New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of three provinces collectively known as the "Maritimes ". Joined to Nova Scotia by the narrow Chignecto Isthmus and separated from Prince Edward Island by the Northumberland Strait, New Brunswick forms the land bridge linking this region to continental North America. It is bounded in the north by Quebec and in the west by the United States (Maine), and its history has often been influenced by the activities of these powerful neighbours. 

New Brunswick
Flag
Capital	Fredericton
Largest City	Saint John
Official Languages	English, French
Area	72,908 km2 (Ranked 11th)
Population (2009)	751,273 (est.) (Ranked 8th)
GDP per capita	C$33,664 (Ranked 12th)
Abbreviation	NB
Web Site	www.gnb.ca

Of the total population, 64% gave their mother tongue as English and 32.7% French in the census of 1991. Another 4470 cited European, 1655 cited aboriginal and 1220, Asian languages. Provincial language legislation is intended to provide equality between the two official languages. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual (English and French) province in Canada.

The province's major rivers and its many smaller streams radiate outward from the interior highlands. The most important stream, the St. John River, rises in Maine and flows southeast to the Bay of Fundy. The extremely high tides of the Bay of Fundy flow upstream, causing the famous phenomenon known as the reversing falls of Saint John. Other major rivers include the Restigouche, which has headwaters in the Chaleur Uplands and empties into Chaleur Bay, and the Miramichi, which cuts across the Maritime Plain to its outlet on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Many small lakes and a few larger ones occur in the glaciated upland regions. The largest natural lake is Grand Lake, which is only 2 metres above sea level, even though it is more than 70 kilometres from the open sea. Several reservoirs have been formed behind dams on the St. John River.

• Immigration to New Brunswick
• Jobs in New Brunswick
• New Brunswick Universities and Colleges

New Brunswick Facts

• New Brunswick is one of the four Atlantic provinces in Canada.
• It is the third smallest province. 
• The province is named for the British royal family of Brunswick-Lüneburg. 
• It is called the Loyalist Province. 
• New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province.
• N.B. has a mainland and many islands.
• Fredericton is the capital city.
• Flower - Purple Violet, tree - Balsam Fir, bird - Black-capped Chickadee 
• Motto - "Hope was restored."
  

The People

• The population is 750,000 (2009)
• The largest and oldest city is Saint John.
• Other major cities are Fredericton (the capital city) and Moncton. 
• Many people are of French, British, Scottish and Irish origin. 
• Over 32 percent of the population are Francophones.
• Other groups include native people, Germans, Dutch, Scandinavians, Italians and Asians.

History

• The first people to live in N.B. include the Micmac and Malecite. 
• The Micmac and Malecite hunted and fished and were guides for the French explorers.
• The French mariner Jacques Cartier visited the east coast in 1534.
• In 1604 Samuel de Champlain and the French established the first settlement..
• The French called the east coast area Acadia.
• By 1608 French settlers (called Acadians) were farming around the Bay of Fundy. 
• Acadia became an English colony in 1713.
• Some of the people would not swear loyalty to England. Their homes were burned and they were sent away. Some went to Louisiana in the United States.
• Amercan settlers founded the city of Saint John (oldest city in Canada).
• In 1784 the north section of the colony became the new colony of New Brunswick.
• The lumbering industy grew. Shipbuilding was a big industry.
• The ships carried masts and other wood products around the world. 
• Thousands came from Ireland after 1846 to work in the lumber industry or to farm. 
• On July 1, 1867 New Brunswick became one of the first four provinces of Canada.

Land and Water

• More than half of the province is surrounded by water.
• There are two coasts. The east coast faces the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait; The Bay of Fundy is along the south coast.
• Many bays and inlets along the coasts provide safe harbours for boats.
• There are many rivers in the province. 
• The longest river is the Saint John River ( 670 km.long).
• The Bay of Fundy between N.B. and Nova Scotia has the world's highest tides (over 15 metres high). 
• Forests (mainly black spruce and fir) cover about 85 percent of N.B.
• The Appalachian Mountains run along the western edge of the province.

Climate

• The northern half of the province has cold winters and warm summers.
• Areas near the sea have milder winters and slightly cooler summers.
• Moist air from the Atlantic Ocean produces mild weather in the winter and cool summers.
• Winter storms bring rain to the Bay of Fundy coast and snow to the interior.
• It is often foggy in the spring and early summer along the Bay of Fundy.

Resources/Industries

• N.B. is the main producer of lead, zinc, copper and bismuth in Canada.
• Gypsum, potash, antimony, silver, gold, natural gas and oil are also mined.
• There are fishing ports where more than fifty kinds of fish and shellfish are caught (scallops, shrimp, herring, lobsters, snow crabs, mussels, oysters, etc. )
• Lobster is the most valuable catch. Crab is second.
• Aquaculture farms harvest salmon, trout, arctic char, oysters and mussels.
• The main industry is forestry. 
• Paper, newspaper, magazines, tissue, wooden doors and windows are made.
• There are livestock, dairy, poultry, potato and berry farms.
• The main crop is potatoes. The Saint John River Valley is called the "Potato Belt." 
• Apples, blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries are also grown.
• Fiddleheads (sprouts of the ostrich fern) are gathered in early spring for eating.

People and Places

• R. Foulis invented the first steam foghorn (1860).
• Romeo LeBlanc was the first Acadian to become a Governor-General of Canada.
• Roch Voisine (song writer and singer ) won a Juno Award in 1993 for male vocalist.
• Bliss Carmen (1861-1929) was one of Canada's best known poets.
• Sir Charles G.D. Roberts (1860-1943) was known as the Father of Canadian Poetry.
• Donald Sutherland (1934- ) is a famous Hollywood actor.
• The McCain Brothers established McCain Foods in 1957. The company is the largest producer of french fries and other oven-ready frozen food products in the world.
• Hartland Bridge - world's longest covered bridge (390 m. or 1283 ft. long)
• Confederation Bridge (12.9 kilometres or 8 miles long ) - longest bridge in the world crossing ice-covered water. The bridge connects N.B. to Prince Edward Island.
• Magnetic Hill in Moncton - an optical illusion.
• Reversing Falls at St. John -water rushes uphill against the normal flow of the falls.
• Whale watching - off the Bay of Fundy
• Rocks Provincial Park (Bay of Fundy) - strange-shaped rocks called Flowerpot Rocks rise out of the sea