Nova Scotia's traditionally [[Natural resource|resource-based economy]] has become more diverse in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian shelf. The [[Fishing|fishery]] was pillar of the economy since its development as part of the economy of [[New France]] in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to [[overfishing]] in the late 20th century. The collapse of the [[Atlantic Cod|cod stocks]] and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.fisherycrisis.com| title= The Starving Ocean | author= Fish in Crisis | accessdate= 2007-04-26}}</ref> Per capita GDP in 2005 was $31,344,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/statistics/agency/index.asp | title= Economics and Statistics | author= Government of Nova Scotia | year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-26}}</ref> lower than the national average per capita GDP of $34,273 and less than half that of Canada's richest province, [[Alberta]].
Nova Scotia's traditionally [[Natural resource|resource-based economy]] has become more diverse in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian shelf. The [[Fishing|fishery]] was pillar of the economy since its development as part of the economy of [[New France]] in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to [[overfishing]] in the late 20th century. The collapse of the [[Atlantic Cod|cod stocks]] and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.fisherycrisis.com| title= The Starving Ocean | author= Fish in Crisis | accessdate= 2007-04-26}}</ref> Per capita GDP in 2005 was $31,344,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/statistics/agency/index.asp | title= Economics and Statistics | author= Government of Nova Scotia | year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-26}}</ref> lower than the national average per capita GDP of $34,273 and less than half that of Canada's richest province, [[Alberta]].
Due, in part, to a strong [[small business|small-business]] sector, Nova Scotia now has one of the fastest-growing economies in Canada.<ref>[http://www.migrationnews.com/index.cfm/Canada/index.cfm/Canada/Migration_News___PDF_file.html/Migration_News___PDF_file.pdf Migrationnews Canada]{{dead link|date=August 2011}}. 2007–2008 Edition. Oceania Development Group. Retrieved on: October 10, 2008.</ref> Mining, especially of [[gypsum]] and salt and to a lesser extent [[silica]], [[peat]] and [[barite]], is also a significant sector.<ref>Province of Nova Scotia, [http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/one/95act1-4.asp "Summary of Nova Scotia Mineral Production, 1994 and 1995"]</ref> Since 1991, [[Offshore drilling|offshore oil and gas]] has become an increasingly important part of the economy. [[Agriculture]] remains an important sector in the province. In the central part of Nova Scotia, [[Forestry|lumber and paper]] industries are responsible for much of the employment opportunities.
Mining, especially of [[gypsum]] and salt and to a lesser extent [[silica]], [[peat]] and [[barite]], is also a significant sector.<ref>Province of Nova Scotia, [http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/one/95act1-4.asp "Summary of Nova Scotia Mineral Production, 1994 and 1995"]</ref> Since 1991, [[Offshore drilling|offshore oil and gas]] has become an increasingly important part of the economy. [[Agriculture]] remains an important sector in the province. In the central part of Nova Scotia, [[Forestry|lumber and paper]] industries are responsible for much of the employment opportunities.
Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually.<ref>Nova Scotia Business Inc. [http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/sectorinfo/defense_aerospace.aspx Defence, Security & Aerospace].Retrieved on: October 10, 2008.</ref> To date, 40% of Canada’s military assets reside in Nova Scotia.<ref>Nova Scotia Business Inc. [http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/sectorinfo/defense_aerospace.aspx Defence, Security & Aerospace].Retrieved on: April 16, 2010.</ref> Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest [[film industry]] in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.<ref>Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation [http://www.film.ns.ca/pdfs/2007-08%20stat%20summary%20for%20Press%20release.pdf Production Statistics for the 12 Month Period Ended March 31, 2008]{{dead link|date=August 2011}}. Retrieved on: October 10, 2008.</ref> Recently, the video game industry has grown with the emergence of developers such as HB Studios and Silverback Productions. The province made international headlines with an investment by Longtail Studios in 2009.<ref>Leading-edge video game company comes to Nova Scotia [http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20091112007]. Retrieved on: May 1, 2009.</ref>
Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually.<ref>Nova Scotia Business Inc. [http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/sectorinfo/defense_aerospace.aspx Defence, Security & Aerospace].Retrieved on: October 10, 2008.</ref> To date, 40% of Canada’s military assets reside in Nova Scotia.<ref>Nova Scotia Business Inc. [http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/sectorinfo/defense_aerospace.aspx Defence, Security & Aerospace].Retrieved on: April 16, 2010.</ref> Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest [[film industry]] in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.<ref>Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation [http://www.film.ns.ca/pdfs/2007-08%20stat%20summary%20for%20Press%20release.pdf Production Statistics for the 12 Month Period Ended March 31, 2008]{{dead link|date=August 2011}}. Retrieved on: October 10, 2008.</ref> Recently, the video game industry has grown with the emergence of developers such as HB Studios and Silverback Productions. The province made international headlines with an investment by Longtail Studios in 2009.<ref>Leading-edge video game company comes to Nova Scotia [http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20091112007]. Retrieved on: May 1, 2009.</ref>
Nova Scotia (pronounced /ˌnoʊvəˈskoʊʃə/; Template:Lang-fr; Template:Lang-gd)[2] is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi). As of 2009, the population is 946,397,[3] which makes Nova Scotia the second-most-densely populated province.
Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when French colonists established the first permanent European settlement in Canada and the first north of Florida in 1604. In 1867 Nova Scotia was one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation.[4]
Tourist bureaus portray Nova Scotia as a province whose true essence is found in primitive, rustic, and unspoiled traditions outside the process of modernization, and highlight all things Scottish.[5] People with Scottish ancestry are the largest self-identified ethnic group in the province after Canadian (that population is 29.3% as of 2011).
The province includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki (mi'gama'gi).[6] Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when the first European colonists arrived. In 1604, French colonists established the first permanent European settlement in Canada and the first north of Florida at Port Royal, founding what would become known as Acadia.
The British Conquest of Acadia took place in 1710. It was formally recognized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht. Cape Breton Island (Île Royale) was returned to the French in the Treaty of Utrecht. What is now New Brunswick was still a part of the French colony of Acadia. The name of the capital was changed from Port Royal to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The capital of Nova Scotia was changed from Annapolis Royal to the newly established Halifax in 1749. In 1755, the vast majority of the French population (the Acadians) were expelled and replaced by 8,000 immigrants who came from the New England colonies and arrived between 1759-1768.
In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) and New Brunswick) became part of Nova Scotia. In 1769, St. John's Island became a separate colony. Nova Scotia included present-day New Brunswick until that province was established in 1784 after the arrival of United Empire Loyalists.[7] In 1867 Nova Scotia was one of the four founding provinces of the Canadian Confederation.[4]
17th and 18th centuries
The history of Nova Scotia was significantly influenced by the warfare that took place on its soil during the 17th and 18th centuries.[8] Until that time period, the Mi’kmaq had lived in Nova Scotia for centuries. The French arrived in 1604, and Catholic Mi’kmaq and Acadians were the predominant populations in the colony for the next 150 years. During the first 80 years the French and Acadians were in Nova Scotia, there were nine significant battles as the English, Scottish, Dutch and French fought for possession of the colony. These battles happened at Port Royal, Saint John,[9] Cap de Sable (present-day Port La Tour, Nova Scotia), Jemseg and Baleine.
Beginning with King Williams War in 1689, there were six wars in Nova Scotia before the British defeated the French, Acadians, and Mi’kmaq:
After the British were defeated, its troops helped evacuate approximately 30,000 United Empire Loyalists (American Tories), who settled in Nova Scotia, with land grants by the Crown as some compensation for their losses. (Nova Scotia was divided and the present-day province of New Brunswick created). Approximately 3,000 of this group were Black Loyalists.[12]
19th century
During the War of 1812, Nova Scotia’s contribution to the war effort was communities either purchasing or building various privateer ships to lay siege to American vessels.[13] Perhaps the most dramatic moment in the war for Nova Scotia was when HMS Shannon escorted the captured American frigate USS Chesapeake into Halifax Harbour (1813). Many of the prisoners were kept at Deadman's Island, Halifax.
Thousands of Nova Scotians fought in the American Civil War (1861–1865), primarily for the North.[15] The British Empire (including Nova Scotia) was declared neutral in the struggle between the North and the South. As a result, Britain (and Nova Scotia) continued to trade with both the South and the North. Nova Scotia’s economy boomed during the Civil War.
Immediately after the Civil War, Pro-Confederate premier Charles Tupper led Nova Scotia into the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, along with New Brunswick and the Province of Canada. The Anti-Confederation Party was led by Joseph Howe. Almost three months later, in the election of September 18, 1867, the Anti-Confederation Party, won 18 out of 19 federal seats, and 36 out of 38 seats in the provincial legislature.
In the 19th century, Nova Scotia became a world leader in both building and owning wooden sailing ships in the second half of the 19th century. Nova Scotia produced internationally recognized shipbuilders Donald McKay and William Dawson Lawrence. The fame Nova Scotia achieved from sailors was assured when Joshua Slocum became the first man to sail single-handedly around the world (1895). This international attention continued into the following century with the many racing victories of the Bluenose schooner. Nova Scotia was also the birthplace and home of Samuel Cunard, a British shipping magnate, born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line.
Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province in area after Prince Edward Island. The province's mainland is the Nova Scotia peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, including numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia is more than 67 km (42 mi) from the ocean.[16]Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for its shipwrecks, approximately 175 km (110 mi) from the province's southern coast.
Climate
Nova Scotia lies in the mid-temperate zone and, although the province is almost surrounded by water, the climate is closer to continental rather than maritime. The temperature extremes of the continental climate are moderated by the ocean.
Described on the provincial vehicle-licence plate as Canada's Ocean Playground, the sea is a major influence on Nova Scotia's climate. Nova Scotia's cold winters and warm summers are modified and generally moderated by ocean influences. The province is surrounded by three major bodies of water, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east.
While the constant temperature of the Atlantic Ocean moderates the climate of the south and east coasts of Nova Scotia, heavy ice build-up in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence makes winters colder in northern Nova Scotia; the shallowness of the Gulf's waters mean that they warm up more than the Atlantic Ocean in the summer, warming the summers in northern Nova Scotia. Summer officially lasts from the first Sunday in April to the Saturday before the last Sunday in October. Although Nova Scotia has a somewhat moderated climate, there have been some very intense heatwaves and cold snaps recorded over the past 160 years. The highest temperature ever recorded in the province was 38.3 °C (101 °F) on August 19, 1935, at Collegeville,[17] which is located about 15 km southwest of Antigonish. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −41.1 °C (−42 °F) on January 31, 1920, at Upper Stewiacke.[18]
The highest temperature ever recorded in the city of Halifax was 37.2 °C (99 °F) on July 10, 1912,[19] and the lowest was −29.4 °C (−21 °F) on Feb 18th, 1922.[20] For the city of Sydney, the highest temperature ever recorded was 36.7 °C (98 °F) on August 18, 1935,[21] and the lowest was −31.7 °C (−25 °F) on January 31, 1873,[22] and January 29, 1877[23]
A satellite photo of Nova Scotia
Rainfall changes from 140 centimetres (55 in) in the south to 100 centimetres (40 in) elsewhere. Nova Scotia is also very foggy in places, with Halifax averaging 196 foggy days per year[24] and Yarmouth 191.[25]
Due to the ocean's moderating effect Nova Scotia is the warmest of the provinces in Canada.[citation needed] It has frequent coastal fog and marked changeability of weather from day to day. The main factors influencing Nova Scotia's climate are:
The effects of the westerly winds
The interaction between three main air masses which converge on the east coast
Nova Scotia's location on the routes of the major eastward-moving storms
The modifying influence of the sea.
Because Nova Scotia juts out into the Atlantic, it is prone to tropical storms and hurricanes in the summer and autumn. However due to the relatively cooler waters off the coast of Nova Scotia, tropical storms are usually weak by the time they reach Nova Scotia.
There have been 33 such storms, including 12 hurricanes, since records were kept in 1871 – about once every four years. The last hurricane was category-one Hurricane Earl in September 2010, and the last tropical storm was Tropical Storm Noel in 2007 (downgraded from Hurricane Noel by the time the storm reached Nova Scotia).
The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in any of these areas of governance is limited, though; in practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by the Executive Council, a committee of ministers of the Crown responsible to the unicameral, elected House of Assembly and chosen and headed by the Premier of Nova Scotia (presently Darrell Dexter), the head of government. To ensure the stability of government, the lieutenant governor will usually appoint as premier the person who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Assembly. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (presently Stephen McNeil) and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.[28]
The province's revenue comes mainly from the taxation of personal and corporate income, although taxes on tobacco and alcohol, its stake in the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, and oil and gas royalties are also significant. In 2006–07, the province passed a budget of $6.9 billion, with a projected $72 million surplus. Federal equalization payments account for $1.385 billion, or 20.07% of the provincial revenue. The province participates in the HST, a blended sales tax collected by the federal government using the GST tax system.
Nova Scotia no longer has any incorporated cities; they were amalgamated into Regional Municipalities in 1996.
Music producer Brian Ahern is a Nova Scotian. He got his start by being music director for CBC televisions Singalong Jubilee. He later produced 12 albums for Anne Murray (“Snowbird,” Danny’s Song” and “You Won’t See Me”); 11 albums for Emmylou Harris (whom he married at his home in Halifax on January 9, 1977).[30]
According to the 2006 Canadian census[35] the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia is Scottish (28.3%), followed by English (28.1%), Irish (19.9%), French (17.7%), Aboriginal origin (10.2%), German (10.0%), Dutch (3.9%), African Canadian (2.3%), Italian (1.3%), and Acadian (1.2%). Almost half of respondents (47.4%) identified their ethnicity as "Canadian".
Nova Scotia has a long history of social justice work to address issues such as racism and sexism within its borders. The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission was established in 1967.[36] The province in Atlantic Canada continues to battle racism with an annual march to end racism against people of African descent.[37][38]
Language
Mother tongue in Nova Scotia: Red – majority anglophone, Orange – mixed, Blue – majority francophone.
The 2006 Canadian census showed a population of 913,462. Of the 899,270 singular responses to the census question concerning "mother tongue" the most-commonly reported languages were:
In addition, there were also 105 responses of both English and a "non-official language"; 25 of both French and a "non-official language"; 495 of both English and French; 10 of English, French, and a "non-official language"; and about 10,300 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave another unenumerated response. Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.[39]
Nova Scotia's traditionally resource-based economy has become more diverse in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian shelf. The fishery was pillar of the economy since its development as part of the economy of New France in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to overfishing in the late 20th century. The collapse of the cod stocks and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992.[41] Per capita GDP in 2005 was $31,344,[42] lower than the national average per capita GDP of $34,273 and less than half that of Canada's richest province, Alberta.
Mining, especially of gypsum and salt and to a lesser extent silica, peat and barite, is also a significant sector.[43] Since 1991, offshore oil and gas has become an increasingly important part of the economy. Agriculture remains an important sector in the province. In the central part of Nova Scotia, lumber and paper industries are responsible for much of the employment opportunities.
Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually.[44] To date, 40% of Canada’s military assets reside in Nova Scotia.[45] Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest film industry in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.[46] Recently, the video game industry has grown with the emergence of developers such as HB Studios and Silverback Productions. The province made international headlines with an investment by Longtail Studios in 2009.[47]
The Nova Scotia tourism industry includes more than 6,500 direct businesses, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs.[48] 200,000 cruise ship passengers from around the world flow through the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia each year.[49] This industry contributes approximately $1.3 billion annually to the economy.[50] The province also boasts a rapidly developing Information & Communication Technology (ICT) sector which consists of over 500 companies, and employs roughly 15,000 people.[51] The Life Sciences sector in the province is flourishing; some of the most innovative life sciences companies in the world can be found in Nova Scotia.[52] In 2006, the manufacturing sector brought in over $2.6 billion in chained GDP, the largest output of any industrial sector in Nova Scotia.[53] There are currently over 360 firms in the Insurance Industry of Nova Scotia; there is a forecasted 25% growth in employment for this industry in the province over the next three years.[54]
The average income of a Nova Scotian family is $47,100, the gross ranking close to the national average; for Halifax, the average family income is $58,262, which far surpasses the national average.[citation needed] This, along with the province’s highly affordable real estate, makes Nova Scotia a cost-effective place to live.[55] Halifax ranks among the top five most cost-effective places to do business when compared to large international centres in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.[56]
Nova Scotia has a number of incentive programs, including tax refunds and credits that work to encourage small business growth.[57] The province is attracting major companies from all over the world that will help fuel the economy and provide jobs; companies like Research in Motion (RIM) and Lockheed Martin have seen the value of Nova Scotia and established branches in the province.[58]
Though only the second smallest province in Canada, Nova Scotia is a recognized exporter. The province is the world’s largest exporter of Christmas trees, lobster, gypsum, and wild berries.[59] Its export value of fish exceeds $1 billion, and fish products are received by 90 countries around the world.[60]
Education
The Minister of Education is responsible for the administration and delivery of education, as defined by the Education Act[61] and other acts relating to colleges, universities and private schools. The powers of the Minister and the Department of Education are defined by the Ministerial regulations and constrained by the Governor-In-Council regulations.
Nova Scotia has more than 450 public schools for children. The public system offers primary to Grade 12. There are also private schools in the province. Public education is administered by seven regional school boards, responsible primarily for English instruction and French immersion, and also province-wide by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, which administer French instruction to students for whom the primary language is French.
The Nova Scotia Community College system has 13 campuses around the province. The community college, with its focus on training and education, was established in 1988 by amalgamating the province's former vocational schools.
^Ian MacKay, In the Province of History: The Making of the Public Past in Twentieth-Century Nova Scotia. (Queen's-McGill University Press. 2010) pp. 254–55
^In 1765, the county of Sunbury was created. This included the territory of present-day New Brunswick and eastern Maine as far as the Penobscot River.
^John G. Reid. An International Region of the Northeast: Rise and Decline, 1635–1762. In Buckner, Campbell and Frank (eds) The Acadiensis Reader: Volume 1. Third Edtion. 1998. p. 31
^Until 1784, New Brunswick was considered part of Nova Scotia.
^Grenier, John. The Far Reaches of Empire. War in Nova Scotia, 1710–1760. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2008; Thomas Beamish Akins. History of Halifax, Brookhouse Press. 1895. (2002 edition). p 7
^Roger Marsters (2004). Bold Privateers: Terror, Plunder and Profit on Canada's Atlantic Coast, p. 87–89.
^John Boileau. Half-hearted Enemies: Nova Scotia, New England and the War of 1812. Halifax: Formac Publishing. 2005. p.53
^Beck, J. Murray. (1983) Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian 1848–1873. (v.2). Kingston & Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-0388-9
^Marquis, Greg. In Armageddon’s Shadow: The Civil War and Canada’s Maritime Provinces. McGill-Queen’s University Press. 1998.
^Dawson, R. MacGregor (1989). Ward, Norman (ed.). Democratic Government in Canada. University of Toronto Press. pp. 16–17, 59–60, 66. ISBN0-8020-6703-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
1 1975 is the year of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, East Timor's independence was fully recognized.
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