Prince Edward Island
Smallest province of Canada, situated in the Gulf of St Lawrence, separated
from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by the Northumberland Strait
Area:
5,700 sq km/2,200 sq mi
Capital:
Charlottetown
Physical:
Prince Edward Island National Park
Features:
Summerside Lobster Carnival; University of Prince Edward Island and
Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown
Industries:
Fishing (lobsters, oysters, mussels); food-processing; farm vehicles
Agriculture:
Potatoes, dairy products
Population:
(1996) 137,300; 94% English-speaking; 1,100 Native Canadians; most
densely populated province
History:
First recorded visit in 1534 by the French explorer Jacques Cartier,
who called it Isle St-Jean; settled by French; taken by British
in 1758; annexed to Nova Scotia in 1763; separate colony in 1769;
renamed after Prince Edward of Kent, father of Queen Victoria
in 1798; settled mainly by Scottish and Irish in 1803; meeting
at Charlottetown in 1864 which led to Canadian confederation;
joined Confederation in 1873.
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