Nova Scotia , Province, eastern Canada, one of the Maritime Provinces. Area: 21,345 sq mi (55,284 sq km). Population: (2021) 969,383. Capital: Halifax. It comprises the peninsula of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, and a few small adjacent islands, and it is bounded by the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, and New Brunswick. After centuries of occupation by the Mi’kmaq, the region was possibly visited by Vikings c. 1000; it certainly came to the attention of Europeans by the late 15th century. French settlers established trading posts in the early 17th century, and they named the region Acadia (Acadie). English and Scottish colonists arrived by 1621. The conflict between France and England over control of the area was ended by the 1713 Peace of Utrecht, which awarded it to England. In the 1750s the British expelled most of the French settlers. Following the American Revolution, many loyalists emigrated there. It joined the Dominion of Canada in 1867 as one of the original members. Tourism and other service industries have grown in importance as traditional economic activities such as fishing, forestry, and coal mining have declined.
