Nova Scotia

Article Outline

Introduction; Physical Geography; Economic Activities; The People of Nova Scotia; Education and Cultural Institutions; Recreation and Places to Visit; Government; History

Population Patterns

According to the 2001 Canadian census, Nova Scotia had a population of 908,007, an increase of less than 1 percent over the 1991 figure of 899,942. Although the population density is 18 persons per sq km (45 per sq mi), most settlement is in coastal or valley locations. The interior regions of the province are largely unoccupied.

In the 2001 census, 31 percent of Nova Scotians claimed only British descent, 5 percent claimed French ancestry, and 7 percent claimed European ancestry. Some 51 percent said they were of Canadian origin, and about 2 percent identified themselves as aboriginal peoples. English is the first language of almost all the residents. During the colonial period, large numbers of Scots immigrated to Nova Scotia, and many people of Scottish ancestry still speak Gaelic as a second language, especially in eastern areas. French is the first language of a small minority. The Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia have about 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of reserve land set aside for their use. According to the 2001 census, 7,770 Mi’kmaq lived on this reserve land.

Principal Cities

In 2001, 56 percent of Nova Scotians resided in urban areas, which are communities of 1,000 or more inhabitants. The major cities in Nova Scotia, with their 2001 populations, are Halifax (359,111) and Cape Breton Regional Municipality (109,330).

Halifax, the capital and chief port of Nova Scotia, is situated on a small peninsula in Halifax Harbour. The city is Nova Scotia’s administrative center, chief port, and major manufacturing center. Across the harbor and connected to Halifax by the Angus L. Macdonald and A. Murray MacKay bridges is Dartmouth, an industrial and commercial center that merged with Halifax in 1996. Cape Breton Regional Municipality, situated on the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, was formed through the consolidation of several cities and towns, including Sydney and New Waterford. Historically, the municipality was a center for coal mining and the iron and steel industries, as well as an important center for fishing. With the collapse of these traditional activities, the region has struggled to attract new industries. Truro, in central Nova Scotia, and Amherst, in the northwest, are strategically located trade and transportation centers. New Glasgow, in the north, was long an important shipbuilding center. Today, New Glasgow’s most important industries are the manufacture of railroad cars and automobile tires.

Religion

Almost two-thirds of the population belong to Protestant denominations, the largest being the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church, Baptists, and Presbyterians. About one-third of the population is Roman Catholic.

Education and Cultural Institutions

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Education

Public education in Nova Scotia is free for primary and secondary students, and nearly all students attend public schools. Attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. Public schools are administered by the provincial department of education, but regional school boards, whose members are locally elected, are responsible for their operation. The schools are supported by provincial grants and local taxes.

Higher education is provided by a number of nonsectarian and denominational institutions. The major degree-granting universities are Acadia University in Wolfville; Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax; St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish; and the University College of Cape Breton in Cape Breton.

Located on Dalhousie University’s campus is the University of King’s College. Another institution of higher education is the Université Sainte-Anne at Church Point, the province’s only French-language university. There are also a number of institutes of post-secondary study, as well as the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), which offers vocational and job-specific training at campuses located throughout the province. Special institutes of NSCC include the Nautical Institute at Port Hawkesbury and the Aviation Institute at Shearwater.

Among Nova Scotia’s other specialized education institutions are the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. The Institute of Marine Biosciences (IMB), a branch of the government-funded National Research Council of Canada, is also located in Halifax.

Museums and Libraries

The Nova Scotia Museum (NSM), a part of the provincial department of tourism and culture, contains 26 museums across the province. It includes specialized museums, historic buildings, and other historically significant sites. The NSM is highly decentralized, with many branches operated by local boards or societies. The NSM also provides financial grants to dozens of community museums. Among the NSM’s specialized museums are the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the Museum of Natural History, both in Halifax; the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, in Lunenburg; Ross Farm Museum; the Museum of Industry at Stellarton; and the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro. Historic sites include Barrington Woolen Mill, Sherbrooke Village, and Haliburton House.