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Prince Edward Island
Canada
Paul Schuchert
Grade 5-Miss Wardell
February 7, 1998
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is
separated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by the Strait of
Northumberland. It once was connected to the mainland. I chose to do
this province because I love lobster and the land is really beautiful.
About 11,000 years ago the early people known as the Paleo-Indians
lived on what is now Prince Edward Island. They gathered berries in the
island’s forests and hunted seals and walrus with spears along the coast.
They also tracked caribou and arctic foxes. They left the area when
hunting got hard.
The Maritime Archaic Indians moved there about 6,000 years ago.
They also hunted and fished. They made tools and animal figures, carved
out of stone and bones. I read that a 6,500-year-old ulu, a kind of knife
used to butcher walrus and whales was found a few years ago in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence.
The Micmac Indians who were related to the Maritime Archaic
Indians settled almost 2,500 years ago. By this time the water had
separated the island from the mainland. They called the island Abegweit,
meaning “home cradled on the waves.” They built grass houses called
wigwams. The Indians covered their shelters with furs for the cold winters.
Several thousand Micmac were living on the Island when the first
Europeans arrived.
The Europeans discovered the island when Jacques Cartier landed
there in 1534. He described it as “ the most beautiful stretch of land
imaginable.”
There are stories of ghosts and buried pirate gold date back to the
days when sailing ships linked the island with Nova Scotia and schooners
picked up cargo for the West Indies.
In the early 1600’s, France wanted to gain control of fishing waters.
France soon made a colony. This was the first colony in what was known
as Acadia. The British also claimed fishing and fur trading rights in the
region. The two countries battled for this valuable land throughout the
1600’s.
After Britain won the war against France, the Island’s name was
changed to St. John’s Island. A man named Samuel Holland was hired by
King George III to survey the land. Holland selected the location for the
capital, Charlottetown and divided the island into separate lots. Many
British settled on the Island. Later in the 1800’s many Irish moved there
because of the great potato famines in Ireland. Meanwhile in 1799 the
Island had it’s last name change to Prince Edward Island in honor of the
Son of King George III.
Many people wanted the British colonies to be united. The islanders
were not very interested in a union. In 1864 the Charlottetown Conference
met. Three years later on July 1, 1867 the Confederation of Canada was
formed. The first partners were New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and
Quebec. Later in exchange for money to build a Railway Prince Edward
Island agreed to join the Confederation. This was held at Confederation
Hall which is a Historic landmark on Prince Edward Island.
The Government today consists of the capital city, Charlottetown.
The Crown Representative which is the Lieutenant Governor. The head of
the government is the Premier. The Cabinet is the group of ministers
picked by the Premier. The Legislative Assembly is 32 members elected to
terms that can last up to five years. You have to be 18 to vote. And the
major political parties are Liberal, New Democratic, Progressive
Conservative.
The population of Prince Edward Island today is over 130,000
people. There are 44 % multiple nationalities, 44% British, 9% French,
1% Dutch, 1 % German the last 1 % are Natives peoples, Polish,
Scandinavian, and Ukrainian. There are only about 435 Micmac on Prince
Edward Island living on four reservations.
Charlottetown is the Island’s capital and the largest city. The city’s
population is over 15,000 people, along with the surrounding area it makes
up about 40 percent of the population of the whole Island. Because of the
Charlottetown Conference it is know as the “birthplace of Canada” and the
province is sometimes called “the cradle of the Confederation.” It is the
Island’s chief seaport and distributing and manufacturing center.
Summerside on Bedeque Bay is the center of the lobster and oyster
fisheries and of the fox-fur industries. It is the second largest city with a
population of about 8,000. It’s excellent harbor is a major shipping port for
Island Potatoes.
Prince Edward Island soil is one of it’s most valuable resources.
It is a rich red color, it is light and sandy. More than half of the Province is
farmland earning it’s nickname “The Garden Province.” Here we in New
Jersey are called “The Garden State.” Prince Edward Island produces
some of the most famous potatoes in the world. Barley, tobacco,
vegetables, hay, beef, dairy cattle and hogs are all grown and raised there.
Prince Edward Island pioneered silver fox farming. Experiment in
breeding foxes began in the 1880’s. Minks and Chinchillas are also raised
here.
There are large sand dunes and 800km of beaches which is over
1,000 miles long. Lobsters, clams, scallops, and oysters are found in the
island’s bays. The Malpeque oysters from Malpeque bay are famous.
Because of the large potato industry manufacturing of potato chips
and French fries are important manufacturing products. Canned
lobster, clothes, fertilizers, and medical instruments are also made here.
In Prince Edward Island summers are cooler and winters are winters
are warmer than in the other parts of Canada. In the summers the average
temperature is 66 degrees F (19C) while in the winter the temperature is 19
degrees F (-07C).
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was an author who grew up in
Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. She published 23 books and published
over 500 short stories and poems. Nineteen of the novels were set on
Prince Edward Island, the most famous is Anne of Green Gables, which
was her first bestseller. Her writing was and still is enjoyed by many. They
made a TV series of movies based on her books that have become famous
here and all over the world.
Tourism will soon outrank farming as the Island’s main industry.
Prince Edward Island has become an international tourist destination.
There are many hotels, motels, campgrounds and bed and breakfasts.
There is Prince Edward Island State Park which has 30 miles of fine
beaches. The Blue Heron Drive is a beautiful coastal road many travel.
Many of the tourists who visit come to see the places from Anne of
Green Gables and the home of author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. More
than 8,000 Japanese tourists visited the Island.
Prince Edward Island has historic importance as being the “birthplace
of Canada.” Province House in Charlottetown is the National Historic Site
where the Fathers of the Confederation met.
Tours and displays attract visitors from across Canada.
Many people just come to the Island for it’s simple life, the beauty of
nature, and the friendly people. Prince Edward Island is the only province
or territory that is small enough to tour in a day. An Island expression that I
read helps me feel what living there must be like it goes “We’re just enough
behind to be a little ahead.” It sounds like it’s a lot different than life here in
New Jersey.
Bibliography
Prince Edward Island, By Kumari Campbell, Copyright 1996, Lerner Publications
Prince Edward Island, By Deirdre Kessler, Copyright 1992, Grolier Limited
Canada Province and Territories, Encarta 95 (CD Rom)
Frommer’s 1st Edition Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island,
Barbara Radcliffe Rogers and Stillman Rogers, Copyright 1996, Simon and Schuster
Prince Edward Island Online, Government of Prince Edward Island, (Internet site)
About L.M. Montgomery, Copyright 1996, 1997, L.M. Montgomery Institute, (Internet)
Prince Edward Island is now connected to the rest of Canada by The Confederation
Bridge. It is nine miles long and is the longest continuous marine span bridge in the
world. It takes ten minutes to drive across it. It opened in June, 1997.
Word Count: 1341
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