Are you interested in migrating to Nova Scotia, Canada, or touring around the cities? If your answers to these questions are yes, then you should endeavor to read this article to the end.
Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces (along with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island), and both its past and its present are tied closely to the maritime life of fishing, shipbuilding, and transatlantic shipping.
It became the site of the first permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida when the French established a fur-trading post at Port Royal (near present-day Annapolis Royal) in 1605. See Toronto in Canada.
Early explorers gave the area the name Acadia (French: Acadie), probably a corruption of the word used by the native Mi’kmaq.
The province’s present name, which means “New Scotland” in Latin, was the result of brief Scottish claims to the region in the 1620s. Area of the land is about 21,345 square miles (55,284 square km).
Nova Scotia Economy and Employment
Nova Scotia has a very diverse economy that includes key industries in the service, manufacturing and mining sectors.
Traditionally, many Nova Scotians made their livings from fish stocks of the Scotian Shelf. Unfortunately, however, fish resources have become endangered in recent years, heavily impacting the fishing industry.
Recently, the Nova Scotia economy has successfully diversified, and with retraining many of those who had lost their jobs with the decline of the fisheries have found new jobs in Nova Scotia’s growth industries.
In September of 2006, this job boom drove unemployment in the province to below the Canadian average for the first time in the province’s history.
Halifax, as a large urban centre, is home to a wide array of industries and professions and its economy is the heart of Atlantic Canada.
Nova Scotia has a highly developed forestry sector as well as a highly specialized commercial agriculture sector. Check Canada City.
The mining sector is dominated by coal production. The province of Nova Scotia has recently begun to benefit from the extensive exploration of offshore oil and gas that has been undertaken in the past decade.
Since the first commercial production of oil began near Sable Island in 1991, oil and gas revenues have increased significantly, helping to fuel the transformation of Nova Scotia’s economy.
Tourism is also an important sector in the provincial economy. Almost two million visitors come to Nova Scotia each year, many of which come from outside Canada.
Nova Scotia Major City
Halifax is not only the capital of Nova Scotia; it acts as the economic centre of Atlantic Canada. The population of Halifax is over 400,000. The city has long been one of Canada’s most important ports, especially for new immigrants.
Halifax’s Pier 21, which was once the main entry point for newcomers to Canada, has now been converted into an immigration museum.
As a provincial capital, the government at all levels is an important employer in the Halifax area. Along with the offices of the Government of Nova Scotia, Halifax is also home to central operations for Canada’s Department of National Defense.
Another major employer in the city is the Port of Halifax, one of the most important ports in North America. Like any major modern city, Halifax is home to a thriving service industry and many private sector companies.
With the growth of offshore oil and gas production, this sector is becoming an increasingly important employer in Nova Scotia.
Halifax is a center for learning and culture. The city is home to a large number of post-secondary institutions, most notably Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University.
The community enjoys a bustling artistic scene, one which produces some of Canada’s top musicians. Halifax has also grown recent years as a center for film production.
Nova Scotia Languages
As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the ten most spoken languages in the province included English (951,945 or 99.59%), French (99,300 or 10.39%), Arabic (11,745 or 1.23%), Hindi (10,115 or 1.06%), Spanish (8,675 or 0.91%), Mandarin (8,525 or 0.89%), Punjabi (6,730 or 0.7%), German (6,665 or 0.7%), Miꞌkmaq (5,650 or 0.59%), and Tagalog (5,595 or 0.59%). The question of knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses.
The 2021 Canadian census showed a population of 969,383. Of the 958,990 singular responses to the census question concerning mother tongue, the most commonly reported languages were:
| Rank | Language | Population | Percentage |
| 1. | English | 868,365 | 89.57% |
| 2. | French | 34,675 | 3.57% |
| 3. | Arabic | 9,560 | 0.98% |
| 4. | Mandarin | 7,185 | 0.74% |
| 5. | Punjabi | 5,335 | 0.55% |
| 6. | Tagalog | 4,255 | 0.43% |
| 7. | Mi’kmaw | 3,990 | 0.41% |
| 8. | German | 3,480 | 0.35% |
| 9. | Spanish | 3,075 | 0.31% |
| 10. | Hindi | 3,020 | 0.31% |
From the result obtained in this sampling, it is obvious that English is the dominant language in Nova Scotia.
Conclusion
In the table below, you are going to see Nova Scotia at a glance as more of the summary information about the province has been presented.
| Country | Canada |
| Confederation | 1 July 1867 (1st, with New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Halifax |
| Largest metro | Halifax |
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Arthur LeBlanc |
| • Premier | Tim Houston |
| Legislature | Nova Scotia House of Assembly |
| Federal representation | Parliament of Canada |
| House seats | 11 of 338 (3.3%) |
| Senate seats | 10 of 105 (9.5%) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 55,284 km2 (21,345 sq mi) |
| • Land | 52,942 km2 (20,441 sq mi) |
| • Water | 2,342 km2 (904 sq mi) 4.2% |
| • Rank | 12th |
| 0.6% of Canada | |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 969,383 |
| • Estimate (Q2 2023) | 1,045,563 |
| • Rank | 7th |
| • Density | 18.31/km2 (47.4/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Nova Scotian, Bluenoser |
| Official languages | English (de facto) First Language: Mi’kmawi’simk Recognised Regional Languages: French, Scottish Gaelic |
| GDP | |
| • Rank | 7th |
| • Total (2020) | CA$46.849 billion |
| • Per capita | CA$47,729 (12th) |
| HDI | |
| • HDI (2019) | 0.903 — Very high (11th) |
| Time zone | UTC-04:00 (Atlantic) |
| Canadian postal abbr. | NS |
| Postal code prefix | B |
| ISO 3166 code | CA-NS |
| Flower | Mayflower |
| Tree | Red spruce |
| Bird | Osprey |
| Rankings include all provinces and territories | |
I hope you have found useful information in this article. If you still have any other questions about Nova Scotia in Canada, kindly use the comment section below this article below.
