Explore Prince Edward Island Information, Images and More

Explore Prince Edward Island Information, images and more This article is about the Canadian province. For the South African sub-Antarctic islands, see Prince Edward Islands. “PEI” redirects here. For other meanings of “PEI”, see Pei (disambiguation). Prince Edward Island (PEI or P.E.I.; French: Île-du- Prince-Édouard) is a province of Canada consisting of the island of the same name, as well as several much smaller islands. It is one of the three Maritime Provinces and is the small- est province in both land area and population. It is the only province of Canada to have no land boundary. The island has several informal names: “Garden of the Gulf,” referring to the pastoral scenery and lush agricultural lands throughout the province; and “Birthplace of Con- federation” or “Cradle of Confederation”,[4] referring to the Charlottetown Conference in 1864, although PEI did not join Confederation until 1873, when it became the seventh Canadian province. The backbone of the economy is farming, as it produces 25% of Canada’s pota- toes. Historically, PEI is one of Canada’s older settle- ments and demographically still reflects older immigra- tion to the country, with Celtic, Anglo Saxon and French last names being overwhelmingly dominant to this day. According to the 2011 census, the province of Prince Ed- 1834 Edward Scriven engraving of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent ward Island has 140,204 residents. It is located about 200 and Strathearn, after W. Beechey’s portrait km north of Halifax, Nova Scotia and 600 km east of Quebec City. It consists of the main island and 231 mi- • Prince Edward Battery, Victoria Park, Charlotte- [5] nor islands. Altogether, the entire province has a land town area of 5,685.73 km2 (2,195.27 sq mi).[2] • The main island is 5,620 km2 (2,170 sq mi) in size,[5] Kent College (Established in 1804 by Lieutenant which is slightly larger than the U.S. state of Delaware, Governor Edmund Fanning and his Legislative is the 104th-largest island in the world, and is Canada’s Council, the college would eventually become the 23rd-largest island. University of Prince Edward Island), Charlottetown • Kent Street, Charlottetown • West Kent Elementary School 1 Etymology • Kent Street, Georgetown The island is named for Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and The island is known in Scottish Gaelic as Eilean a' Phri- Strathearn (1767–1820), the fourth son of King George onnsa (lit. “the Island of the Prince”, the local form of the III and the father of Queen Victoria. Prince Edward has longer 'Eilean a' Phrionnsa Iomhair/Eideard') or Eilean been called “Father of the Canadian Crown.”[6] The fol- Eòin for some Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia though not lowing island landmarks are also named after the Duke on PEI (lit. “John’s Island” in reference to the island’s of Kent: former name of St. John’s Island: the English translation 1 2 2 GEOGRAPHY of Île Saint-Jean); in Míkmaq as Abegweit or Epekwitk roughly translated “land cradled in the waves”. 2 Geography Main article: Geography of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is located in the Gulf of St. The landward side of sand dunes in Cavendish Victorian Era for the setting of her classic novel Anne of Green Gables (1908). Today, many of the same qualities that Montgomery and others found in the island are en- A wooden boardwalk in Prince Edward Island National Park in joyed by tourists who visit year-round. They enjoy a va- Greenwich riety of leisure activities, including beaches, various golf courses, eco-tourism adventures, touring the countryside, Lawrence, west of Cape Breton Island, north of the Nova and enjoying cultural events in local communities around Scotia peninsula, and east of New Brunswick. Its south- the island. ern shore bounds the Northumberland Strait. The island has two urban areas. The largest surrounds Charlotte- The smaller, rural communities as well as the towns and town Harbour, situated centrally on the island’s southern villages throughout the province, retain a slower-paced, shore, and consists of the capital city Charlottetown, and old-world flavour. Prince Edward Island has become suburban towns Cornwall and Stratford and a develop- popular as a tourist destination for relaxation. The econ- ing urban fringe. A much smaller urban area surrounds omy of most rural communities on the island is based on Summerside Harbour, situated on the southern shore 40 small-scale agriculture. Industrial farming has increased km (25 mi) west of Charlottetown Harbour, and consists as businesses buy and consolidate older farm properties. primarily of the city of Summerside. As with all natural The coastline has a combination of long beaches, dunes, harbours on the island, Charlottetown and Summerside red sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes, and numerous harbours are created by rias. bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes and sandstone The island’s landscape is pastoral. Rolling hills, woods, cliffs consist of sedimentary rock and other material with a high iron concentration, which oxidises upon exposure reddish white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red soil have given Prince Edward Island a reputation as to the air. The geological properties of a white silica sand found at Basin Head are unique in the province; the sand a province of outstanding natural beauty. The provincial government has enacted laws to preserve the landscape grains cause a scrubbing noise as they rub against each through regulation, although there is a lack of consistent other when walked on, and have been called the “singing enforcement, and an absence of province-wide zoning sands”. and land-use planning. Under the Planning Act of the Large dune fields on the north shore can be found on province, municipalities have the option to assume re- barrier islands at the entrances to various bays and har- sponsibility for land-use planning through the develop- bours. The magnificent sand dunes at Greenwich are of ment and adoption of official plans and land use bylaws. particular significance. The shifting, parabolic dune sys- Thirty-one municipalities have taken responsibility for tem is home to a variety of birds and rare plants; it is also planning. In areas where municipalities have not assumed a site of significant archeological interest. responsibility for planning, the Province remains respon- Despite Prince Edward Island’s small size and reputa- sible for development control. tion as a largely rural province, it is the most developed The island’s lush landscape has a strong bearing on its and densely populated province in Canada, as it lacks economy and culture. The author Lucy Maud Mont- the vast amounts of undeveloped and sparsely populated gomery drew inspiration from the land during the late wilderness common to the other provinces. 2.3 Water supply 3 2.1 Climate Group.[14] Although commercial deposits of minerals have not been The climate of the island is considered to be moderate [8][9] found, exploration in the 1940s for natural gas beneath and strongly influenced by the surrounding seas. As the northeastern end of the province resulted in the dis- such, it is milder than inland locations owing to the warm [15] [10] covery of an undisclosed quantity of gas. The Is- waters from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The climate is land was reported by government to have only 0.08tcf characterized by changeable weather throughout the year; of “technically recoverable” natural gas. Twenty explo- it has some of the most variable day to day weather in ration wells for hydrocarbon resources have been drilled Canada in which specific weather conditions seldom last [9] on Prince Edward Island and offshore. The first reported for long. well was Hillsborough No.#1, drilled in Charlottetown During July and August, the average daytime high in PEI Harbour in 1944 (the world’s first offshore well), and the is 23 °C (73 °F); however, the temperature can sometimes most recent was New Harmony No.#1 in 2007. Since exceed 30 °C (86 °F) during these months. In the win- the resurgence of exploration in the mid-1990s, all wells ter months of January and February, the average daytime that have shown promising gas deposits have been stim- high is −3.3 °C (26 °F). The Island receives an average ulated through hydraulic fracture or “fracking”. All oil yearly rainfall of 855 mm and an average yearly snowfall and natural gas exploration and exploitation activities on of 285 cm. the Island are governed by the Oil and Natural Gas Act R.S.P.E.I. 1988, Cap. 0-5 and its associated regulations Winters are moderately cold and long but are milder and orders.[16] than inland locations, with clashes of cold Arctic air and milder Atlantic air causing frequent tempera- [9] ture swings. The climate is considered to be more 2.3 Water supply continental than oceanic since the Gulf of St. Lawrence freezes over, thus eliminating any moderation.[9] The [10] The Province of Prince Edward Island is totally depen- mean temperature is −7 °C (19 °F) in January. Dur- dent on groundwater for its source of drinking water. ing the winter months, the island usually has many storms As groundwater flows through an aquifer it is naturally (which may produce rain as well as snow) and blizzards filtered. The water for City of Charlottetown is ex- since during this time, storms originating from the North [9] tracted from thirteen wells in three wellfields and dis- Pacific or the Gulf of Mexico frequently pass through. tributed to customers. The water removed is replenished Springtime temperatures typically remain cool until the by precipitation.[17] sea ice has melted, usually in late April or early May.

Load more