Newfoundland Information

General Information

Province of Newfoundland
Newfoundland, or, Newfoundland and Labrador as it is currently referred, easternmost province of Canada. It is Canada's newest province, joining the Confederation in 1949. The province has two sections: Newfoundland, the island, and Labrador, on the mainland. From 1927 to 1965 the name Newfoundland was used both for the island and for the entire province. In 1965 the province's name was changed to Newfoundland and Labrador. Labrador is bounded by Québec on the land side, and by the Atlantic Ocean. St. John's is the capital of the Province and is also largest city.
The landscape of Newfoundland is rugged.Fishing villages(or Outports, depending on your point of view) line the shores and the many islands off the coastr. Most of the interior of Newfoundland and almost all of Labrador is barren. The population of the province is concentrated for the most part on the coastline. The name Newfoundland was first used in 1497. An English registry recorded the discovery of Terra Nova or the "new found land."
Physical Geography
Newfoundland and Labrador is the seventh largest province of Canada. It has an area of 405,720 sq km. Newfoundland accounts for 112,299 sq km , and Labrador accounts for the rest, 293,421 sq km. Newfoundland lies southeast of Labrador and is separated from it by the Strait of Belle Isle.
Almost all of the province has infertile soils with peat and rock outcroppings. The coastlines of both Newfoundland and Labrador are very irregular, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Climate
Most of the province has short cool summers and long cold winters. The northern coast of Labrador has a subpolar climate. The coast of Labrador is somewhat cooler than its interior because of the cold ocean currents. Average July temperatures are about 15° C in Newfoundland and 12° C in Labrador. Average January temperatures range from -4° C to -18° C . The maximum summer temperature throughout most of the province is about 30° C . Winter temperatures may fall to nearly -50° C Labrador and over -30° C in Newfoundland.
Rain averages about 1120 mm yearly. Heavy winter snowfalls are common, especially in Newfoundland.
Plant Life
About one-third of Newfoundland is forested, and most of the rest of the island is made up of barren areas of moss and lichens. The forests consist almost entirely of conifers. The mostly white and black spruce, balsam fir. Plants include the pitcher plant(Provincial flower), blueberry, and snakehead
Animal Life
Animals native to the island are the black bear, woodland caribou, otter, muskrat, fox, and lynx. Moose, was introduced onto the island early in the 20th century, and can be found in large numbers. Most animals found on Newfoundland are also found in Labrador.Additionally, Labrador has mink, wolverine, wolf, and caribou. Birds found in the province are the spruce partridge, ptarmigan, and osprey. Many varieties of ducks and geese make the province home in summer.
Fisheries

The coastal waters of Newfoundland are one of the world's best fisheries, and many harbors shelter small fishing fleets. Cod was the primary catch,but a 1992 ban on northern cod fishing was passed by the federal government because of overfishing. Atlantic salmon, flounder, turbot, halibut, crab, lobster, shrimp, and herring are the mainstay of the Newfoundland fishery
After World War II the government alloted funds to expand Newfoundland's fishing fleet, and the fishermen prospered until the late 1960s. Fish stocks began to decline due to overfishing by the domestic fishing fleet and foreigners. In the mid-1970s higher fuel prices increased operating costs which was a direct blow to the incomes of the fishermen of Newfoundland. The creation of a 200-nautical-mile Canadian fishing zone in 1977, kept foreign fishing fleets 200 miles from the Canadian coast. By 1983 the province's large fishing companies, which rely on deep-sea trawlers, were nearly bankrupt. The government stepped in and created a restructuring plan where all the deep-sea fishing companies were combined in 1984 into a single company, Fisheries Products International Ltd., owned mostly by the federal government. The company reported its first profit in 1986.
Recreation and Places to Visit

Newfoundland is known for its excellent hunting and fishing grounds. In the summer tourists can cruise along the rocky coast. There is also the famous regatta held in August on Quidi Vidi Lake near St. John's. The regatta is the oldest regularly held sports event in North America, originating in 1826.
National Parks

The province has two national parks: Gros Morne National Park, on Newfoundland's west coast, and Terra Nova National Park, in Bonavista Bay. There are three national historic parks: Signal Hill, at the entrance to St. John's harbor, where the first transatlantic wireless message was received in 1901; Castle Hill, at Placentia; and L'Anse aux Meadows, on the Northern Peninsula, where the first authentic Norse site was found in North America.
Provincial Parks

There are more than 80 provincial parks. Among them are Butter Pot, Sir Richard Squires Memorial, and Barachois Pond.
Other Places to Visit

At the top of Signal Hill is Cabot Tower, which was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's first voyage to the region. The site where Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of Newfoundland for England is marked by a memorial in St. John's. Other famous sites include Ferryland, where Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland, established a colony in the 1620s; Placentia, in Placentia Bay, the old French capital; and Carbonear Island, which defied all French attempts to capture it in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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