Atlantic Provinces

Atlantic Provinces, the 4 Canadian provinces of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, the last 3 of which are sometimes called the Maritime Provinces. Comprising about 5 percent of the area of Canada, these provinces have been a fishing center since the late 1400s. Service industries, increasingly important during the 1900s, are now the leading economic activity. The majority of inhabitants are of English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh descent.