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The island of Newfoundland is at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with the Atlantic Ocean on the north, east and south, separated from Labrador by the Strait of Belle Isle.Labrador is on the northeastern tip of the Canadian mainland, with Quebec to the west and south, and the Atlantic Ocean down to the Strait of Belle Isle on the east. The northern tip of Labrador is on the Hudson Strait. Area: 405,212 sq. km (156,453 sq. miles) (Natural Resources Canada, 2001) Population: 512,930 (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census) Capital City: The capital of Newfoundland and Labrador is St. John's. Entry into Confederation: March 31, 1949 Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador: Premier Danny Williams Results of the 2003 Newfoundland election Seats in Newfoundland House of Assembly: 48
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John Cabot first used the term "new found isle" in 1497. The name Labrador is from the Portuguese word "lavrador" or small landholder, and is probably attributable to Joćo Fernades, a Portuguese explorer. The term was first applied to a section of the coast of Greenland. In 2001, an amendment to the Terms of Union officially approved a name change from the province of Newfoundland to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Did You Know... Moose are not native to Newfoundland, but today there are more than 100,000 on the island. 1 pair was introduced in 1878 from Nova Scotia (not thought to have survived). 2 pairs of moose were introduced on May 14, 1904 from New Brunswick. All of the moose in Newfoundland today are descended from the 1904 moose and possibly also from the 1878 moose. The motto of Newfoundland and Labrador is "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God". There are no snakes, skunks, deer, porcupines or groundhogs on the island of Newfoundland. Chipmunks were introduced to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia in 1962 and 1964. The only real Viking site in North America is located at L'Anse aux Meadows, north of St. Anthony, on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. The remains of the sod houses used by the Vikings can still be seen there, along with some of their tools and weapons. TransAtlantic Air Services made Goose Bay and Gander airports famous throughout the world. The combined PST and GST taxes known as Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is 15%. (OUCH)
Strange and Funny Names of places in Newfoundand and Labrador: Ass Hill, Ass Rock, Bareneed, Billy Butts Pond, Blow Me Down, Come By Chance, Dildo, Furby's Cove, Goobies, Halfway Point, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Hatchet Cove, Hearts Content, Hearts Desire, Jerry's Nose, Joe Batt's Arm, Lawn, Leading Tickles, Nameless Cove, Nippers Harbour, Noggin Cove, Old Man's Head, Petty Harbour, Poor Boy Island, Pouch Cove, River of Ponds (River of Ponds Stream runs through it), St. Jones Within, St. Jones Without, Toogood Arm, Virgin Arm, Wild Bight, Witless Bay, and Wreck Cove.
Wow! Creative or What???
You know you're from Newfoundland when...
- You only know three spices - salt, pepper and ketchup.
Discovery and Colonization The only authenticated Viking settlement in North America was discovered on this island by Norwegian explorer Dr. Helge Ingstad and his archaeologist wife, Anne Stine Ingstad , at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960 . The site of a multi-year archaeological dig, the settlement dating to more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus contains the earliest European structures in North America. Named a World Heritage site by UNESCO , it is believed to be the legendary Vinland settlement of explorer Leif Ericson . After the Vikings, the first permanent European settlers in Newfoundland were Irish fishermen , who named the island Talamh an Éisc , meaning "island of fish" in Irish Gaelic . This was to foreshadow the centuries of importance of Newfoundland's offshore fishing waters. Newfoundland was explored by Didrik Pining in 1472 (together with Joćo Vaz Corte-Real ) and later by Giovanni Caboto ( John Cabot ), Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524 , whose expedition was financed by the citizens of Lyon , under the auspices of King Franēois I of France . On July 5 , 1610 , John Guy set sail from Bristol , England with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland. French and Basque colonists also arrived to settle on the west coast of Newfoundland. The French called it Terre Neuve . The name Newfoundland is one of the oldest European place names in Canada in continuous geographical and cartographical use, dating from a 1502 letter.
Points of Interest and Major Settlements Stephenville , a town of about 8000, once served as an airport base for the US army in the early 1940s . It is about 20 miles north of its former train station, which is surrounded by the town of Stephenville Crossing . Also on the West Coast, Corner Brook is situated in the Bay of Islands region. The major industry in Corner Brook is logging, and is serviced by the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill. Sandy Point , which is located in Bay Saint George and north of the town of St. George's , was the first and largest settlement of the west coast. However, the last settler, Alphonsus Swyers, was forced to abandon in 1973 . Barachois Brook Park is the major park in Newfoundland. It is also considered to be a model forest . Marble Mountain is a major attraction in the winter for skiers. It is said to be the best skiing east of the Rocky Mountains or "Rockies" Newfoundland is also host to a well-recognized university, Memorial University of Newfoundland , based in St. John's .
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