New Brunswick
Maritime province of eastern Canada, bounded on the northwest by
Chaleur Bay, on the northeast by the Gulf of St Lawrence and Northumberland
Strait, on the south by Nova Scotia province and the Bay of Fundy,
and in the southwest by the state of Maine, USA
Area:
73,400 sq km/28,332 sq mi
Capital:
Fredericton
Towns and Cities:
St John, Moncton
Physical:
Grand Lake, St John River, Bay of Fundy, Hopewell Cape
Features:
Fort Beauséjour; Fundy and Kouchibouguac national parks; Rocks
Provincial Park, sea- and wind-sculpted formations; Acadian Historical
Village; King's Landing Historic Settlement; Mi'qmak Cofederation
Bridge (1997)linking New Brunswick with Prince Edward Island
Industries:
Wood, pulp, paper, potash, fish (herring, lobster), lead, zinc,
copper, nickel, silver, tungsten, gypsum, bismuth, antimony, coal,
oil, natural gas, electronics, heavy engineering, footwear, bricks,
tiles, tourism Agriculture: cereals, potatoes, apples, dairy produce,
livestock, vegetables
Population:
(1991) 762,500; 33% French-speaking; 40% rural inhabitants
History:
Original inhabitants the Mi'qmaks and Maliseet, Native Canadian
Algonquin people; first reached by Europeans (Jacques Cartier) 1534;
explored by Samuel de Champlain 1604; with Nova Scotia, formed part
of the French colony of Acadia until ceded to England 1713; settled
by many United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution; named
New Brunswick 1784, after George III's German duchy of Brunswick-
Lunenburg; became a province of the Dominion of Canada from 1867
Famous people Canadian home of British politician, and financial
and publishing magnate, Max Aitken Beaverbrook
Climate:
Although bounded by the sea to the south and east, the tempering
effect of the ocean is not marked. It is greatest during the summer
when semi-continental conditions prevail in the interior, July temperatures
ranging from 18ºC/64ºF to 20ºC/68ºF, while the southern coastal
areas are cooled. Intense heating of the eastern lowlands and the
St John River Valley frequently gives rise to local thunderstorms.
In winter the sea has less effect, although slightly higher temperatures
are experienced around the Bay of Fundy. The Gulf of St Lawrence
freezes over, creating a cold mass which brings severe weather to
most of the province. Temperatures vary from -15ºC/5 ºF in the north
to -7ºC/19ºF in the southwest. The frost-free season varies between
90 and 115 days. A procession of cyclonic storm systems sweep eastwards
over the province bringing heavy snowfalls in the winter, and bitter
weather to the coastal areas. More than half the total annual precipitation
of 890-1,020 mm/34-39 in falls in the summer, when a warm moist
air system covers the province. Dense fogs may occur throughout
the year; August and September being the clearest months. The Bay
of Fundy remains free of ice, a factor favouring the development
of the port of St John |
Excellent
history info.
Halifax,
St John, Moncton, SussexRothsey, Dartmouth and Bedford
