Prince Edward Island

Encyclopedia : P : PR : PRI : Prince Edward Island

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

It is located in a rectangle defined roughly by 46°–47° N, and 62°–64° 30′ W.

The island's namesake is Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), the father of Queen Victoria.

Geography

Known as the "Garden of the Gulf", the island is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence north of Nova Scotia and east of New Brunswick.

The capital 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. The towns and villages resting between the two cities proudly retain a slower-paced, old world flavor, something that factors heavily into Prince Edward Island's popularity as a destination for relaxation. The popular Canadian television show, Avonlea, was filmed on Prince Edward Island and, according to creator David McHewen, no film sets were required. Many communities on Prince Edward Island, including Charlottetown and Summerside are based on rural forms of agriculture, such as farming and gardening, or are built are natural harbors.

In 1997, the Confederation Bridge was opened, connecting Borden-Carleton to Cape Jourimain near Shediac, 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 New Glasgow Nova Scotia while another ferry service operates between Souris and the Magdalen Islands.

The island's landscape is predominatly pastoral. Rolling hills, pristine forests, white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red dirt have given Prince Edward Island a reputation as a province of outstanding natural beauty. A number of govermental laws have been enforced to retain it's quaint feel. The island's lush landscape has had a strong bearing not only 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.

Red Cliffs at North Cape on a slightly foggy day.

The coastline of the island consists of a combination of long beaches, dunes, bright red sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes and numerous bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes and sandstone cliffs consist of distinctive red sand, unique in the world to Prince Edward Island. The geological properties of the white silica sand found at Basin Head are unique in the province as well, and the grains cause a humming noise as they rub against each other when walked on. 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.

10 Largest Municipalities by population

Municipality	2001	1996
Charlottetown	32,245	32,531
Summerside	14,654	15,525
Stratford	6,314	5,869
Cornwall	4,412	4,291
Lot 34	2,344	2,180
Montague	1,945	1,995
Lot 1 (Tignish & area)	1,900	1,936
Lot 65	1,829	1,595
Lot 19	1,775	1,759
Lot 2 (St. Louis/Elmsdale area)	1,720	1,766

History

Prince Edward Island was originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq people. They named the island Abegweit, meaning Land Cradled on the Waves.

As part of the French colony of Acadia, the island was called Île Saint-Jean. Roughly one thousand Acadians lived on the island. However, many fled during the British-ordered expulsion of Acadians in 1755. Many more were forciably deported in 1758 when British soldiers, under the command of Colonel Andrew Rollo, were ordered by General Jeffery Amherst to capture the Island.

The new British colony of "St. John's Island", also known as the "Island of St. John" was settled by "adventurous Victorian families looking for elegance on the sea. Prince Edward Island became a fashionable retreat in the 18th century for British nobility."[link]

A long wooden bridge linking a national park and sand dunes at the beach.

In 1798, Great Britain changed the colony's name from St. John's Island to Prince Edward Island to distinguish it from similar names in the Atlantic, such as the cities of Saint John and St. John's. The colony's new name honoured the fourth son of King George III, Prince Edward Augustus, the Duke of Kent (1767–1820), who was then commanding British troops in Halifax. Prince Edward was also the father of Queen Victoria.

In September 1864, Prince Edward Island hosted the Charlottetown Conference, which was the first meeting in the process leading to the Articles of Confederation and the creation of Canada in 1867. Prince Edward Island did not find the terms of union favourable and balked at joining in 1867, choosing to remain part of the nation of Great Britian and Ireland. In the late 1860s the colony examined various options including the possibility of becoming a discrete dominion unto itself, as well as entertaining delegations from the United States who were interested in Prince Edward Island joining the United States of America.

In the early 1870s the colony began construction of a railway and frustrated by Great Britain's Colonial Office, began negotiations with the United States. In 1873, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, anxious to thwart American expansionism and facing the distraction of the Pacific Scandal, bribed Prince Edward Island into joining the federal government, assuming the colony's railway debts and agreeing to financing a buy-out of the last of the colony's absentee landlords to free the island of leasehold tenure and from any new migrants entering the island. Prince Edward Island entered Confederation on July 1, 1873.

As a result of having hosted the inaugural meeting of Confederation, the Charlottetown Conference, Prince Edward Island presents itself as the "Birthplace of Confederation" with several beautiful buildings, a ferry vessel, and the Confederation Bridge using the term "confederation" in many ways. The most prominent building in the province with this name is the Confederation Centre of the Arts, presented as a gift to Prince Edward Islanders by the 10 provincial governments and the federal government upon the centenary of the Charlottetown Conference where it stands in Charlottetown as a national monument to the "Fathers of Confederation."

Demographics

Population of Prince Edward Island since 1851

Year	Population	Five Year % change	Ten Year % change	Rank Among Provinces
1851	62,678	n/a	n/a	5
1861	80,857	n/a	29.0	5
1871	94,021	n/a	16.3	5
1881	108,891	n/a	15.8	5
1891	109,078	n/a	0.2	6
1901	103,259	n/a
7
1911	93,728	n/a
9
1921	88,615	n/a
9
1931	88,038	n/a
9
1941	95,047	n/a	8.0	9
1951	98,429	n/a	3.6	10
1956	99,285	0.9	n/a	10
1961	104,629	5.4	6.3	10
1966	108,535	3.7	9.3	10
1971	111,635	2.9	6.7	10
1976	118,225	5.9	8.9	10
1981	122,506	3.6	9.7	10
1986	126,640	3.4	7.1	10
1991	129,765	2.5	5.9	10
1996	134,557	3.7	6.3	10
2001	135,294	0.5	4.2	10

Source: Statistics Canada [link]

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown comprises the entire Island and is the oldest English diocese in Canada.

Economy

Agriculture remains the dominant industry in the provincial economy, as it has since colonial times, although potatoes have replaced mixed farming during the 20th century to become 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[link]; comparatively, the state of Idaho produces approximately 6200 million kg annually[link]. PEI is a major producer of seed potatoes, exporting to more than 20 countries around the world[link].

Education

Prince Edward Island is home to one provincial university, the University of Prince Edward Island, located in Charlottetown. The university was formed from the merger of Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan's University. UPEI is home to the Atlantic Veterinary College, which offers the only veterinary medicine program in Atlantic Canada.

Holland College is the provincial community college, with campuses across the province. Holland College has several specialized training facilities including the Atlantic Police Academy and the Culinary Institute of Canada.

The Maritime Christian College, also located in Charlottetown, is a private evangelical Christian college with a university degree-granting charter. It was established in 1960.

The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada, located in Summerside, specializes in the instruction of bagpipe and other traditional Scottish and Irish performance art such as highland dance.

Facts

• The island has several nicknames: Epikwetk (Abegweit) which is a Mi'kmaq word meaning "Cradled in the Waves"; "Garden of the Gulf" referring to the pastoral scenery and lush agricultural lands throughout the province; "Million Acre Farm" also refers to the province being dominated by agriculture; and finally "Birthplace of Confederation", referring to the Charlottetown Conference in 1864. Among some Islanders, it is also referred to as "Potholes Every Inch", a joking reference to PEI's sub-par road conditions.
• On August 1, 1758, Jeffery Amherst, commander of the British forces in North America, ordered Colonel Andrew Rollo to capture what is now P.E.I. and expel the remaining Acadians. Rollo Bay is named after the Colonel.
• Until May 1, 1924, automobiles drove on the left side of the road.
• The Prince Edward Island Railway (Canadian Government Railways after 1915, CNR after 1918) was a narrow gauge system when it was built in 1873. Converted to standard gauge by 1930, the railway was abandoned province-wide in 1989.
• The world's fur-farming industry started with fox fur on a farm in Prince County.
• It is the only province which has yet to ratify the National Building Code of Canada.
• The island has recently become home to a small population of a unique form of coyote, closely related to wolves, which evolved in neighbouring Maritime provinces.
• Repeal of prohibition of alcohol was vetoed in 1945 by then Lieutenant Governor B.W. LePage.[link]
• There are 27 Canadian cities with a larger population than Prince Edward Island, 14 in Ontario alone.
• The provincial government enforces extremely strict rules for non-resident land ownership as a legacy of Islanders' distrust on this issue from their colonial history. Residents and corporations are limited to maximum holdings of 400 and 1200 hectares (4 and 12 km²) respectively. There are also restrictions on non-resident ownership of shorelines and higher property taxation is in place for recreational properties, the majority of which are owned by non-residents.
• The province had the highest per capita enlistment rate in the armed forces of any Canadian province in the volunteer army, navy and air force of the Second World War.
• Canadian Author Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in Clifton, setting many of her famous novels in her native North Shore communities.
• Prince Edward Island is the first province in Canada to elect a Premier of non-European descent (Joseph Atallah Ghiz) in 1986.
• It is also the first province in Canada to elect a female Premier (Catherine Callbeck) in 1993; both the Lieutenant Governor and the Leader of the Official Opposition at that time were also female. British Columbia had a female Premier prior to Callbeck (Rita Johnston), although she did not win a provincial election.
• Prince Edward Island, along with most rural regions in North America, is experiencing an accelerated rate of youth outmigration. The provincial government has projected that public school enrollment by the 2010s will decline by 40%.
• It is not legal to sell canned carbonated beverages such as soda and beer. Carbonated beverages are sold in recyclable glass bottles.
• The prices of petroleum products including Gasoline, Diesel fuel, Propane and Furnace oil are regulated through the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. [link] Also the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is authorized to limit the entrance of companies who can sell petroleum products .
• Prince Edward Island has a 10% Provincial sales tax rates at the retail level charge above the Federal Goods and Services Tax, the highest in Canada, however, it is not charged on all goods, for example, produce, and clothing.
• Prince Edward Island has a three tiered waste management system that is run by the Island Waste Management Corporation, a Crown Corporation. The program is mandatory and has reduced the amount of waste on the island by 64%. [link] Prince Edward Island leads the Country of Canada in waste diversion and recycling.
• Prince Edward Island only requires license plates on the back of motorized vehicles. Many vehicles have novelty plates, or plates advertising car dealerships, on the front.

Map

See also

• List of cities in Canada
• List of Prince Edward Island premiers
• List of Prince Edward Island lieutenant-governors
• List of communities in Prince Edward Island
• List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
• List of Prince Edward Island counties
• Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
• Petroeum Pricing in Prince Edward Island
• Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission
• Scouting on Prince Edward Island

External links

• [PEIinfo - a popular website for Islanders & Tourists.]
• [WikiPEI - a local public tourism Wiki initiative.]
• [The Government of Prince Edward Island]
• [Satellite image of Prince Edward Island] (interactive)
• [CBC Digital Archives - PEI Elections: Liberal landslides and Tory tides]
• [The official website about the Island Waste Management Corporation]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.