Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; French: Île-du-Prince-Édouard; Scottish Gaelic: Eilean a' Phrionnsa; colloquially known as The Island) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. While it is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", "Birthplace of Confederation" and "Cradle of Confederation".[7] Its capital and largest city is Charlottetown. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces.
This article is about the Atlantic island and Canadian province. For the islands near Antarctica, see Prince Edward Islands. For the island in Lake Ontario, see Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Prince Edward Island
July 1, 1873 (8th)
Charlottetown
4 of 338 (1.2%)
4 of 105 (3.8%)
5,660 km2 (2,190 sq mi)
5,660 km2 (2,190 sq mi)
0 km2 (0 sq mi) 0%
13th
0.1% of Canada
154,331[2]
176,162[4]
10th
27.27/km2 (70.6/sq mi)
Prince Edward Islander, Islander, PEIer
English (de facto)[5]
10th
6.652 billion
C$36,740 (13th)
Part of the traditional lands of the Miꞌkmaq, it was colonized by the French in 1604 as part of the colony of Acadia. The island was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the French and Indian War in 1763 and became part of the colony of Nova Scotia, and in 1769 the island became its own British colony. Prince Edward Island hosted the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 to discuss a union of the Maritime provinces; however, the conference became the first in a series of meetings which led to Canadian Confederation in 1867. Prince Edward Island initially balked at Confederation but, facing bankruptcy from the Land Question and construction of a railroad, joined as Canada's seventh province in 1873.
According to Statistics Canada, the province of Prince Edward Island had 176,113 residents in 2023.[8] The backbone of the island economy is farming; it produces 25% of Canada's potatoes. Other important industries include fisheries, tourism, aerospace, biotechnology, information technology and renewable energy.[9] As Prince Edward Island is one of Canada's older settlements, its population still reflects some of the earliest settlers, with Canadien, Scottish, Irish, and English surnames being dominant.
Prince Edward Island is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, about 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Halifax and 600 kilometres (370 miles) east of Quebec City, and has a land area of 5,686.03 km2 (2,195.39 sq mi).[10] The main island is 5,620 km2 (2,170 sq mi) in size.[11] It is the 104th-largest island in the world, Canada's 23rd-largest island, and the only Canadian province consisting solely of an island.
Flora and fauna[edit]
Prince Edward Island used to have native moose, bear, caribou, wolf, and other larger species. Due to hunting and habitat disruption these species are no longer found on the island. Some species common to P.E.I. are red foxes, coyote,[34] blue jays, and robins. Skunks and raccoons are common non-native species. Species at risk in P.E.I. include piping plovers, american eel, bobolinks, little brown bat, and beach pinweed.[35]
Some species are unique to the province. In 2008, a new ascomycete species, Jahnula apiospora (Jahnulales, Dothideomycetes), was collected from submerged wood in a freshwater creek on Prince Edward Island.[36]
North Atlantic right whales, one of the rarest whale species, were once thought to be rare visitors into St. Lawrence regions until 1994, have been showing dramatic increases (annual concentrations were discovered off Percé in 1995 and gradual increases across the regions since in 1998),[37] and since in 2014, notable numbers of whales have been recorded around Cape Breton to Prince Edward Island as 35 to 40 whales were seen in these areas in 2015.[38]
Sister province[edit]
Hainan, China, has been the sister province of Prince Edward Island since 2001. This came about after Vice-Governor Lin Fanglue stayed for two days to hold discussions about partnership opportunities and trade.[125]
