This article is about a Canadian province. For the South African sub-Antarctic islands, see Prince Edward Islands

Prince Edward Island (simply PEI or P.E.I.; French, l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard, Scottish Gaelic, Eilean a’ Phrionns or Eilean Eòin, Mi'kmaq Abegweit) is a Canadian province and part of the Maritimes. It is the nation's smallest province in terms of size, and has a population 138,307. People from Prince Edward Island are called Islanders and refer to people not from the island as being "from away."

It is located in a rectangle defined roughly by 46°–47° N, and 62°–64° 30′ W.

The island's namesake is Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), the father of Queen Victoria.

Geography

Known as the "Garden of the Gulf", the island is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence north of Nova Scotia and east of New Brunswick.

The capital city is Charlottetown, situated centrally on the island's southern shore. (See also a list of communities in Prince Edward Island.) Summerside is the second largest city and is located in Prince County, in the western part of the province. The towns and villages resting between the two cities proudly retain a slower-paced, old world flavor, something that factors heavily into Prince Edward Island's popularity as a destination for relaxation. The popular Canadian television show, Avonlea, was filmed on Prince Edward Island and, according to creator David McHewen, no film sets were required. Many communities on Prince Edward Island, including Charlottetown and Summerside are based on rural forms of agriculture, such as farming and gardening, or are built are natural harbors.

In 1997, the Confederation Bridge was opened, connecting Borden-Carleton to Cape Jourimain near Shediac, New Brunswick. The bridge replaced a ferry service operated by Marine Atlantic. A Northumberland Ferries Limited ferry service operates from the east end of Prince Edward Island providing access to New Glasgow Nova Scotia while another ferry service operates between Souris and the Magdalen Islands.

The island's landscape is predominatly pastoral. Rolling hills, pristine forests, white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red dirt have given Prince Edward Island a reputation as a province of outstanding natural beauty. A number of govermental laws have been enforced to retain it's quaint feel. The island's lush landscape has had a strong bearing not only its economy but also its culture. Author Lucy Maud Montgomery drew inspiration from the land during the late Victorian Era for the setting of her classic novel Anne of Green Gables. Today, many of the same qualities that Montgomery and others found in the Island are enjoyed by tourists who visit during all seasons. They enjoy a variety of leisure activities, including beaches, various golf courses, eco-tourism adventures, and simply touring the countryside and enjoying cultural events in local communities around the island.

The coastline of the island consists of a combination of long beaches, dunes, bright red sandstone cliffs, salt water marshes and numerous bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes and sandstone cliffs consist of distinctive red sand, unique in the world to Prince Edward Island. The geological properties of the white silica sand found at Basin Head are unique in the province as well, and the grains cause a humming noise as they rub against each other when walked on. Large dune fields on the north shore can be found on barrier islands at the entrances to various bays and harbours. The magnificent sand dunes at Greenwich are of particular significance. The shifting, parabolic dune system is home to a variety of birds and rare plants and is also a site of significant archeological interest.

10 Largest Municipalities by population

History

Prince Edward Island was originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq people. They named the island Abegweit, meaning Land Cradled on the Waves.

As part of the French colony of Acadia, the island was called Île Saint-Jean. Roughly one thousand Acadians lived on the island. However, many fled during the British-ordered expulsion of Acadians in 1755. Many more were forciably deported in 1758 when British soldiers, under the command of Colonel Andrew Rollo, were ordered by General Jeffery Amherst to capture the Island.

The new British colony of "St. John's Island", also known as the "Island of St. John" was settled by "adventurous Victorian families looking for elegance on the sea. Prince Edward Island became a fashionable retreat in the 18th century for British nobility."^*

In 1798, Great Britain changed the colony's name from St. John's Island to Prince Edward Island to distinguish it from similar names in the Atlantic, such as the cities of Saint John and St. John's. The colony's new name honoured the fourth son of King George III, Prince Edward Augustus, the Duke of Kent (1767–1820), who was then commanding British troops in Halifax. Prince Edward was also the father of Queen Victoria.

In September 1864, Prince Edward Island hosted the Charlottetown Conference, which was the first meeting in the process leading to the Articles of Confederation and the creation of Canada in 1867. Prince Edward Island did not find the terms of union favourable and balked at joining in 1867, choosing to remain part of the nation of Great Britian and Ireland. In the late 1860s the colony examined various options including the possibility of becoming a discrete dominion unto itself, as well as entertaining delegations from the United States who were interested in Prince Edward Island joining the United States of America.

In the early 1870s the colony began construction of a railway and frustrated by Great Britain's Colonial Office, began negotiations with the United States. In 1873, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, anxious to thwart American expansionism and facing the distraction of the Pacific Scandal, bribed Prince Edward Island into joining the federal government, assuming the colony's railway debts and agreeing to financing a buy-out of the last of the colony's absentee landlords to free the island of leasehold tenure and from any new migrants entering the island. Prince Edward Island entered Confederation on July 1, 1873.

As a result of having hosted the inaugural meeting of Confederation, the Charlottetown Conference, Prince Edward Island presents itself as the "Birthplace of Confederation" with several beautiful buildings, a ferry vessel, and the Confederation Bridge using the term "confederation" in many ways. The most prominent building in the province with this name is the Confederation Centre of the Arts, presented as a gift to Prince Edward Islanders by the 10 provincial governments and the federal government upon the centenary of the Charlottetown Conference where it stands in Charlottetown as a national monument to the "Fathers of Confederation."

Demographics

Population of Prince Edward Island since 1851

Source: Statistics Canada ^*

''The information is from the 2001 Canadian Census.

''The information is from the 2001 Canadian Census.