New Brunswick

New Brunswick, second-largest of Canada's 4 Maritime Provinces. The capital is Fredericton; St. John and Moncton are ports.

Land and climate

New Brunswick covers 28,354 sq mi (73,436 sq km) and is bounded by Maine to the west; Quebec and the St. Lawrence River and Gulf to the north and east; the Northumberland Strait, which separates it from Prince Edward Island in the east; and the Bay of Fundy to the south. There, only the Chignecto Isthmus connects the province to Nova Scotia. Of the 10 Canadian provinces, only Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are smaller (originally, these 3 provinces formed the French region known as Acadia). Forested land covers much of New Brunswick, and it is well-drained by many swift-flowing rivers and streams. Coastal lowlands slope gently toward the St. Lawrence's waters but become rugged on the coast of the Bay of Fundy, an arm of the Atlantic. By confining the Atlantic's tides, the bay creates the highest tides in the world, often over 50 ft (15 m). The weather ranges from 14°F (−10°C) in winter to 64°F (18°C) in summer. Average precipitation is 44 in (113 cm).

People

About half the total population lives in the cities. Over half the people are of British origin, one-third of French. In public schools, French is the language of instruction.

Economy

Lumber, fisheries (cod, herring, salmon, sardines), dairy, food processing, pulp, paper, and wood-product manufacturing, along with copper, lead, silver, and particularly zinc mining in the northeast, as well as tourism, support the economy. Hydroelectric power is increasingly exploited. Roads, railways, ocean ports, and airports create a good transportation network.

History

Jacques Cartier explored the coastal area in 1534, and settlement began when the sieur de Monts and Champlain established a trading post at Port Royal in 1604. Both France and England disputed this Acadian region, which the British included with present-day Nova Scotia. In 1714 England gained control. In 1755 it expelled the French Acadian people, but some returned to live with the British settlers, and during the American Revolution they were joined by thousands of British Loyalists who fled from New England. As a result, New Brunswick is sometimes called the “Loyalist Province.” It became a separate British colony in 1784. Boundary conflicts with Maine provoked the bloodless Aroostook War (settled 1842). Discontentment with the colonial governor's rule resulted in the establishment of a government more responsible to the people in 1849.1n 1867 New Brunswick joined with Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario to form the Dominion of Canada.

See also: Canada.