of Saint John became a separate colony, and
in 1799 it was given its present name, in honour of Prince Edward
of England.
Prince Edward Island is known as the "Cradle of
Confederation," since Charlottetown, its capital, was the
site of the 1864 conference that set Canadian Confederation in
motion. This distinction notwithstanding, the island waited until
1873 to join the Dominion of Canada.
The People
The population of Prince Edward Island was approximately 139 000
in 2000. Of this number, 62 percent live in the rural districts,
including 8 percent on farms. With a population of about 33 000,
Charlottetown is the largest urban centre.
Approximately 75 percent of the people are of British (mainly
Scottish and Irish) origin. About 20 percent are of French origin,
and nearly five percent speak French. The Aboriginal population of
Prince Edward Island numbers approximately 1 000. The island
population is quite young - about 38 percent of the people are
under the age of 25.
The Economy
Agriculture, tourism and fishing are the economic mainstays of
Prince Edward Island. Most of the industrial activity has to do
with food processing, although high-technology industry is
becoming important, especially in the medical, electronics and
agricultural fields.
Prince Edward Island's rich, red soil is ideal for growing
potatoes, which are the most important source of income for the
province's farms.
Although lobster is king of the waters off Prince Edward
Island, about 30 other fish and seafood species are caught,
notably cultivated mussels, herring, bluefin tuna and the renowned
Malpeque oysters.
The island's 800 kilometres of beaches attract over 665 000
visitors yearly for relaxation and water sports, including bluefin
tuna fishing.
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