Newfoundland
"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God"
Rich with history and culture. Sprawling with natural beauty. All these wonders have been there for thousands of years, embraced by those who happened upon them. Catch a glimpse of icebergs, whales, birds, and wildlife.
The ocean around Newfoundland is home to more than 20 species of whales at one time of the year or another, making Newfoundland one of the best whale viewing locations in the world. Humpback whales, Fin whales, Minke whales, and Sperm whales, are some the common whales around Newfoundland.
Contrary to much popular opinion, Newfoundland is not a part of northern Canada. Corner Brook, Newfoundland, in terms of latitude, is a little distance south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Corner Brook is on the same latitude as Paris, France. St. Anthony, on the northern tip of Newfoundland, is on the same latitude as London, England.
The producing oil fields off eastern Newfoundland are so profitable that the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador is expected to be off of the Canadian equalization plan by 2009 (the equalization plan, made possible by the Canadian Constitution, allows the Federal Government to send money from financially richer provinces to financially poorer provinces) .
The Black Spruce (Picea mariana) was proclaimed the Provincial Tree of Newfoundland in May, 1991. The Black Spruce has had a significant social and economic impact on the provincial economy: it is the favoured tree of the pulp and paper industry, it has played a prominent role in the lives of aboriginal people and in local folk medicine, and it is very hardy and grows well throughout the province. The Pitcher Plant (Sarracenis purpurea) is the official flower of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was chosen as the provincial flower in 1954 by the Newfoundland Cabinet. Queen Victoria chose the Pitcher Plant to be engraved on the Newfoundland penny in the late 1800s.
The Long Range Mountains in southwestern Newfoundland are part of the Appalachian Mountains. They are now eroded down to the root of the original mountains which were as high as the Himalayan Mountains in their day.
There isn't one homeless person, or one person living on the streets, in Newfoundland and Labrador. This is likely because of strong social ties (people generally know each other), strong community churches, provincial government programs to help the disadvantaged, and ages old respect among people (it's shameful to have homeless people in a community, so something is done about it).
Newfoundland forms an almost perfect equilateral triangle on a map. Port aux Basques to L'Anse aux Meadows to St. John's are all nearly the same distance apart.
It has been illegal to hunt Pine Marten (Martes americana atrata) on the island of Newfoundland since 1934 because of low population numbers. The total population is approximately 300 animals.
There are 18 trees that are native to Newfoundland: Red Pine, White Pine, Black Spruce, White Spruce, Balsam Fir, Tamarack/Larch, Trembling Aspen, Balsam Popular, Showy Mountain Ash, American Mountain Ash, Mountain Maple, Red Maple, Pin Cherry, Choke Cherry, Speckled Alder, Yellow Birch, White Birch, and Black Ash (rare).
Many non-native (exotic) trees also grow in Newfoundland. These exotic trees are mostly found in private collections. Among the exotic trees growing in Newfoundland are Douglas Fir, Korean Fir, Siberian Fir, Nordmann Fir, Black Locust, Ponderosa Pine, Sitka Spruce, and Garry Oak.
Arctic Hares are native to Newfoundland, but Snowshoe Hares were introduced from Nova Scotia in 1864 and 1876. They were released at the same time by local Magistrates. Hares are often erroneously called rabbits.
The Newfoundland Timber or Grey Wolf became extinct on the island of Newfoundland in the 1930s.
The coyote arrived in Newfoundland during the winter of 1985, when heavy ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence allowed passage from Nova Scotia.
There are no snakes, skunks, deer, porcupines or groundhogs on the island of Newfoundland. Chipmunks were introduced to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia in 1962 and 1964, and today they are plentiful in the Codroy Valley of southwestern Newfoundland where cultivated (farm) oats are a favourite treat. There is no ragweed pollen on the island either (a very common allergen).
The motto of Newfoundland and Labrador is "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God" from Matthew 6:33 in the Holy Bible.
Newfoundland is actually 3.5 hours west of Greenwich, and hence has its own proper time zone. The Newfoundland Standard Time Act of 1935 enshrined this time zone before Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949.
Newfoundland routinely has one of the lowest crime rates in Canada.
44 species of orchids are native to Newfoundland.
Traditionally, Newfoundlanders watched the black bear on February 2 since there are no groundhogs on the island.
The only authenticated Viking site in North America is located at L'Anse aux Meadows, north of St. Anthony, on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. The remains of the sod houses used by the Vikings can still be seen there, along with some of their artifacts.
Newfoundland is the 16th largest island in the world. Visitors should keep this in mind when planning a visit; it is not possible to see the whole island in just a few days and at least 10 days are needed for even a brief look around.
Squirrels were introduced to Newfoundland in 1963 (The Canadian Field Naturalist, Volume 90, pp. 60-64) and they have now colonised the whole island.
Moose are not native to Newfoundland, but today there are more than 100,000 on the island. 1 pair was introduced in 1878 from Nova Scotia (not thought to have survived). 2 pairs of moose were introduced on May 14, 1904 from New Brunswick. All of the moose in Newfoundland today are descended from the 1904 moose and possibly also from the 1878 moose.
For bird-watchers, the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) can be seen along the coast from Port aux Basques to Cape Ray during the summer months (until August). Dozens were seen in 1997. Nesting areas are marked.
Between 1857 and 1949 Newfoundland issued its own postage stamps. They are still valid for mail posted anywhere in Canada.
Not all of Newfoundland was covered with glaciers during the last ice age. Parts of the Codroy Valley in southwestern Newfoundland were largely ice free.
The ski resort at Marble Mountain, near Corner Brook, has nearly 30 ski runs; the highest run has a vertical drop of almost 1600 feet (485 metres). Corner Brook hosted the Canada Winter Games between February 20 and March 6, 1999.
The Hibernia oilfield, off the east coast of Newfoundland, contains more oil than 40 of the 44 oilfields in the North Sea. Combined, the Hibernia and Terra Nova oilfields contain more than 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil. In 1999, the Hibernia oilfield was the most profitable oilfield in Canada.
The Mayflower stopped in at Renews (eastern Newfoundland) in 1620, to pick up supplies, during its voyage to present day Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Some Facts...
-Nfld. is one of the four Atlantic provinces.
-It is the most easterly province, made up of the island of Nfld. and Labrador on the mainland.
-The mainland is larger than the island and is bordered by Quebec.
-Thousands of smaller islands are also included.
-Nfld. is surrounded by the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.
-The capital city and largest city is St. John's.
-flower - Pitcher Plant, tree - Black Spruce, bird - Atlantic Puffin.
-motto - "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God."
Pictured to the Left: Atlantic Puffin- Newfoundland's provincial bird
www.audubon.org/.../virtual/razorbill.html
Flag
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980. The design was chosen due to its broad symbolism. The blue color represents the sea, the white color represents snow and ice, the red color represents the effort and struggle of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and the gold color symbolizes the confidence Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have in themselves and for the future.
usflags.com/productDetail.asp?ItemID=4251
Places and People
-Signal Hill - a high cliff where Italian inventor Marconi received the first radio message from across the Atlantic Ocean.
-Titanic, a large passenger ship, sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg south of Nfld.
-Heart's Content - where the transatlantic telegraph cable was laid in 1866.
The cable was laid on the bottom of the ocean all the way to Britain. -Kevin Major - author of books for young people lives in St.John's.
-W.Grenfell - a doctor and missionary in the early 1900s visited fishing villages along the coasts of Labrador and Nfld. to care for the sick.
Pictured to the Left:
Signal Hill, Newfoundland, site of Marconi's first successful trans-atlantic wireless transmission
www.novascotia-tours.net/tours/tourDetail.cfm...
The People
-About 516,000 people lived in Nfld/Labrador in 2005.
-People live in small fishing villages near the coast.
-People came from Britain, Western Europe, East and Southeast Asia.
-Many are of British and Irish origin.
-Aboriginal ancestry : Micmac, Inuit, Innu and Metis
Pictured to the left: Quidi Vidi Village, Newfoundland
www.shipwrite.bc.ca/photographs.htm
Resources/Industry
-Nfld. is part of the Canadian Shield. Nickel, copper, cobalt, zinc, lead and silver are mined.
-Nfld. is the main producer of iron ore in Canada. Steel is made from iron ore.
-Oil and gas are found under the Grand Banks.
-Hibernia, an oil platform in the water, began producing oil in 1997.
-Churchill Falls in Labrador is one of the largest hydro-electric power plants in the world.
-Overfishing caused a severe decline in the amount of fish in the Grand Banks.
-Fishermen catch cod, herring, Atlantic salmon, flounder, turbot, halibut, tuna and haddock.
-Lobster, scallops, shrimp, and crab are also caught.
-Forests ( mostly coniferous trees ) cover one third of Nfld. There are many sawmills.
-Main exports are oil, fish products, newsprint, iron ore and electricity.
Pictured Above: Equipment operator Donald King works for Iron Ore Company in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador. Iron Ore Company is one of more than 600 companies that is making a commitment to industrial energy efficiency by registering as an Industrial Energy Innovator with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/.../2005/2005art03-eng.php
Land and Water
-There are many bays and deep fiords along the coastlines of Nfld. and Labrador.
-Icebergs can be seen off the coastline.
-Gros Morne National Park: mountains, forests, lakes, sand dunes
-Terra Nova National Park: rocky cliffs, rolling hills, forests, lakes, ponds, old sawmills
-The Continental Shelf is a flat sea-bottom covered by shallow water.
-The Grand Banks are a shallow part of the Continental Shelf.
Pictured to the Right: an iceberg, Newfoundland, Canada, North America.
www.canada-photos.com/icebergs-of-newfoundlan...
History
-The first people were the Beothuk (now extinct) who hunted caribou and fished.
-For thousands of years ancestors of the Inuit hunted seal and polar bears along the Labrador coast.
-Vikings were the first to visit Nfld . They were blown off course on the way to Greenland.
-Five hundred years later the explorer John Cabot arrived ( 1497).
-He claimed the land for the King of England.
-Fishermen from France, England, Spain and Portugal fished in the waters of the Grand Banks.
-English and Irish settlers built small villages along the coast.
-In 1949 Newfoundland became a Canada's tenth province.
Pictured Above:
The last Beothuk, a woman named Shanawdithit, died in 1829.
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/settlement/kids/0...