Landscape

Nova Scotia is a peninsula that's very nearly an island. It's almost surrounded by water, with just a narrow isthmus connecting it to the mainland. It's bounded by the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait in the north, the Bay of Fundy on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south.

Its landscape is one of lakes, islands and bays. In the north, the mountains of the Cape Breton Highlands slope to rocky coves and small beaches on the rugged southern shore, where lighthouses warn ships of danger. On the west coast, the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. The sea rises and falls 10 to 15 metres twice daily: the height of a three- to four-storey building.

Never far from the sea

The province has an area of 55 491 square kilometres, which makes it a little smaller than Tasmania. But Nova Scotia's heavily indented coastline (all 10 424 kilometres of it) is over twice as long as Tasmania's. You're never far from the sea. The province is 580 kilometres long, and an average 128 kilometres wide. So wherever you are, the sea is never more than about 60 kilometres away.

This proximity to the sea means that Nova Scotia's climate and way of life are heavily influenced by the ocean. In the past, the sea was the population's main source of livelihood, especially fishing. Even today, many of Nova Scotia's 940 000 people still depend on the sea for their living.