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This is about the island in the North Atlantic Ocean. For the Canadian province formerly (and still colloquially) known as Newfoundland, see Newfoundland and Labrador. For other meanings of Newfoundland, see Newfoundland (disambiguation).

Newfoundland
Newfoundland Tricolour Flag
Geography
Area:	111,390 km²
Water area:	7,797 km²
Coastline:	9,656 km
Highest Point:	Lewis Hills 814m
Longest River:	Exploits River 246km
Admin HQ:	St. John's
Demographics
Population (2001):	485,066
Major Ethnic Groups :	Irish, English, Some French
Largest City:	St. John's 99,182 (city) 172,915 (metro)
Politics
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador http://www.gov.nl.ca
Members of the House of Commons:	7
Members of the Senate of Canada:	6
Members of the House of Assembly:	48

Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The island of Newfoundland (originally called Terra Nova) was most likely first named by the Italian John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) in 1497, which would make it the oldest European name in North America. The province where this island is located was also called Newfoundland up until 2001, when its name was changed to Newfoundland and Labrador (the postal abbreviation was simultaneously changed from NF to NL).

Newfoundland is separated from the Labrador Peninsula by the Strait of Belle Isle and from Cape Breton Island by the Cabot Strait. It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary. Newfoundland's nearest neighbour is the small French overseas community of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

It is 111,390 km² in area, making it the world's 15th largest island. The provincial capital, St. John's, is found on the southeastern tip of the island. Cape Spear, just south of the capital, is Canada's easternmost point. The island of Newfoundland has an approximate population of 485,000.

Newfoundland is pronounced by Newfoundlanders as new-fin-land or new-fun-land and take exception to it being pronounced with the last syllable slurred, (as new-found-l'nd). Newfoundland has a dialect of English known as Newfoundland English, a dialect of French known as Newfoundland French and a dialect of Irish known as Newfoundland Irish.

Contents 1 First inhabitants 2 Discovery, colonization, and settlement 2.1 A nation? 2.2 The Ode To Newfoundland (anthem) 3 Points of interest and major settlements 4 Further reading 5 References 6 See also 7 External links 8 Commercial links

First inhabitants

Newfoundland was first inhabited by the Maritime Archaic aboriginal culture around 2500BC-1200BC. This group disappeared and was later replaced by Groswater Paleoeskimos from around 800BC-AD100, Dorset tradition Paleoeskimos from around AD1-AD800, and recent Natives around AD1-AD1700. The exact reason for the disappearances of several of these cultures is unknown, but food scarcity is suspected as a reason. ^[1]

The recent natives on Newfoundland were the probable ancestors of the historical Beothuk inhabitants at the time of European contact. Beothuk means "people" in the Beothuk language. The origins of the Beothuks are uncertain, but it appears that they were an native group that came from Labrador. The culture is now extinct, remembered only in museum, historical and archaeological records. Shanawdithit, the last known Beothuk (a woman), died in St. John's in 1829.

It is likely that the natives described by the Vikings as skraelings were Beothuk inhabitants of Labrador and Newfoundland. The first conflicts between Europeans and native peoples may have occurred around 1006 at L'Anse aux Meadows when parties of Norsemen attempted to establish permanent settlements along the coast of Newfoundland. According to Norse sagas, the native Beothuk (called skraelings or skraelingars by the Norse) responded so ferociously that the newcomers eventually withdrew and apparently gave up their original intentions to settle.

When other Europeans arrived, beginning with John Cabot in 1497, contact with the Beothuks was established. Estimates of the number of Beothuks on the island at this time vary, ranging from 1,000 to 5,000.

As European settlement became year-round and expanded to new areas of the coast the area available to the Beothuks to harvest the marine resources they relied upon was diminished. By the beginning of the nineteenth century there were few Beothuks remaining, many having been killed in misunderstandings with settlers or having died as a result of starvation and disease. Government attempts to open a dialogue with the native peoples of Newfoundland came too late to save them.

Discovery, colonization, and settlement

Newfoundland is the site of the only authenticated Norse settlement in North America, discovered by Norwegian explorer Dr. Helge Ingstad and his archaeologist wife, Anne Stine Ingstad, at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960. The site of a multi-year archaeological dig, the settlement dating to more than 500 years before Christopher Columbus contains the earliest European structures in North America. Named a World Heritage site by UNESCO, it is believed to be the legendary Vinland settlement of explorer Leif Ericson.

After the Norse, the first European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese, Spanish, French and English migratory fishermen. Late in the 17th century came Irish fishermen, who named the island Talamh an Éisc, meaning "land of the fish", or "the fishing grounds" in Irish Gaelic. This was to foreshadow the centuries of importance of Newfoundland's offshore fishing waters.

Newfoundland was visited by Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) in 1497, who landed near the Strait of Belle Isle, although local tradition has his landfall at Bonavista. It was probably also sighted by Giovanni da Verrazano in 1524, whose expedition was financed by the citizens of Lyon, under the auspices of King François I of France.

In 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as a colony of England, he found numerous English, French and Portuguese vessels in St. John's. However there was no permanent population and Gilbert was lost at sea during his return voayge, thereby ending any plans of settlement.

On July 5, 1610, John Guy set sail from Bristol, England with 39 other colonists for Cuper's Cove. This, and other early attempts at permanent settlement failed to make a profit for the English investors, but some settlers remained. By 1620 the fishermen of England's West Country had excluded other nations from most of the east coast of Newfoundland, while fishers from France dominated the island's south coast and Northern Peninsula.

The French name for the island was Terre Neuve, while the name Newfoundland is one of the oldest European place names in Canada in continuous geographical and cartographical use, dating from a 1502 letter, and clearly stated in the following early poem:

A Skeltonicall continued ryme, in praise of my New-found-Land

Although in cloaths, company, buildings faire

With England, New-found-land cannot compare:

Did some know what contentment I found there,

Alwayes enough, most times somewhat to spare,

With little paines, lesse toyle, and lesser care,

Exempt from taxings, ill newes, Lawing, feare,

If cleane, and warme, no matter what you weare,

Healthy, and wealthy, if men carefull are,

With much-much more, then I will now declare,

(I say) if some wise men knew what this were

(I doe beleeue) they'd live no other where.

From 'The First Booke of Qvodlibets'

Composed and done at Harbor-Grace in

Britaniola, anciently called Newfound-Land

by Governor Robert Hayman - 1628.

The European immigrants who settled in Newfoundland brought their knowledge, beliefs, loyalties and prejudices with them, but the society they built in the New World was unlike the ones they had left, and different from the ones other immigrants would build on the American mainland. As a fish-exporting society, Newfoundland was in contact with many places around the Atlantic rim, but its geographic location and political distinctiveness also isolated it from its closest neighbors in Canada and the United States. So much so, that this isolation can be felt even today. Internally, most of its population was spread widely around a rugged coastline in small outport settlements, many of them a long distance from larger centers of population and isolated for long periods by winter ice or bad weather. These conditions had an effect on the culture the immigrants had brought with them and generated new ways of thinking and acting, giving Newfoundland and Labrador a wide variety of distinctive customs, beliefs, stories, songs, and dialects.

The First World War had a powerful and lasting effect on the society. From a population of about a quarter of a million, 5,482 men went overseas. Nearly 1,500 were killed and 2,300 wounded. On July 1, 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel, France, 753 men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment went over the top of a trench. The casualties were staggering; the next morning, only 68 men answered the roll-call. It has been suggested that the loss of so many men, proportionally speaking, in the prime of their lives contributed to the economic collapse that was to ultimately influence confederation with Canada. Even now, when the rest of Canada celebrates the founding of the country on July 1, many Newfoundlanders take part in solemn ceremonies of remembrance.

World War II also had a lasting impact on Newfoundland. In particular, the war ushered in an American presence at the military base at Argentia. Interaction with the base helped make cash a more widespread economic medium and consolidated a traditional admiration for America contrasted with apprehension of mainland Canada that is often forgotten today. It is also believed that American soldiers coined the word "Newfie".

Newfoundland and Labrador is the youngest province in Canada, enjoying the status of a country until 1949. That year, the population voted by a margin of approximately one percent to join Canada, whose history, economy, culture and political institutions were significantly different. The referendum campaign was bitterly fought and interests in both Canada and Britain favoured and supported confederation with Canada. This is exemplified in the role of Jack Pickersgill, a western Canadian native and politican, who worked with the confederation camp during the campaign. Religion played a significant role in the final analysis as well with the Catholic church lobbying for continued independence. Financial incentives played their part, particularly the "baby bonus" which promised Newfoundlanders a cash sum for each child in a family. The Confederates were led by the charismatic Joeseph Smallwood, a former radio broadcaster who had developed socialist political inclinations while working for a socialist newspaper in New York. His policies as premier would assume a form closer to liberalism than socialism. Mr. Smallwood led Newfoundland for decades as the elected premier following confederation and achieved a "cult of personality" amongst his many supporters that persisted long after his political defeat. Indeed, some homes actually had pictures of Joey in their living rooms in a place of prominence. It has been suggested that some members of the public regarded financial incentives like the baby bonus as the direct products of Smallwood's benevolence rather than their right as Canadian citizens.

To underline Mr. Smallwood's position in Newfoundland political history an old joke runs as follows:

A policeman was driving along when he saw a speeding car. He pursued and pulled over the vehicle. As he approached, he saw none other than Mr. Smallwood in the driver's seat.

"Oh my God." Said the Officer. "and don't you forget it..." Mr. Smallwood replied.

The province's provincial flag, designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt, was officially adopted by the provincial legislature on May 28, 1980. Labrador has its own unofficial flag, created in 1973 by Mike Martin, former MLA for Labrador South. There is also an unofficial "Pink, White and Green" flag of nineteenth century origins. It is now flown outside many Newfoundland homes, although it is mistaken by many tourists as the Irish flag.

A nation?

It is undisputed that Newfoundland was once an independent Nation. Yet, there are also hallmarks of "nationhood" readily visible today despite membership in Canada since 1949. Newfoundland and Labrador is the most ethnically homogenous province in Canada. It has many totally unique cultural practices that are the product of centuries of relatively independent development. It has its famous dialect, often jokingly referred to as being difficult enough to understand at times that it may as well be its own language. Newfoundland also demonstrates a separate and distinct democratic practice emphasizing the individual member over the party, has had a unique experience with institutionalized religion in the Canadian context and appears to employ cultural mores in day-to-day interaction markedly different from the rest of Canada provided one is paying close attention. These mores emphasize casual familiarity rather than formal respect irrespective of the size of the local population. They are apparent in St. John's, the second largest urban centre in Atlantic Canada for instance. Discussion of them is an immense topic in itself.

Finally, Newfoundlanders consistently rank the highest on polls ascertaining identification with province over country. The results are generally in the seventies to eighties favouring provincial identification. This is markedly higher than similar polls in Quebec, though those polls are clearly affected by the sovereignty issue. The Newfoundland polls need not be read as indicating a separatist consciousness or even an emerging one. Rather, they simply indicate that many Newfoundlanders tend to naturally see themselves as Newfoundlanders who are Canadians and not vice verca. The identities are not irreconcilable, but there is the danger they could become so, should political or economic developments in the future assume a certain shape. It is instructive to consider the use of "nationalistic" appeals by leaders in provincial politics since Confederation. They have a tendency to be well received and are considered one of the nicest groups of people on earth.

The Ode To Newfoundland (anthem)

This anthem continues to be heard at public events. It was written in the late 19th century.

When sun rays crown thy pine clad hills,
And summer spreads her hand,
When silvern voices tune thy rills,
We love thee Newfoundland,
We love thee, we love thee
We love thee Newfoundland.

When spreads thy cloak of shimm'ring white,
At winter's stern command,
Thro' shortened day and starlit night,
We love thee frozen land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee frozen land.

When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore,
And wild waves lash thy strand,
Thro' sprindrift swirl and tempest roar,
We love thee windswept land,
We love thee, we love thee,
We love thee windswept land.

As loved our fathers, so we love,
Where once they stood we stand,
Their prayer we raise to heav'n above,
God guard thee, Newfoundland,
God guard thee, God guard thee,
God guard thee, Newfoundland.

Points of interest and major settlements

Being one of the first places discovered in the New World, Newfoundland has a rich history. St. John's is considered to be the oldest city in English speaking North America.

Newfoundland is home to two national parks. Gros Morne National Park is located on the west coast of Newfoundland and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 due to its complex geology and remarkable scenery. It is the largest national park in Atlantic Canada at 1,805 km² (697 sq. mi.). Terra Nova National Park, on the island's east side, preserves the rugged geography of the Bonavista Bay region and allows visitors to explore the historic interplay of land, sea and man.

Stephenville, a town of about 8000, once served as an airport base for the US army in the early 1940s. It is about 20 miles north of its former train station, which is surrounded by the town of Stephenville Crossing.

Also on the West Coast, Corner Brook is situated in the Bay of Islands region. The major industry in Corner Brook is newsprint manufacturing, and is serviced by the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Mill.

Sandy Point, which is located in Bay Saint George and north of the town of St. George's, was the first and largest settlement of the west coast. However, the last settler, Alphonsus Swyers, was forced to abandon in 1973.

Barachois Brook Park is a provincial park that is considered to be a model forest.

Marble Mountain is a major attraction in the winter for skiers. It is said to be the best skiing east of the Rocky Mountains.

In March, the annual seal hunt (of the harp seal) takes place.

Newfoundland is also host to a well-recognized university, Memorial University of Newfoundland, based in St. John's.

Newfoundland, 1800 miles from Ireland, is the only place outside Europe to have its own distinctive name in the Irish language; Talamh an Éisc, literally translated to English as 'Land of the Fish'.

Largest communities (2001 population)

1. St. John's (98,182)
2. Mount Pearl (24,964)
3. Corner Brook (20,103)
4. Conception Bay South (19,772)
5. Grand Falls-Windsor (13,340)
6. Gander (9,651)
7. Paradise (9,598)
8. Stephenville (7,109)
9. Marystown (5,908)
10. Portugal Cove-St. Philip's (5,866)
11. Torbay (5,474)
12. Bay Roberts (5,237)
13. Clarenville (5,104)
14. Deer Lake (4,769)
15. Carbonear (4,759)
16. Channel-Port aux Basques (4,637)
17. Placentia (4,426)
18. Bonavista (4,021)
19. Bishop's Falls (3,688)

Further reading

• Prowse, D.W. 2002. A History of Newfoundland. Boulder Publications, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland.
• Neary, Peter. 1996. Newfoundland in the North Atlantic world, 1929-1949. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, Quebec.
• Gibbons, Henry K. 1997. The Myth and Mystery of John Cabot: The Discoverer of North America. Marten Cat Publishers, Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
• Harris, Michael. 1992. Rare Ambition: The Crosbies of Newfoundland. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-023220-6

Vintage literature

• Charles Pedley, History of Newfoundland, (London, 1863)
• Philip Tocque, Newfoundland as it Was and Is, (London, 1878)
• Joseph Hatton and Moses Harvey, Newfoundland: Its History and Present Condition, (Lonson, 1883)
• Arnold Kennedy, Sport and Adventure in Newfoundland and West Indies, (London, 1885)
• D. W. Prowse, History of Newfoundland, (second edition, London, 1897)
• Moses Harvey, Newfoundland, England's Oldest Colony, (London, 1897)
• F. E. Smith, The Story of Newfoundland, (London, 1901)
• Beckles Wilson, The Truth About Newfoundland, The Tenth Island, (second edition, London, 1901)
• J. P. Howley, Mineral Resources of Newfoundland, (St. John's, 1909)
• P. T. McGrath, Newfound in 1911, (London, 1911)
• Kevin Major, As Near To Heaven by Sea, (Toronto, 2001)

References

^ Renouf, M.A.P. 1999 Prehistory of Newfoundland Hunter-Gatherers: Extinctions or Adaptations? World Archaeology 30: 403-420.

See also

• Newfoundland Irish
• Bacalao
• List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
• List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador

External links

• Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage (website from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, funded by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
• Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
• Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place Outside of Ireland
• Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Archives
• Terra Nova National Park
• Newfoundland History (extensive site from Marianopolis College)
• Statistics Canada 2001 Census Information

Commercial links

• Adventure Cruises in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Newfoundland and Labrador destinations, activities and accommodations.
• DOWNHOME magazine
• NF Interactive

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This article is based on the article "Newfoundland" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.

Labrador
Flag of Labrador	Coat of Arms (unofficial)
Motto Latin: Munus splendidum mox explebitur The splendid task will soon be fulfilled
Geography
Area:	294,330 km²
Water area:	31,340 km² (4%)
Coastline:	7,886 km
Highest Point:	Mount Caubvik (1652 m)
Longest River:	Churchill River (856 km)
Admin HQ:	Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Demographics
Population(2001):	27,864
Largest City:	Labrador City 9,638 (2001)
Politics
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador http://www.gov.nl.ca
Members of the Parliament of Canada:	1
Members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly:	4

This article is about the region in Canada. For other meanings, see Labrador (disambiguation).

For the dog breed, see Labrador Retriever

Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it comprises the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The region is part of the much larger Labrador Peninsula.

The population of Labrador is 27,860 (2001 census), including some 30 percent Aboriginal peoples, including Inuit, Innu, and Métis. With an area of 294,330 km², it is the size of Italy. Its former capital was Battle Harbour.

The name "Labrador" is one of the oldest names of European origin in Canada, almost as old as the name "Newfoundland". It is named after Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador who, together with Pedro de Barcelos, first sighted it in 1492.

Most non-Aboriginal settlement of Labrador occurred due to fishing villages, missions, and fur trading outposts; modern settlements have been created as a result of iron ore mining, hydroelectric developments, and military installations. Until modern times, difficult sea travel and lack of general transportation facilities discouraged settlement. In the 1760s, Moravian missionaries began settling, building missions and often sharing in the fur trade with the Hudson's Bay Company, which was the dominant force on the peninsula until 1870. Claims have persisted concerning the Ungava Peninsula with Quebec, although they were formally settled in 1927 by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

John James Audubon called Labrador "the most extensive and dreariest wilderness I have ever beheld".

Contents 1 Modern Labrador 2 The Labrador boundary dispute 3 Timeline 4 References 5 External links

Modern Labrador

Just as its island neighbour Newfoundland, human settlement in Labrador was historically tied to the sea as witnessed by the Montagnais, Innu and Inuit, although it has also been demonstrated that both the former also made significant forays throughout vast areas of the interior as well. European settlement was largely concentrated in coastal communities, particularly those south of Hamilton Inlet, and are among Canada's oldest European settlements. Extremely poor, both European and First Nations settlements along coastal Labrador came to benefit from cargo and relief vessels that were operated as part of the Grenfell Mission (see Sir Wilfred Grenfell). Throughout the 20th century, coastal freighters and ferries operated initially by the Newfoundland Railway and later Canadian National Railways/CN Marine/Marine Atlantic became a critical lifeline for communities on the coast, which for the majority of that century, did not have any road connection with the rest of North America.

Labrador has played a strategic role in both the Second World War and the Cold War. In the early 1940s a German U-boat crew installed an automated weather station on the northern tip of Labrador near Cape Chidley. This station only broadcast weather observations to the German navy for several months but was not discovered until the 1980s after a U-boat veteran mentioned its presence to Canadian authorities.

The US Army Flying Corps built a major air force base at Goose Bay, at the head of Lake Melville during the Second World War, largely because of the surrounding topography and access to coastal transport. Today, CFB Goose Bay is the largest employer for the community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Additionally, both the United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force built and operated a number of radar stations along coastal Labrador as part of the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line and DEW Line systems. Today the remaining stations are automated as part of the North Warning System, however the military settlements during the early part of the Cold War surrounding these stations have largely continued as local Innu and Inuit populations have clustered near their port and airfield facilities.

During the first half of the 20th century, some of the largest iron ore deposits in the world were discovered in the western part of Labrador and adjacent areas of Quebec. Deposits at Mont Wright, Schefferville, Labrador City, and Wabush drove industrial development and human settlement in the area during the post-war years.

The present community of Labrador West is entirely a result of the iron ore mining activities in the region. The Iron Ore Company of Canada operates the Quebec, North Shore, and Labrador Railway to transport ore concentrate 500 miles south to the port of Sept Iles, Quebec for shipment to steel mills in North America and elsewhere.

During the 1960s, the Churchill River was diverted at Churchill Falls which resulted in the flooding of an enormous area - today named the Smallwood Reservoir. A hydroelectric generating station was built and a transmission line was built through Quebec to the North American electrical grid.

In the 1980s-2000s the Trans-Labrador Highway was built in stages to connect various inland communities with the North American highway network at Mont Wright, Quebec (which in turn is connected by a Quebec highway running north from Baie-Comeau, Quebec). A southern extension of this highway has opened in stages during the early 2000s and is resulting in significant changes to the coastal ferry system in the Strait of Belle Isle and southeastern Labrador. It is worth noting that these "highways" are called so only because of their importance to the region; they would be better described as roads, and are not completely paved.

A study on a fixed link to Newfoundland, in 2004, recommended a tunnel under the Strait of Belle Isle, being a single railway that would carry cars, buses and trucks. Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union would be amended to remove ferry service from Nova Scotia to Port-aux-Basques across the Cabot Strait.

Although a highway link will soon (2006 or 2007) be complete across Labrador, this route is somewhat longer than a proposed Quebec North Shore highway that presently does not exist. Part of the "highway", Quebec provincial highway 389, starting approximately 212 km (132 miles) from Baie Comeau to 482 km (299 miles) is of an inferior alignment, and from there to 570 km (354 miles), the provincial border, is an accident-prone section notorious for its poor surface and sharp curves (the joke being you can see your own taillights). Local citizens are urging realignment of this road, a vital work if it were to be the routing to the fixed link to Newfoundland.

Quebec Route 389 and the Trans-Labrador Highway were added to Canada's National Highway System in September 2005.

The Labrador boundary dispute

The tortuous border between Labrador and Canada was set March 2, 1927, after a five-year trial. In 1809 Labrador had been transferred from Lower Canada to Newfoundland, but the landward boundary of Labrador had never been precisely stated. Newfoundland argued it extended to the height of land, but Canada, stressing the historical use of the term "Coasts of Labrador", argued the boundary was one statute mile (1.6 km) inland from the high-tide mark. As Canada and Newfoundland were separate countries but both members of the British Empire, the matter was referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London), which set the Labrador boundary mostly along the coastal watershed. One of Newfoundland's conditions for joining Confederation in 1949 was that this boundary be entrenched in the Canadian constitution. However, this border has never been formally accepted by the Quebec government; sometimes a different border is shown on maps.[1] The province's name change to Newfoundland and Labrador was meant to emphasize its claim to Labrador. (See Newfoundland and Labrador for more details.)

A Royal Commission in 2002 determined that there is a certain amount of public pressure from Labradorians to break off from Newfoundland and become a separate province or territory. Some of the Innu nation would have the area become a homeland for them, much as Nunavut is for the Inuit; a 1999 resolution of the Assembly of First Nations claimed Labrador as a homeland for the Innu and demanded recognition in any further constitutional negotiations regarding the region. [2] The Inuit self-government region of Nunatsiavut was recently created through agreements with the provincial and federal governments.

Timeline

• 11^th century : Probably visited by Leif Ericson. See Markland.
• 1492: Sighted by João Fernandes Lavrador
• 1498: Visited by John Cabot
• 1500: Visited by Gaspar Corte-Real
• 1534: Visited by Jacques Cartier
• 1763: Labrador is transferred from the French colony Canada to the British colony Newfoundland as per the Treaty of Paris.
• 1774: Labrador is transferred (along with Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands) to Quebec.
• 1791: Labrador becomes part of Lower Canada when Quebec is divided into two colonies.
• 1809: Labrador (from Cape Chidley to the mouth of the Saint-Jean River) is transferred back to Newfoundland.
• 1825: The north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence west of Blanc-Sablon and south of 52° north is separated from Labrador and transferred back to Lower Canada.
• 1927: The Labrador boundary dispute is settled.
• 1949: Labrador becomes part of Canada when Newfoundland joins Confederation.
• 2001: The province changes its name to Newfoundland and Labrador.

References

• The Lure of the Labrador Wild, by Dillon Wallace (ISBN 1404315373; July 2002)

Labrador by Choice by Benjamin W. Powell Sr. C.M. 1979

External links

• Project Gutenberg e-text of Dillon Wallace's The Lure of the Labrador Wild
• Labrador information page

Tony F. Powell-New Book on Labrador http://www.labradorsalmon.com/book

This article is based on the article "Labrador" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.