By Kevin Smith
Enjoy high tides and lots of potatoes and see food – welcome to New Brunswick, one of Canada’s smallest provinces in Atlantic Canada. The first humans to settle in what is now New Brunswick were mostly Iroquoian and Algonquin peoples, who arrived around 1000 AD. The Mi’kmaq also have a presence throughout this area, as do Acadians, descendants of French colonists from Acadia who migrated to Nova Scotia during the French colonial period. Continue reading cool facts about New Brunswick below and enjoy!
1. New Brunswick joined Canada in 1867, having been a British colony since the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
2. The first settlers in New Brunswick were from France, Britain, Spain, and Portugal.
3. The province has two official languages: English and French.
4. The capital city of New Brunswick is Fredericton, a city of over 50 000 people. The current province was named after King George III’s son, Prince Frederick, the Duke of York and Albany.
5. The current premier of New Brunswick is Blaine Higgs (since 2018).
6. The most prominent economic sectors of New Brunswick are energy, forestry, and manufacturing, as well as tourism. The province is home to a large aerospace industry which employs about 8 000 people. Major companies in this industry include Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (which manufactures aircraft) and Pratt & Whitney Canada (which makes engines for aircraft).
7. New Brunswick is known for its sweet potatoes! Cultivated since the 17th century by native peoples, this vegetable crop has become a symbol of the province’s identity and economy.
8. Thanks to its Atlantic Ocean coast and proximity to the States of Maine and Vermont, New Brunswick is quite popular with American tourists.
9. New Brunswick is home to the world’s longest covered bridge – Hartland Covered Bridge is 361 meters long, and it’s one of only two remaining bridges built using this technique! It was created over 70 years ago and still carries traffic.
10. New Brunswick has the most extensive tidal range on Earth (up to 16 m). As a result, the Bay of Fundy is home to an extremely high number of whales (particularly in the summertime when 15 species can be spotted), seals, sea lions, fish and other marine wildlife.
11. New Brunswick contains several national parks; Fundy National Park, New Brunswick’s only national park, features miles of hiking and biking trails, campsites, and cabins. Other popular parks include Kouchibouguac National Park (the largest park in the province) and the Hopewell Rocks.
12. Saint John is home to a shipbuilding port considered one of Canada’s most important shipbuilding centres. It’s also home to several monuments commemorating those who’ve served in warlike The Oldest Memorial in The World commemorates those who died during World War II.
13. Saint John is home to the world’s first recorded incidence of diphtheria.
14. The following places have a “Long Island”: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and New York City.
Lisa Simpson