NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Nova Scotia peninsula

The Nova Scotia peninsula* is a peninsula on the Atlantic coast of North America. A peninsula in Croatia A peninsula (from the latin words paene insula, almost island) is a geographical landform consisting of an extension of a body of land from a larger body of land, surrounded by water on three sides. ... Atlantic redirects here. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

1 Location
2 Geology
- 2.1 North
- 2.2 South
3 Historic name
4 Note
5 References
6 See also

Location

It is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada and is connected to the neighbouring province of New Brunswick through the Isthmus of Chignecto. The Nova Scotia peninsula fronts the open Atlantic Ocean on the south and southeast, the Gulf of Maine to the west, the Bay of Fundy and its sub-basins to the northwest, the Northumberland Strait to the north, and the Strait of Canso to the east. Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages English, French (Canadian Gaelic) [] Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Parliamentary representation - House seats - Senate seats 11 10 Area Total - Land - Water (% of total) Ranked... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French Flower Purple Violet Tree Balsam Fir Bird Black-capped Chickadee Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor HermÃ©nÃ©gilde Chiasson Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Parliamentary representation - House seats - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total - Land - Water (% of total) Ranked... The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the mainland portion of Nova Scotia with North America. ... Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America, roughly between Cape Cod in Massachusetts on the south and Cape Sable Island on the southern tip of Nova Scotia to the northeast. ... The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ... The Northumberland Strait (French: dÃ©troit de Northumberland) is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern North America. ... The Strait of Canso (also Gut of Canso or Canso Strait), is located in northeastern North America near the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ...

The narrow and deep waters of the Strait of Canso separate the peninsula from Cape Breton Island, the second largest land mass constituting the province of Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada NASA landsat photo of Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (French: Ã®le du Cap-Breton, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, MÃkmaq: Ãšnamakika, simply: Cape Breton) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. ...

In addition to Cape Breton Island, other much smaller islands are geologically associated with the Nova Scotia peninsula, including Brier Island, Long Island, Pictou Island, as well as Tancook Island and various smaller islands along the Atlantic coast. Brier Island is an island in the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia. ... Pictou Island is an island located in the Northumberland Strait approximately 4 nautical miles (NM) north of Nova Scotia and 10 NM south of Prince Edward Island. ...

Geology

The peninsula can be divided into two distinct geological regions north and south of a fault line (the Cobequid and Chedabucto faults) extending between the Bay of Fundy sub-basins of the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay in the west, through to Chedabucto Bay in the east. The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ... Minas Basin is the eastern arm of the Bay of Fundy. ... Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ...

North

The northern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Avalon Uplands (the Cobequid Hills and Pictou-Antigonish Highlands) and the Carboniferous Lowlands, the latter of which straddles the fault zone.

The Cobequid Hills contains the highest elevation point on the peninsula at Nuttby Mountain. This low, heavily erroded part of the Appalachian Mountains, along with the Pictou-Antigonish Highlands, comprises a highland across the northern portion of the peninsula with average elevations between 250-300 metres. It was heavily covered in sediment during glaciation; consequently it hosts an abundant forest as well as agricultural activities. A rainy day in the Great Smoky Mountains, Western North Carolina The Appalachian Mountains (French: les Appalaches) are a vast system of North American mountains, partly in Canada, but mostly in the United States, forming a zone, from 100 to 300 miles wide, running from the island of Newfoundland some...

The Carboniferous Lowlands includes carboniferous sedimentary rocks south of the Minas Basin and along the north shore of the peninsula immediately south of the Northumberland Strait. The area south and east of the Minas Basin is dominated by karst topography lending to numerous gypsum deposits. Coal seams are found in the western and central areas of Cumberland County in the Joggins-River Hebert basin and the Springhill basin, along with the Debert basin and the Pictou basin. Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ... (45Â°49â€² N 64Â°34â€² W, AST) Famous for Fossils. ... River Hebert is a village on the River Hebert in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada; it is approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Amherst. ... Springhill is a small Canadian town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. ... Debert is an unincorporated farming community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ... Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ...

Throughout the northern portion of the peninsula, the lowland plains, rolling uplands, and coastal fringe areas support numerous settlements, many of which developed around mineral extraction, particularly coal. When included with the Sydney and Inverness coal fields on Cape Breton Island, these regions were extremely prominent in the industrial and social development of Nova Scotia. Downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island Sydney (2001 pop. ... Inverness is an unincorporated community located on the Gulf of St. ...

South

In addition to sharing the Carboniferous Lowlands, the southern portion of the peninsula is dominated by the Atlantic Interior (Sissiboo Lowlands, South Mountain, various slate ridges), followed by the comparatively small Triassic Lowlands (the Annapolis Valley), and the Fundy Coast (including Economy Mountain and North Mountain) and Atlantic Coast regions. Annapolis Valley is a valley in western Nova Scotia, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. ...

The Atlantic Interior is dominated by a glacial landscape of exposed granitic rock, thick forest, drumlins and numerous lakes. The Sissiboo Lowlands comprise many river valleys and lowland inland areas in the southwest and central portion of the peninsula. The South Mountain is a steadily rising slope that descends sharply at the Annapolis Valley but more gradually toward the Atlantic, resulting in a plateau across much of the southwest interior of the peninsula with average elevations of 150 m and maximum elevations of 275 m. Slate ridges are prominent in the Rawdon Hills and Wittenburg Ridge areas along the boundary with the Carboniferous Lowlands.

The Fundy Coast region includes the North Mountain ridge as well as the Digby Neck and the Economy Mountain areas along the north side of the Minas Basin. The Atlantic Coast region includes the barren and wind-swept regions from Yarmouth to Canso, extending several kilometres inland. Location of Yarmouth within Nova Scotia. ... Canso (2001 population: 992) is a small Canadian town in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia. ...

The Triassic Lowlands is an area of soft sandstone, much of which is covered by water resulting from sea level rise. The remnant is the open ended Annapolis Valley which is sheltered by the Fundy Coast and the Atlantic Interior, providing a micro-climate unique to the Atlantic provinces and conducive to fruit and vegetable farming. Sea level measurements from 23 long tide gauge records in geologically stable environments show a rise of around 8 inches per century (2 mm/year). ... Categories: Stub | Ecology ...

Historic name

The present-day use of the term Acadian Peninsula refers to a peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick.

The "Acadian Peninsula" in this 1754 map of Acadia refers to the present-day Nova Scotia peninsula. This territory came under British control in 1713.

The term Acadian Peninusla has been used to describe the present-day Nova Scotia peninsula in historic documents. Prior to 1713, this territory was the heart of the French colony of Acadia, which focused its settlement efforts along the southern and northeastern shores of Baie Francois (now the Bay of Fundy). The Acadian Peninsula (French: PÃ©ninsule acadienne) is situated in the northeastern corner of New Brunswick, Canada, encompassing portions of Gloucester and Northumberland Counties. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French Flower Purple Violet Tree Balsam Fir Bird Black-capped Chickadee Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor HermÃ©nÃ©gilde Chiasson Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Parliamentary representation - House seats - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total - Land - Water (% of total) Ranked... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1180x825, 426 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Acadian Acadia ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1180x825, 426 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Acadian Acadia ... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ... The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ...

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 gave Great Britain control of "Acadia", however the boundaries were never properly defined. Acadia is considered by many historians to have encompassed present-day New Brunswick, eastern Maine, Anticosti Island, the Gaspé Peninsula, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island - in other lands along the southern and western shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (some treaties have placed the boundary of Acadia as far south as Massachusetts). The Treaty of Utrecht comprised a series of peace treaties signed in Utrecht in March and April 1713 that helped end the War of the Spanish Succession. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... The Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the worlds largest estuary, is the outlet of North Americas Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. ...

The large peninsula that is today the mainland portion of the province of Nova Scotia was referred to as the Acadian Peninsula at the time that Britain took control, with this territory falling under the Colony of Nova Scotia.

Note

* The term "peninsula" in the title of this article is not capitalized as this is not a formal geographic name authorized by the Geographic Names Board of Canada. Another informal term to refer to this geographic feature is Peninsular Nova Scotia.

References

The Natural History of Nova Scotia - the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History

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