Nova Scotia |
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Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) |
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Confederation | July 1, 1867 (1st, with ON, QC, NB) | ||
Capital | Halifax | ||
Largest metro | Halifax | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Constitutional monarchy | ||
• Lieutenant Governor | John James Grant | ||
• Premier | Stephen McNeil (Liberal) | ||
Legislature | Nova Scotia House of Assembly | ||
Federal representation | (in Canadian Parliament) | ||
House seats | 11 of 338 (3.3%) | ||
Senate seats | 10 of 105 (9.5%) | ||
Area | |||
• Land | 52,942 km2 (20,441 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | Ranked 12th | ||
Population (2016) | |||
• Total | 923,598 | ||
• Estimate (2017 Q1) | 952,024 | ||
• Rank | Ranked 7th | ||
• Density | 17.4/km2 (45/sq mi) | ||
Demonym(s) | Nova Scotian | ||
Official languages | English (de facto) | ||
GDP | |||
• Rank | 7th | ||
• Total (2011) | C$39.145 billion | ||
• Per capita | C$41,516 (12th) | ||
Time zone | Atlantic: UTC-4 | ||
Postal abbr. | NS | ||
Postal code prefix | B | ||
ISO 3166 code | CA-NS | ||
Flower | Mayflower | ||
Tree | Red spruce | ||
Bird | Osprey | ||
Website | novascotia |
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Rankings include all provinces and territories |
Nova Scotia (/ˌnoʊvə ˈskoʊʃə/; Latin for "New Scotland"; French: Nouvelle-Écosse; Scottish Gaelic: Alba Nuadh) is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, and one of the four provinces which form Atlantic Canada. Its provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province, with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton and another 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2016, the population was 923,598. Nova Scotia is the second most-densely populated province in Canada with 17.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (45/sq mi).
"Nova Scotia" means "New Scotland" in Latin (although "Scotia" was originally a Roman name for Ireland) and is the recognized English language name for the province. In Scottish Gaelic, the province is called Alba Nuadh, which also simply means "New Scotland". The province was first named in the 1621 Royal Charter granting the right to settle lands including modern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula to Sir William Alexander in 1632.