Welcome to Prince Edward Island, Canada
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Prince Edward Island summary
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation
in both land area and population (excluding the territories). The Island has a few other names; "Garden of the Gulf" referring to the pastoral
scenery and lush agricultural lands throughout the province; and "Birthplace of Confederation", referring to the Charlottetown Conference in 1864.
Among some Islanders, it is also colloquially referred to as "Potholes Every Inch", a joking reference to PEI's sub-par road conditions in some
locations. Another long-standing nickname, "Million Acre Farm", is no longer accurate now that only half of the Island's 1,398,000 acres are
cultivated. REMAX MLS real estate homes for
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Prince Edward Island has 135,851 residents collectively referred to as Islanders. It is located in a rectangle defined roughly by 46°–47° N,
and 62°–64° 30'W and at 5,683.91 kmē (2,194.57 sq mi) in size, it is the 104th largest island in the world, and Canada's 23rd largest island.
The island's namesake is Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767–1820), the father of Queen Victoria.
Known as the Garden of the Gulf, the island is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence west of Cape Breton Island, north of the Nova Scotia peninsula,
and east of New Brunswick. Its southern shore forms the Northumberland Strait. The island has two urban areas. The largest surrounds Charlottetown Harbour,
situated centrally on the island's southern shore, and consists of the capital city Charlottetown, as well as suburban towns Cornwall and Stratford and a
developing urban fringe. A much smaller urban area surrounds Summerside Harbour, situated on the southern shore 40 km (25 mi) west of Charlottetown Harbour,
and consists primarily of the city of Summerside. As with all natural harbours on the island, Charlottetown and Summerside harbours are created by rias.
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A wood boardwalk along a trail in Prince Edward Island National Park in Greenwich.The island's landscape is pastoral: rolling hills, pristine forests, reddish
white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red soil have given Prince Edward Island a reputation as a province of outstanding natural beauty. The provincial
government has enacted a number of laws that attempt to preserve the landscape through regulation, although the lack of consistent enforcement and absence of
province-wide zoning and land-use planning has resulted in some aesthetically displeasing development in recent years.
The island's lush landscape has had a strong bearing not only on its economy but also its culture. Author Lucy Maud Montgomery, drew inspiration from the land during
the late Victorian Era for the setting of her classic novel Anne of Green Gables. Today, many of the same qualities that Montgomery and others found in the Island
are enjoyed by tourists who visit during all seasons. They enjoy a variety of leisure activities, including beaches, various golf courses, eco-tourism adventures,
and simply touring the countryside and enjoying cultural events in local communities around the island.
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The smaller rural communities as well as the towns and villages throughout the province proudly retain a slower-paced, old world flavour, something that factors
heavily into Prince Edward Island's popularity as a destination for relaxation. Most rural communities
on Prince Edward Island are based on small-scale agriculture, given that the size of farm properties is quite small when compared with other areas in Canada. There is an
increasing amount of industrial farming as older farm properties are consolidated and modernised.
The coastline of the island consists of a combination of long beaches, dunes, red sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes and numerous bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes
and sandstone cliffs consist of sedimentary rock and other material with a high iron concentration which oxidises upon exposure to the air. The geological properties of
a white silica sand found at Basin Head are unique in the province; the sand grains cause a scrubbing noise as they rub against each other when walked on, aptly named the
singing sands. Large dune fields on the north shore can be found on barrier islands at the entrances to various bays and harbours. The magnificent sand dunes at Greenwich
are of particular significance. The shifting, parabolic dune system is home to a variety of birds and rare plants and is also a site of significant archeological interest.
Prince Edward Island economy
The provincial economy is dominated by the seasonal industries of agriculture, tourism, and the fishery. The province is limited in terms of heavy industry and manufacturing.
Although commercial deposits of minerals have not been found, exploration for natural gas beneath the eastern end of the province has resulted in the discovery of an as yet
undisclosed quantity of gas.
Agriculture remains the dominant industry in the provincial economy, as it has since colonial times. During the twentieth century, potatoes have replaced mixed farming as the
leading cash crop, accounting for one-third of provincial farm income. The province currently accounts for a third of Canada's total potato production, producing approximately
1300 million kg annually. Comparatively, the state of Idaho produces approximately 6200 million kg annually, with a population approximately 9.5 times greater than PEI. PEI is
a major producer of seed potatoes, exporting to more than twenty countries around the world.
Many of the province's coastal communities rely upon shellfish harvesting, particularly lobster fishing as well as oyster fishing and mussel farming.
The Confederation Bridge helped link PEI to New Brunswick.Prince Edward Island's transportation network has traditionally revolved around its seaports—Charlottetown, Summerside,
Borden, Georgetown, and Souris—all linked to its railway system, and airports (Charlottetown and Summerside) for communication with mainland North America. The railway system was
abandoned by CN in 1989 in favour of an agreement with the federal government to improve major highways. Until 1997, the province was linked by two passenger-vehicle ferry services
to the mainland: one, provided by Marine Atlantic, operated year-round between Borden and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick; the other, provided by Northumberland Ferries Limited,
operates seasonally between Wood Islands and Caribou, Nova Scotia. A third ferry service provided by CTMA operates seasonally between Souris and Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec and connects
with Quebec's Magdalen Islands.
On June 1, 1997, the Confederation Bridge opened, connecting Borden-Carleton to Cape Jourimain and replacing the Marine Atlantic ferry service. Since then, the Confederation Bridge's
assured transportation link to the mainland has altered the province's tourism and agricultural and fisheries export economies.
15% of all electricity consumed on the island is generated from renewable energy (largely wind turbines); the provincial government has set renewable energy targets as high as 30-50%
for electricity consumed by 2015. Until wind generation, the province has relied on electricity imports on a submarine cable from New Brunswick. A thermal oil-fired generating station
in Charlottetown is also available; PEI has the highest electricity rates in Canada.
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Prince Edward Island photos
Text & photo credits
The text contained in 'Prince Edward Island Summary,' and 'Prince Edward Island economy' above is courtesy of
Wikipedia.com.
The articles ('Prince Edward Island Summary,' and 'Prince Edward Island economy') are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
(See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.)
They use material from the Wikipedia article "Prince Edward Island".
The Prince Edward Island images on this page are courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Images:
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one,
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four.