Annapolis Royal

Annapolis Royal (pop. 630), town on the Annapolis River, west coast of Nova Scotia, near the site of the earliest permanent French settlement in Canada. The original town of Port Royal grew up around a French fort built in 1605. After nearly a century of fighting, the British finally captured Port Royal in 1710 and changed its name to Annapolis Royal in honor of Queen Anne. Until Halifax was founded in 1749, it was the capital of Nova Scotia. Today it is the center of a prosperous farming area and a summer resort.