Prince Edward Island

:This article is about a Canadian province. For the South African sub-antarctic islands, see Prince Edward Islands

Geography

Known as the "Garden Province", the island is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, east of New Brunswick and north of Nova Scotia from which it is separated by the Northumberland Strait.

Related Topics:
Gulf of Saint Lawrence - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia - Northumberland Strait

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The capital and largest city is Charlottetown, situated centrally on the island's southern shore. (See also a list of communities in Prince Edward Island.) Summerside is the second largest city and is located in Prince County, in the western part of the province. Stratford, and Cornwall, the third and fourth largest communities are located immediately east and west of Charlottetown respectively, placing more than a third of the province's population within the capital region. Like many other communities on Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown and Summerside are both built around large natural harbours.

Related Topics:
Charlottetown - List of communities in Prince Edward Island - Summerside - Stratford - Cornwall - Natural harbour

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In 1997, the Confederation Bridge was opened, connecting the west end of the island to New Brunswick. The bridge replaced a ferry service operated by Marine Atlantic. A Northumberland Ferries Limited ferry service operates from the east end of Prince Edward Island providing access to Nova Scotia while another ferry service operates between Souris and the Magdalen Islands.

Related Topics:
1997 - Confederation Bridge - New Brunswick - Ferry - Marine Atlantic - Northumberland Ferries Limited - Nova Scotia - Souris - Magdalen Islands

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The island's landscape has been heavily impacted by humans since the arrival of European explorers in the 16th century. Today, there is very little original forested land on the Island, although approximately half of the landmass is covered by forest. Virtually the entire province is dominated by agriculture, resulting from the ease of farming in the distinctive red sedimentary soil. The island's pastoral landscape has a strong bearing on its economy and culture as author Lucy Maud Montgomery drew inspiration from it during the late Victorian Era for the setting of Anne of Green Gables. Today, many of the same qualities Montgomery and others found in the Island are enjoyed by millions of tourists who visit in all seasons for a variety of leisure activities ranging from world-renowned beaches, various golf courses, eco-tourism adventures, to touring the countryside and enjoying cultural events in local communities.

Related Topics:
16th century - Lucy Maud Montgomery - Victorian Era - Anne of Green Gables - Beaches - Golf

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The shoreline of the island consists of a combination of long beaches, dunes, short sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes and numerous small bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes and sandstone cliffs consist of distinctive reddish sand, due to the high amount of iron oxide in the rock. The white sand at Basin Head is unique on the island. The unusual shape of the grains cause a humming noise as they rub against each other when walked on. 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 archaelogical interest.

Related Topics:
Beach - Dune - Sandstone - Marsh - Bay - Harbour - Iron oxide - Basin Head - Greenwich - Archaelogical

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10 Largest Municipalities by population

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