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Capital: Charlottetown
Motto: Parva Sub Ingenti (The small under the protection of the great)
Flower: Lady's Slipper
Population(1998): 136,196
The Land
One of the four Atlantic Provinces, Prince Edward Island (PEI) lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, separated from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick by the Northumberland Strait.Rich soil and a temperate climate make Prince Edward Island an ideal place for mixed farming. Half of its land is under cultivation, earning it the nickname "the Garden Province." It is renowned for its red soil, sand dunes and 800 kilometres of beaches.
The People
Approximately 80 percent of the people are of British (mainly Scottish and Irish) origin. About 15 percent are of French origin, and five percent speak French. Of this number, 62 percent live in the rural districts, including 8 percent on farms. The island population is quite young with about 38 percent of the people under 25 years of age.
 Economy
Agriculture, tourism and fishing are the economic mainstays of Prince Edward Island. Most of the industrial activity has to do with food processing, although high-technology industry is becoming important, especially in the medical, electronics and agricultural fields. Although lobster is king of the waters off Prince Edward Island, about 30 other fish and seafood species are caught, notably cultivated mussels, herring, bluefin tuna and the renowned Malpeque oysters. Prince Edward island is known for its beauty, and over 800 km of beaches. Tourism has become a major industry on the Island and the new bridge to the Mainland has increased its tourist potential. PEI is the home site of Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of the 'Anne of Green Gables' and other books, and has become an international tourist phenomenon with people from all cultures coming to participate in cultural events and fairs.
*Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Copyright (c) 2003. |