112-614: Horse Islands is the name of the two islands that also bears its name, situated off the coast of Newfoundland , Canada . Horse Islands was the scene of a terrific accident of a Hollywood movie gone awry. Horse Islands, located off the tip of the Baie Verte Peninsula , are two islands: Western Island, the smaller of the two, and Eastern Island, about three times the size of the former. They are sometimes referred to as St. Barbe Islands. Western Island does not provide for easy access and never contained any permanent settlement. Its shape
224-565: A New York filmmaker. The movie was shot aboard the SS ; Viking , and it was to feature the lives of Newfoundland Sealers . On 15 March 1931, while the film crew were preparing to shoot background footage, the whole stern of Viking was blown off by an explosion. Viking caught fire and sank, killing Frissel and 26 other men. Some of the survivors made the over-ice trek to the Horse Islands, while some were rescued by other vessels dispatched to
336-558: A 42 l." ... "Gisant la Colombe de S. Pierre le pertuis de Micquellon nord noroest & sud suest: y a 7 l. It has been claimed that the name Miquelon is a Basque form of Michael; Mikel and Mikels are usually named Mikelon in the Basque Country . Therefore, from Mikelon it may have been written in the French way with a q instead of a k . The Basque Country is divided between Spain and France, and most Basques live south of
448-489: A century prior. Fishing boats originated from Basque country, England, France, and Portugal. In 1585, during the initial stages of Anglo-Spanish War , Bernard Drake led a devastating raid on the Spanish and Portuguese fisheries. This provided an opportunity to secure the island and led to the appointment of Proprietary Governors to establish colonial settlements on the island from 1610 to 1728. John Guy became governor of
560-716: A charter from English King Henry VII to "sail to all parts, countries and seas of the East, the West and of the North, under our banner and ensign and to set up our banner on any new-found-land" and on June 24, 1497, landed in Cape Bonavista . Historians disagree on whether Cabot landed in Nova Scotia in 1497 or in Newfoundland, or possibly Maine, if he landed at all, but the governments of Canada and
672-567: A community of Anglophone settlers. The nascent British colony was in turn attacked by the French Navy in 1796. The Treaty of Amiens of 1802 returned the islands to France, but Britain reoccupied them when hostilities recommenced the next year. The 1814 Treaty of Paris gave the islands back to France, though the UK occupied them yet again during the Hundred Days War in 1815. France then reclaimed
784-656: A constitutional name change of our province will reiterate that commitment". Following approval by the House of Commons and the Senate, Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson officially proclaimed the name change on December 6, 2001. Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly province in Canada, situated in the northeastern region of North America . The Strait of Belle Isle separates the province into two geographical parts: Labrador, connected to mainland Canada, and Newfoundland, an island in
896-417: A decrease from 2009, from 7.7% to 7.1%. Exports are very low (5.1% of GDP) while imports are significant (49.1% of GDP). About 70% of the islands' supplies are imported from Canada or from other parts of France via Nova Scotia. The rise in unemployment has been countered by state financial aid for the retraining of businesses and individuals. The construction of the airport in 1999 helped sustain activity in
1008-412: A high emigration rate, especially among young adults, who often leave for their studies without returning afterwards. Even at the time of the great prosperity of the cod fishery, the population growth had always been constrained by the geographic remoteness, harsh climate and infertile soils. Ruins show that Indigenous American people visited the archipelago on fishing and hunting expeditions before it
1120-435: A little lower on the coast than inland. The maritime climate produces more variable weather, ample precipitation in a variety of forms, greater humidity , lower visibility, more clouds, less sunshine, and higher winds than a continental climate. Human habitation in Newfoundland and Labrador can be traced back about 9,000 years. The Maritime Archaic peoples were sea-mammal hunters in the subarctic . They prospered along
1232-516: A longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25 percent of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France, which benefits the standard of living. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects, and test drilling for oil may pave the way development of the energy sector. The climate and the small amount of available land militate against activities such as farming and livestock raising (weather conditions are severe, confining
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#17328759163351344-594: A major source of conflict between Britain, France and Spain, who all pressed for a share in the valuable fishery there. Britain's victories around the globe led William Pitt to insist nobody other than Britain should have access to Newfoundland. The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762, and was the last battle of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War . A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst recaptured St. John's , which
1456-540: A maritime border with Greenland . Labrador's land area (including associated small islands) is 294,330 km (113,640 sq mi). Together, Newfoundland and Labrador make up 4.06 per cent of Canada's area, with a total area of 405,720 km (156,650 sq mi). Labrador is the easternmost part of the Canadian Shield , a vast area of ancient metamorphic rock making up much of northeastern North America . Colliding tectonic plates have shaped much of
1568-520: A member of the governing La République en Marche (LREM) was pelted with seaweed and stones in response to the government's new COVID-19 rules. The rule was announced by the state representative, the prefect, on 2 January for the island and angered residents. France is responsible for the defence of the islands. The French Navy has maintained a patrol boat, the ex-trawler Fulmar , in the region since 1997. Law enforcement in Saint Pierre and Miquelon
1680-539: A national existence, having a national character, a nation's feelings, assuming that rank among our neighbours which the political situation and the extent of our island demand". Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( / ˈ m ɪ k ə l ɒ n / MIK -ə-lon ), officially the Overseas Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité d'outre-mer de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon [sɛ̃ pjɛʁ e miklɔ̃] ),
1792-451: A population of 215. Shortly after the population fell into decline and in 1966 its residents had agreed to resettle to the mainland Newfoundland . Most of the residents resettled in the community of La Scie , where they could find adequate housing, social services and employment. Horse Islands became famous during the shooting of a Canadian movie, with financial backing from Paramount Pictures , The Viking , directed by Varick Frissell ,
1904-822: A population of 6,008 as of the March 2016 census . The islands are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance of Fortune Bay , which extends into the southwestern coast of Newfoundland , near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland . St. Pierre is 19 km (12 mi) from Point May on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and 3,819 km (2,373 mi) from Brest , the nearest city in Metropolitan France . The tiny Canadian Green Island lies 10 km (6 mi) east of Saint Pierre, roughly halfway to Point May. Saint-Pierre
2016-411: A range of climates and weather patterns, including frequent combinations of high winds, snow, rain, and fog, conditions that regularly made travel by road, air, or ferry challenging or impossible. Monthly average temperatures, rainfall levels, and snowfall levels for four locations are shown in the attached graphs. St. John's represents the east coast, Gander the interior of the island, Corner Brook
2128-550: A senator and a deputy to the National Assembly of France in Paris and enjoys a degree of autonomy concerning taxes, customs, and excise. France appoints the prefect of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , who represents the national government in the territory. The prefect is in charge of national interests, law enforcement, public order, and, under the conditions set by the statute of 1985, administrative control. Since 21 August 2023,
2240-562: A strange land full of fish, and another from Portuguese maps that depict the Terra do Bacalhau , or land of codfish , west of the Azores . The earliest, though, is the Voyage of Saint Brendan , the fantastical account of an Irish monk who made a sea voyage in the early 6th century. While the story became a part of myth and legend, some historians believe it is based on fact. In 1496, John Cabot obtained
2352-517: Is Ikkarumikluak aamma Nunatsuak . Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is the French name used in the Constitution of Canada. However, French is not widely spoken in Newfoundland and Labrador and is not an official language at the provincial level. On April 29, 1999, the government of Brian Tobin passed a motion in the Newfoundland House of Assembly requesting the federal government amend
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#17328759163352464-473: Is French for Saint Peter , the patron saint of fishermen. The present name of Miquelon was first noted in the form of Micquetô , Miqueton or Micquellon in the French Basque sailor Martin de Hoyarçabal 's 1579 navigational pilot for Newfoundland, Les voyages aventureux du Capitaine Martin de Hoyarsabal, habitant du çubiburu : Giſant le cap de Breton & le pertuis de Miqueton est oest, y
2576-565: Is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador . An archipelago of eight islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon is a vestige of the once-vast territory of New France . Its residents are French citizens. The collectivity elects its own deputy to the National Assembly and participates in senatorial and presidential elections. It covers 242 km (93 sq mi) of land and had
2688-583: Is abundant (1,312 mm or 51.7 in per year) and regular (146 days per year), falling as snow and rain. Because of its location at the confluence of the cold waters of the Labrador Current and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream , the archipelago is also crossed a hundred days a year by fog banks, mainly in June and July. Two other climatic elements are remarkable: the extremely variable winds and haze during
2800-633: Is also reflected in the name of Labrador, which derives from the surname of the Portuguese navigator João Fernandes Lavrador . Labrador's name in the Inuttitut / Inuktitut language (spoken in Nunatsiavut ) is Nunatsuak ( ᓄᓇᑦᓱᐊᒃ ), meaning "the big land" (a common English nickname for Labrador ). Newfoundland's Inuttitut/Inuktitut name is Ikkarumikluak ( ᐃᒃᑲᕈᒥᒃᓗᐊᒃ ), meaning "place of many shoals". Newfoundland and Labrador's Inuttitut / Inuktitut name
2912-574: Is also roughly triangular in shape: the western part of its border with Quebec is the drainage divide of the Labrador Peninsula . Lands drained by rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean are part of Labrador, and the rest belongs to Quebec. Most of Labrador's southern boundary with Quebec follows the 52nd parallel of latitude. Labrador's extreme northern tip, at 60°22′N, shares a short border with Nunavut on Killiniq Island . Labrador also has
3024-536: Is best known from a mortuary site in Newfoundland at Port au Choix . The Maritime Archaic peoples were gradually displaced by people of the Dorset culture (Late Paleo-Eskimo ) who also occupied Port au Choix. The number of their sites discovered on Newfoundland indicates they may have been the most numerous Aboriginal people to live there. They thrived from about 2000 BC to 800 AD. Many of their sites were on exposed headlands and outer islands. They were more oriented to
3136-445: Is capable of accommodating long-haul flights from France. A third, formerly inhabited island, Isle-aux-Marins , known as Île-aux-Chiens until 1931 and located a short distance from the port of Saint-Pierre, has been uninhabited since 1963. The other main islands are Grand Colombier , Île aux Vainqueurs , and Île aux Pigeons . Seabirds are the most common fauna. Seals and other wildlife can be found in
3248-492: Is interrupted by long jagged rocks that jut out into the ocean on the north side of the island called Nervous Rocks. The Eastern Island contains the only suitable harbour where fisherman could make landfall and was first settled by the Bath family in 1836. Both islands were densely wooded and provided adequate supply of firewood for its residents. Horse Islands, the settlement, is located on Eastern Island. The settlement of Horse Islands
3360-589: Is particularly important for St. John's, where a heavy snowfall can be followed by rain, so no snow remains on the ground. Surface water temperatures on the Atlantic side reach a summer average of 12 °C (54 °F) inshore and 9 °C (48 °F) offshore to winter lows of −1 °C (30 °F) inshore and 2 °C (36 °F) offshore. Sea temperatures on the west coast are warmer than Atlantic side by 1–3 °C (approximately 2–5 °F). The sea keeps winter temperatures slightly higher and summer temperatures
3472-569: Is the currency in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Before 1890, Mexican dubloons and Canadian dollars both circulated on the islands. Starting in 1889, these were supplemented with local franc banknotes from the Banque des Îles de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon until the end of World War One. In 1945 the island started using the CFA franc , which otherwise was used by the French colonies in Africa. CFA banknotes issued by
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3584-422: Is the easternmost province of Canada , in the country's Atlantic region . The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador , having a total size of 405,212 km (156,453 sq mi). As of 2024 the population of Newfoundland and Labrador was estimated to be 545,247. The island of Newfoundland (and its smaller neighbouring islands) is home to around 94 per cent of
3696-541: Is the responsibility of a branch of the French Gendarmerie Nationale ; there are two police stations in the archipelago. France claimed a 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and in August 1983 the naval ship Lieutenant de vaisseau Le Hénaff and the seismic ship Lucien Beaufort were sent to explore for oil in the disputed zone. In addition to
3808-722: The Dune de Langlade (also known as the Isthme de Langlade ), a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) long sandy tombolo . A storm severed them in the 18th century, separating the two islands for several decades, before currents reconstructed the isthmus. Morne de la Grande Montagne , the tallest point in the territory at 240 meters high, is located on Grande Miquelon. The waters between Langlade and Saint-Pierre were called "the Mouth of Hell" (French: Gueule d'Enfer ) until about 1900, as more than 600 shipwrecks have been recorded in that point since 1800. In
3920-597: The Newfoundland Act to change the province's name to "Newfoundland and Labrador". A resolution approving the name change was put forward in the House of Commons in October 2001, introduced by Tobin who had moved to federal politics. Tobin's successor as premier Roger Grimes stated: "The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is firmly committed to ensuring official recognition of Labrador as an equal partner in this province, and
4032-486: The Atlantic Coast of North America from about 7000 BC to 1500 BC. Their settlements included longhouses and boat-topped temporary or seasonal houses. They engaged in long-distance trade, using as currency white chert , a rock quarried from northern Labrador to Maine . The southern branch of these people was established on the north peninsula of Newfoundland by 5,000 years ago. The Maritime Archaic period
4144-610: The Atlantic Ocean . The province also includes over 7,000 tiny islands. The highest point of the province is Mount Caubvick with the highest point on Newfoundland being Cabox . Newfoundland has a roughly triangular shape. Each side is about 400 km (250 mi) long, and its area is 108,860 km (42,030 sq mi). Newfoundland and its neighbouring small islands (excluding French possessions) have an area of 111,390 km (43,010 sq mi). Newfoundland extends between latitudes 46°36′N and 51°38′N. Labrador
4256-519: The Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outremer stamped with the text "Saint Pierre et Miquelon". In 1973, these were replaced with the ("regular") new French franc, which had been in use in Metropolitan France since 1960, equal to 100 pre-1960 French francs. The Institut d'émission des départements d'outre-mer ( IEDOM ), the French public institution responsible for issuing currency in
4368-723: The Corte-Real brothers , Miguel and Gaspar , explored Newfoundland and Labrador, claiming them as part of the Portuguese Empire . In 1506, king Manuel I of Portugal created taxes for the cod fisheries in Newfoundland waters. João Álvares Fagundes and Pero de Barcelos established seasonal fishing outposts in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia around 1521, and older Portuguese settlements may have existed. Sir Humphrey Gilbert , provided with letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I , landed in St. John's in August 1583, and formally took possession of
4480-479: The European Communities . Since March 2003, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has been an overseas collectivity with a special status. The archipelago has two communes : Saint-Pierre and Miquelon-Langlade . A third commune, Isle-aux-Marins , existed until 1945, when it was absorbed by the municipality of Saint-Pierre. The inhabitants possess French citizenship and suffrage. Saint Pierre and Miquelon sends
4592-606: The Grand Banks , employing some 10,000 sailors; many continuing to come from the Basque Country , Normandy, or Brittany. They dried and salted cod on the coast and sold it to Spain and Portugal. Heavy investment by Sir George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore , in the 1620s in wharves, warehouses, and fishing stations failed to pay off. French raids hurt the business, and the weather was terrible, so he redirected his attention to his other colony in Maryland . After Calvert left, small-scale entrepreneurs such as Sir David Kirke made good use of
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4704-646: The Great Depression and Newfoundland's participation in the First World War . On March 31, 1949, it became the 10th and most recent province to join the Canadian Confederation as "Newfoundland". On December 6, 2001, the Constitution of Canada was amended to change the province's name from "Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador". The name "New founde lande" was uttered by King Henry VII about
4816-520: The business sector . Tourism is increasingly important and the territory capitalises on its image as "France in North America". There are, as of mid-2024, six hotels on Saint-Pierre as well as B&Bs and AirBnB rentals on both main islands. There are, as of mid-2024, 13 restaurants and bistros on Saint-Pierre and one on Île aux Marins , and the islands' tourism bureau promotes their authentic French cuisine as well as other cuisines. The euro
4928-489: The growing season to a few weeks, and the soil contains significant peat and clay and is largely infertile). Since 1992 the economy has been in steep decline, following the depletion of fish stocks due to overfishing , the limitation of fishing areas and the ban imposed on all cod fishing by the Canadian Government. The labour market is characterized by high seasonality , due to climatic hazards. Traditionally,
5040-580: The 1690s, destroyed nearly every English settlement on the island. The entire population of the English colony was either killed, captured for ransom, or sentenced to expulsion to England, with the exception of those who withstood the attack at Carbonear Island and those in the then remote Bonavista . After France lost political control of the area after the Siege of Port Royal in 1710 , the Miꞌkmaq engaged in warfare with
5152-556: The Beothuk population, and they were extinct by 1829. The oldest confirmed accounts of European contact date from a thousand years ago as described in the Viking (Norse) Icelandic Sagas . Around the year 1001, the sagas refer to Leif Erikson landing in three places to the west, the first two being Helluland (possibly Baffin Island ) and Markland (possibly Labrador ). Leif's third landing
5264-658: The British throughout Dummer's War (1722–1725), King George's War (1744–1748), Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755) and the French and Indian War (1754–1763). The French colonization period lasted until the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession : France ceded to the British its claims to Newfoundland (including its claims to the shores of Hudson Bay ) and to
5376-815: The Calvert family's control. The majority Catholic population that developed, thanks to Irish immigration , in St. John's and the Avalon Peninsula , was subjected to same disabilities that applied elsewhere under the British Crown. On visiting St. John's in 1786, Prince William Henry (the future King William IV ) noted that "there are ten Roman Catholics to one Protestant", and he counselled against any measure of Catholic relief. Following news of rebellion in Ireland , in June 1798, Governor Vice-Admiral Waldegrave cautioned London that
5488-607: The Colonies formally stated that a new commission would be issued to Governor Cochrane to remove any and all Roman Catholic disabilities in Newfoundland. By then Catholic emancipation was bound up (as in Ireland) with the call for home rule . After the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, France and other nations re-entered the fish trade and an abundance of cod glutted international markets. Prices dropped, competition increased, and
5600-588: The English constituted but a "small proportion" of the locally raised Regiment of Foot . In an echo of an earlier Irish conspiracy during the French occupation of St. John's in 1762, in April 1800, the authorities had reports that upwards of 400 men had taken an oath as United Irishmen , and that eighty soldiers were committed to killing their officers and seizing their Anglican governors at Sunday service. The abortive mutiny , for which for which eight men (denounced by Catholic Bishop James Louis O'Donel as "favourers of
5712-424: The French had seized three months earlier in a surprise attack. From 1763 to 1767, James Cook made a detailed survey of the coasts of Newfoundland and southern Labrador while commander of HMS Grenville . (The following year, 1768, Cook began his first circumnavigation of the world .) In 1796, a Franco-Spanish expedition again succeeded in raiding the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, destroying many of
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#17328759163355824-469: The French possessions in Acadia . Afterward, under the supervision of the last French governor, the French population of Plaisance moved to Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island ), part of Acadia which remained then under French control. In the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), France had acknowledged British ownership of the island. However, in the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), control of Newfoundland once again became
5936-483: The Grand Barachois Lagoon of Miquelon. Every spring, whales migrating to Greenland are visible off the coasts of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Trilobite fossils have been found on Langlade. The stone pillars off the island coasts called "L'anse aux Soldats" eroded away and disappeared in the 1970s. The rocky islands are barren, except for scrubby yews and junipers and thin volcanic soil. The forest cover of
6048-704: The Royal Gazette and Newfoundland Advertiser, who resided in New Brunswick and Newfoundland, freed his enslaved servant Dinah, upon his death in Newfoundland in 1847, notably after the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 . Notably, the Kirke brothers who were merchants in the triangular trade, brought Olivier Le Jeune to New France, where he was sold in 1629. In 1655, France appointed a governor in Plaisance (Placentia),
6160-460: The United Kingdom recognise Bonavista as being Cabot's "official" landing place. In 1499 and 1500, Portuguese mariners João Fernandes Lavrador and Pero de Barcelos explored and mapped the coast, the former's name appearing as "Labrador" on topographical maps of the period. Based on the Treaty of Tordesillas , the Portuguese Crown claimed it had territorial rights in the area John Cabot visited in 1497 and 1498. Subsequently, in 1501 and 1502,
6272-426: The United States, Charles de Gaulle 's forces seized the archipelago from Vichy France , to which the local administrator had pledged its allegiance, in December 1941. In referendums on both islands, the population endorsed the takeover by Free France by over 98%. The colony became a French Overseas Territory in 1946. After the 1958 French constitutional referendum , the territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
6384-425: The area. 50°12′37″N 55°44′58″W / 50.21028°N 55.74944°W / 50.21028; -55.74944 This Newfoundland and Labrador location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to an island or group of islands in Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador
6496-423: The border , so Miquelon may have been influenced by the Spanish name Miguelón , an augmentative form of Miguel meaning "big Michael". The adjoined island's name of " Langlade " is said to be an adaptation of l'île à l'Anglais (Englishman's Island). Archaeological evidence indicates that Indigenous peoples, such as the Beothuk , visited St Pierre and Miquelon. However, it is not thought that they settled on
6608-487: The closeness of the fourth-and fifth-warmest months to having mean temperatures at or above 10 °C (50 °F). Typical maritime seasonal lag is also strong with September being warmer than June and March being colder than December. The average temperature is 5.3 °C (41.5 °F), with a temperature range of 19 °C (66 °F) between the warmest (15.7 °C (60.3 °F) in August) and coldest months (−3.6 °C (25.5 °F) in February). Precipitation
6720-492: The coast of Labrador with Inuit groups that had large populations. The Miꞌkmaq of southern Newfoundland spent most of their time on the shores harvesting seafood; during the winter they would move inland to the woods to hunt. Over time, the Miꞌkmaq and Innu divided their lands into traditional "districts". Each district was independently governed and had a district chief and a council. The council members were band chiefs, elders and other worthy community leaders. In addition to
6832-404: The coast. These rights were reaffirmed by treaties in 1818, 1854 and 1871, and confirmed by arbitration in 1910. The founding proprietor of the Province of Avalon , George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore , intended that it should serve as a refuge for his persecuted Roman Catholic co-religionists. But like his other colony in the Province of Maryland on the American mainland, it soon passed out of
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#17328759163356944-437: The colony toyed with the idea of joining the United States, but in the end nothing came of the idea. During the early 1910s, the colony suffered severely as a result of unprofitable fisheries, and large numbers of its people emigrated to Nova Scotia and Quebec . The draft imposed on all male inhabitants of conscript age after the beginning of World War I in 1914 crippled the fisheries, as their catch could not be processed by
7056-563: The colony's profits evaporated. A string of harsh winters between 1815 and 1817 made living conditions even more difficult, while fires at St. John's in 1817 left thousands homeless. At the same time a new wave of immigration from Ireland increased the Catholic population. In these circumstances much of the English and Protestant proprietor class tended to shelter behind the appointed, and Anglican, "naval government". A broad home-rule coalition of Irish community leaders and ( Scottish and Welsh ) Methodists formed in 1828. Expressing, initially,
7168-516: The concerns of a new middle class over taxation, it was led by William Carson, a Scottish physician, and Patrick Morris, an Irish merchant. In 1825, the British government granted Newfoundland and Labrador official colonial status and appointed Sir Thomas Cochrane as its first civil governor. Partly carried by the wave of reform in Britain, a colonial legislature in St. John's, together with the promise of Catholic emancipation, followed in 1832. Carson made his goal for Newfoundland clear: "We shall rise into
7280-410: The confluence of three climatic types. The February mean is just below the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm for that classification. Due to just three months being above 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperatures and winter lows being so mild, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has a Köppen Climate Classification of Dfc , if bordering on Cfc due to the mildness of the winter and either Dfb or Cfb due to
7392-450: The construction industry and public works. Fish farming, crab fishing and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. The future of Saint Pierre and Miquelon rests on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture . Explorations are under way to exploit deposits of oil and gas. Tourism benefits from the proximity to similar tourist areas of Canada. Distribution, public service, care, minor wholesale, retail and crafts are notable in
7504-588: The district councils, the Miꞌkmaq tribes also developed a Grand Council or Santé Mawiómi , which according to oral tradition was formed before 1600. By the time European contact with Newfoundland began in the early 16th century, the Beothuk were the only indigenous group living permanently on the island. Unlike other groups in the Northeastern area of the Americas, the Beothuk never established sustained trading relations with European settlers. Their interactions were sporadic, and they largely attempted to avoid contact. The establishment of English fishing operations on
7616-620: The dogs, larger weapons and other technologies that gave the expanding Inuit an advantage. The inhabitants eventually organized themselves into small bands of a few families, grouped into larger tribes and chieftainships . The Innu are the inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , i.e. most of what is now referred to as northeastern Quebec and Labrador. Their subsistence activities were historically centered on hunting and trapping caribou , deer and small game. Coastal clans also practiced agriculture, fished and managed maple sugar bush. The Innu engaged in tribal warfare along
7728-470: The enslaved persons of African descent on plantations in the West Indies . Products typically associated with Newfoundland such as molasses and rum ( Screech ), were produced by the enslaved persons of African descent on plantations in the West Indies, and shipped to Newfoundland and England on merchant ships. Some merchants in Newfoundland enslaved persons of African descent such as St. John's merchant, Thomas Oxford. John Ryan , merchant and publisher of
7840-405: The facilities. Kirke became the first governor of Newfoundland in 1638. A triangular trade with New England, the West Indies, and Europe gave Newfoundland an important economic role. By the 1670s, there were 1,700 permanent residents and another 4,500 in the summer months. This trade relied upon the labour of enslaved people of African descent. Salted cod from Newfoundland was used to feed
7952-409: The first settlement at Cuper's Cove . Other settlements included Bristol's Hope , Renews , New Cambriol , South Falkland and Avalon (which became a province in 1623). The first governor given jurisdiction over all of Newfoundland was Sir David Kirke in 1638. Explorers quickly realized the waters around Newfoundland had the best fishing in the North Atlantic. By 1620, 300 fishing boats worked
8064-476: The former Basque fishing settlement, thus starting a formal French colonization period in Newfoundland as well as a period of periodic war and unrest between England and France in the region. The Miꞌkmaq, as allies of the French, were amenable to limited French settlement in their midst and fought alongside them against the English. English attacks on Placentia provoked retaliation by New France explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville who during King William's War in
8176-542: The geology of Newfoundland. Gros Morne National Park has a reputation as an outstanding example of tectonics at work, and as such has been designated a World Heritage Site . The Long Range Mountains on Newfoundland's west coast are the northeasternmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains . The north-south extent of the province (46°36′N to 60°22′N), prevalent westerly winds, cold ocean currents and local factors such as mountains and coastline combine to create
8288-399: The hard landscape. The islands, like Newfoundland, are geologically part of the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountains . Miquelon-Langlade , the largest island, is in fact composed of two islands; Miquelon Island (also called Grande Miquelon , 110 km or 42 sq mi) is connected to Langlade Island ( Petite Miquelon , 91 km or 35 sq mi) by
8400-485: The hills, except in parts of Langlade, had been removed for fuel long ago. In spite of being located at a similar latitude to the Bay of Biscay , the archipelago is characterized by a cold borderline humid continental / subarctic climate , under the influence of polar air masses and the cold Labrador Current . The mild winters for being a subarctic climate also means it has influences of subpolar oceanic climate , thus being at
8512-690: The infidel French") were hanged, may have been less a United Irish plot, than an act of desperation in the face of brutal living conditions and officer tyranny. Many of the Irish reserve soldiers were forced to remain on duty, unable to return to the fisheries that supported their families. Yet the Newfoundland Irish would have been aware of the agitation in the homeland for civil equality and political rights. There were reports of communication with United men in Ireland from before '98 rebellion; of Thomas Paine 's pamphlets circulating in St. John's; and, despite
8624-426: The inhabitants suspended all outdoor activities (construction, agriculture, etc.) between December and April. In 1999, the unemployment rate was 12.8%, and a third of the employed worked in the public sector. The employment situation was worsened by the complete cessation of deep-sea fishing, the traditional occupation of the islanders, as the unemployment rate in 1990 was lower at 9.5%. The unemployment for 2010 shows
8736-529: The institution of Prohibition in the United States from January 1920. In 1931, the archipelago was reported by The New York Times to have imported 1,815,271 U.S. gallons (1,511,529 imperial gallons ; 6,871,550 liters ) of whisky from Canada in 12 months, most of it to be smuggled into the United States. The end of Prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression. During World War II , despite opposition from Canada, Britain, and
8848-523: The island. Sometime before 1563, Basque fishermen, who had been fishing cod shoals off Newfoundland's coasts since the beginning of the sixteenth century, founded Plaisance (today Placentia ), a seasonal haven which French fishermen later used. In the Newfoundland will of the Basque seaman Domingo de Luca, dated 1563 and now in an archive in Spain, he asks "that my body be buried in this port of Plazençia in
8960-512: The islands at the March 2016 census was 6,008, of which 5,412 lived in Saint-Pierre and 596 in Miquelon-Langlade . At the time of the 1999 census, 76% of the population was born on the archipelago, while 16.1% were born in metropolitan France, a sharp increase from the 10.2% in 1990. In the same census, less than 1% of the population reported being a foreign national. The archipelago has
9072-608: The islands permanently. On 21 October 1520, the Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes landed on the islands and named the St. Pierre island group the ' Eleven Thousand Virgins ' ( Portuguese : ilhas das Onze Mil Virgens ), as the day marked the feast day of St. Ursula and her virgin companions. In 1536 Jacques Cartier claimed the islands as a French possession on behalf of the King of France, Francis I . Though already frequented by Mi'kmaq people and by Basque and Breton fishermen,
9184-494: The islands were not permanently settled until the end of the 17th century: four permanent inhabitants were counted in 1670, and 22 in 1691. In 1670, during Jean Talon 's second tenure as Intendant of New France , a French officer annexed the islands after he discovered a dozen fishermen from France encamped there, naming them Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. During King William's War and Queen Anne's War , English forces launched multiple attacks against French colonial settlements on
9296-399: The islands, and by the early 18th century the colonists had abandoned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon altogether. In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht , which ended the War of the Spanish Succession , France ceded the islands to Britain . The British renamed the island of Saint-Pierre to Saint Peter, and small numbers of colonists from Great Britain and Britain's American colonies began to settle on
9408-479: The islands. Under the terms of the 1763 Treaty of Paris , which put an end to the Seven Years' War , France ceded all its North American possessions to Britain, though the British granted fishing rights to French fishermen along the Newfoundland coast, and as part of that arrangement returned Saint-Pierre and Miquelon to France's control. After France entered the American Revolutionary War on
9520-399: The land explored by Sebastian and John Cabot . In Portuguese , it is Terra Nova (while the province's full name is Terra Nova e Labrador ), which literally means "new land" and is also the French name for the province's island region ( Terre-Neuve ). The name "Terra Nova" is in wide use on the island (e.g. Terra Nova National Park ). The influence of early Portuguese exploration
9632-478: The maritime boundaries between Canada and the islands, but did not demarcate the continental shelf . Located off the western end of the Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula , the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon comprises eight islands, totalling 242 square kilometres (93 sq mi), of which only two are inhabited. The islands are bare and rocky, with steep coasts, and only a thin layer of peat to soften
9744-605: The most recent cultural manifestation of peoples who first migrated from Labrador to Newfoundland around 1 AD. The Inuit , found mostly in Labrador, are the descendants of what anthropologists call the Thule people , who emerged from western Alaska around 1000 AD and spread eastwards across the High Arctic tundra reaching Labrador around 1300–1500. Researchers believe the Dorset culture lacked
9856-411: The north of Miquelon Island is the village of Miquelon-Langlade (710 inhabitants), while Langlade Island is almost deserted (only one inhabitant in the 1999 census). Saint Pierre Island , whose area is smaller, 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi), is the most populous and the commercial and administrative center of the archipelago. Saint-Pierre Airport has been in operation since 1999 and
9968-414: The now uninhabited islands, in which all structures and buildings had been destroyed or fallen into disrepair. The islands were resettled in 1816. The settlers, mostly Basques, Bretons and Normans , were joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland. Only around the middle of the century did increased fishing bring a certain prosperity to the little colony. In 1903,
10080-412: The older men or the women and children. About 400 men from the colony served in the French military during World War I (1914–1918), 25% of whom died. The increase in the adoption of steam trawlers in the fisheries also contributed to the reduction in employment opportunities. Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands, but it became especially prominent in the 1920s with
10192-460: The ones found in metropolitan France. The French spoken on the archipelago is closer to Metropolitan French than to Canadian French and maintains a number of unique features. Basque , formerly spoken in private settings by people of Basque ancestry, had disappeared from the islands by the late 1950s. The population is overwhelmingly Christian, with the majority being Catholic. The Vicariate Apostolic of Iles Saint-Pierre and Miquelon managed
10304-462: The outer coastline of the island, and their later expansion into bays and inlets, cut off access for the Beothuk to their traditional sources of food. In the 18th century, as the Beothuk were driven further inland by these encroachments, violence between Beothuk and settlers escalated, with each retaliating against the other in their competition for resources. By the early 19th century, violence, starvation, and exposure to tuberculosis had decimated
10416-588: The overseas territories that used the French franc and later the euro on behalf of the Bank of France , has had an agency in Saint Pierre since 1978. Most businesses accept Canadian dollars (CAD), at a rate below the interbank exchange rate; prices in euros and change would be given in that currency. The islands have issued their own stamps from 1885 to the present, except for a period between 1 April 1978 and 3 February 1986 when French stamps not specific to Saint Pierre and Miquelon were used. The total population of
10528-535: The place where those who die here are usually buried". This will is the oldest-known civil document written in Canada. Twenty years later, in 1583, Newfoundland became England's first possession in North America and one of the earliest permanent English colonies in the New World when Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed it for Elizabeth I . European fishing boats had visited Newfoundland continuously since Cabot's second voyage in 1498 and seasonal fishing camps had existed for
10640-414: The population is descended from English and Irish settlers, with the majority immigrating from the early 17th century to the late 19th century. St. John's , the capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador, is Canada's 22nd-largest census metropolitan area and home to about 40% of the province's population. St. John's is the seat of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as
10752-511: The potential oil reserves, cod fishing rights on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were at stake in the dispute. In the late 1980s, indications of declining fish stocks began to raise serious concern over the depletion of the fishery. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The 1992 decision fixed
10864-635: The prefect has been Bruno André. The local legislative body, the Territorial Council (French: Conseil territorial ), has 19 members: four councillors from Miquelon-Langlade and 15 from Saint-Pierre. The President of the Territorial Council is the head of a delegation of "France in the name of Saint Pierre and Miquelon" for international events such as the annual meetings of NAFO and ICCAT . On 10 January 2022, Saint Pierre and Miquelon made international news when MP Stéphane Claireaux ,
10976-643: The province's highest court, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal . Until 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland was a separate dominion in the British Empire. In 1933, the House of Assembly of the self-governing dominion voted to dissolve itself and to hand over administration of Newfoundland and Labrador to the British-appointed Commission of Government . This followed the suffering caused by
11088-543: The province's population, with more than half residing in the Avalon Peninsula . Labrador has a land border with both the province of Quebec , as well as a short border with the territory of Nunavut on Killiniq Island . The French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon lies about 20 km (12 mi) west of the Burin Peninsula . According to the 2016 census, 97.0% of residents reported English as their native language, making Newfoundland and Labrador Canada's most linguistically homogeneous province. Much of
11200-414: The sea than earlier peoples, and had developed sleds and boats similar to kayaks . They burned seal blubber in soapstone lamps. Many of these sites, such as Port au Choix , recently excavated by Memorial archaeologist, Priscilla Renouf, are quite large and show evidence of a long-term commitment to place. Renouf has excavated huge amounts of harp seal bones at Port au Choix, indicating that this place
11312-454: The settlements. By the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), French fishermen gained the right to land and cure fish on the "French Shore" on the western coast. (They had a permanent base on the nearby St. Pierre and Miquelon islands; the French gave up their French Shore rights in 1904.) In 1783, the British signed the Treaty of Paris with the United States that gave American fishermen similar rights along
11424-604: The side of the United States and declared war on Britain, a British force invaded Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and briefly occupied them, destroying all colonial settlements on the islands and deporting 2,000 colonists back to France. In 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars , another British force landed in Saint-Pierre and, in the following year, again deported the French colonial population, and tried to establish
11536-481: The spring to early summer. The economy of the islands, due to their location, has been dependent on fishing and servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland . The economy has been declining, however, due to disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a decline in the number of ships stopping at the islands. In 1992 an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 square kilometres (4,768 sq mi) to settle
11648-417: The various climates of the province. Newfoundland, in broad terms, has a cool summer subtype, with a humid continental climate attributable to its proximity to water — no part of the island is more than 100 km (62 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean . However, Northern Labrador is classified as a polar tundra climate, and southern Labrador has a subarctic climate . Newfoundland and Labrador contain
11760-569: The war with France, of hundreds of young County Waterford men still making a seasonal migration to the island for the fisheries, among them defeated rebels, said to have "added fuel to the fire" of local grievance. When news reached Newfoundland in May 1829 that the UK Parliament had finally conceded Catholic emancipation , the locals assumed that Catholics would now pass unhindered into the ranks of public office and enjoy equality with Protestants. There
11872-416: The west coast of the island and Wabush the interior of Labrador. Climate data for 56 places in the province is available from Environment Canada . The data for the graphs is the average over 30 years. Error bars on the temperature graph indicate the range of daytime highs and night time lows. Snowfall is the total amount that fell during the month, not the amount accumulated on the ground. This distinction
11984-588: Was a celebratory parade and mass in St. John's, and a gun salute from vessels in the harbour. But the attorney general and supreme court justices determined that as Newfoundland was a colony, and not a province of the United Kingdom , the Roman Catholic Relief Act did not apply. The discrimination was a matter of local ordinance. It was not until May 1832 that the British Secretary of State for
12096-524: Was a prime location for the hunting of these animals. The people of the Dorset culture (800 BC – 1500 AD) were highly adapted to a cold climate, and much of their food came from hunting sea mammals through holes in the ice. The massive decline in sea ice during the Medieval Warm Period would have had a devastating effect upon their way of life. The appearance of the Beothuk culture is believed to be
12208-488: Was asked to choose one of three options: becoming fully integrated with France, becoming a self-governing state within the French Community , or preserving the status of an overseas territory; it decided to remain a territory. The archipelago became an overseas territory in 1946, then an overseas department on 19 July 1976, before it acquired the status of territorial collectivity on 11 June 1985, thus withdrawing from
12320-462: Was at a place he called Vinland (possibly Newfoundland). Archaeological evidence of a Norse settlement was found in L'Anse aux Meadows , Newfoundland , which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. There are several other unconfirmed accounts of European discovery and exploration, one tale of men from the Channel Islands being blown off course in the late 15th century into
12432-509: Was broken down into two communities: Eastern Harbour and Western Harbour, which were less than one kilometre apart and built on two different inlets, both on the south-central part of Eastern Island. Government records indicate that Western Harbour was settled in the 1850s or early 1860s. Family surnames of the Horse Islands included Andrews, Bath, Burton, Curtis, Greenham, Hynes, Lock, Normore, Rideout, Simms and Toms. The settlement of Horse Islands reached its peak in population in 1956 when it had
12544-520: Was colonized by Europeans. The current population is the result of inflows of settlers from the French ports, mostly Normans , Basques , Bretons and Saintongeais , and also from the historic area of Acadia in Canada ( Gaspé Peninsula , parts of New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton ) as well as Francophones who settled on the Port au Port Peninsula on Newfoundland. The inhabitants speak French; their customs and traditions are similar to
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