Newfoundland and Labrador, despite the province’s inclusive name, is two distinct places. The island of Newfoundland is a land of wind-whipped grass, murky fog and rocky cliffs plunging into the rough sea. In many ways, it seems like the edge of the world.
Labrador, part of the Canadian mainland, has spectacular scenery, subalpine vegetation and a poor, partly Inuit population with almost no roads or tourist infrastructure. Visitors in the six-week summer season for the most part travel up the coast by boat.
The nautical spirit pervades most of Newfoundland and Labrador, with many who call the province home leaving the land behind in favor of fishing boats. In Newfoundland, fishing villages huddle on the remote shores, and museums convey the province's long seafaring history. Local cuisine includes steaming dishes of fresh seafood served with strong, dark rum. The place seems custom-made for people who love the water and the lore of the sea.
But Newfoundland and Labrador isn't all rough-and-tumble: Just steps away from centuries-old maritime haunts, visitors to St. John’s, Newfoundland, can sip swanky cocktails in luxurious accommodations that still stay true to their traditional environment.
The province is made up of both an island (Newfoundland) and a portion of mainland Canada (Labrador). The island is often referred to as "the Rock" and Labrador as "the Mainland," "the Labrador" or "the big land." Labrador is massive—larger than the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island combined.
St. John's, the capital, is located on the large peninsula called Avalon, which juts out of the southeast corner of Newfoundland.
The province's connection to seagoing boats was established long ago. The first trans-Atlantic sailors in history—the Vikings—visited Newfoundland about a thousand years ago. They established a settlement (now called L'Anse aux Meadows) on the northwestern tip of the island. The Vikings didn't stay long, possibly because the Native Americans in the region didn't give them a warm welcome. The Beothuk, Montagnais and Naskapi lived on the island of Newfoundland and in Labrador. They hunted sea animals in summer (including whales and seals) and moved inland to pursue caribou in winter. Wigwams made of birch bark and caribou skins were their homes, and birch-bark canoes, snowshoes and sleds were their means of travel.
Almost 500 years after the Vikings sailed away, John Cabot arrived and claimed this part of the north Atlantic for England. It was his report of plentiful cod that beckoned the fishing nations of Europe—England, France, Portugal and Spain—across treacherous waters to the region. Also in the 1500s, whaling ships began to work the Strait of Belle Isle, between Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 1583, English delegate Sir Humphrey Gilbert declared Newfoundland to be England's first colony, even as fishing ships from all over Europe continued making their hauls. For the next 150 years, control of the territory was largely left to the "Fishing Admirals"—a title bestowed upon the first captains to set anchor in Newfoundland harbors at the beginning of each fishing season.
In the early 1700s, "outports"—tiny settlements that often could only be reached by boat—began springing up along the coastline. Inhabited largely by people of Irish and English descent, many of these tiny fishing villages still exist. Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada as a province in 1949. The new government enticed many residents of the outport communities to move inland, and they took their culture and distinct personalities with them.
Unfortunately, the fishing industry that once defined the province has fallen on hard times. The cod stocks of the Grand Banks have been decimated from years of exhaustive fishing. Forestry, manufacturing, mining, offshore oil drilling and the generation of hydroelectric power are some of Newfoundland and Labrador's other businesses. With three oil fields in production offshore, Newfoundland and Labrador are also reaping the benefits of oil-related industries.
Newfoundland and Labrador's main attractions include history, fishing, the sea, lighthouses, seafood, coastal scenery, hunting, kayaking, whale-watching and bird-watching.
The province will appeal to those who like remote, less-visited destinations and those who are history or nature buffs. Newfoundland and Labrador will be less appealing to those who are uncomfortable in a cool-to-cold, damp climate or who desire lively, cosmopolitan surroundings.
Thousands of tourists go to the territory each year to see icebergs. Northeastern Newfoundland, particularly near Twillingate and along the Bonavista Peninsula, is among the best place to seek a vantage point during the spring, when bergs are calved.
The provincial flower is the pitcher plant, which survives the harsh climate by consuming insects that drown in pools of water trapped between its pitcher-shaped leaves. The provincial tree is the black spruce, and the official bird is the tiny puffin.
The beautiful Newfoundland dog and its cousin, the Labrador retriever, were born and bred in the province. These gentle, hardworking dogs are excellent swimmers because of their webbed feet.
Among Canadian provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador has the lowest per-capita income and the highest unemployment.
The Titanic sank about 500 mi/800 km south of Newfoundland.
The Beothuk of Newfoundland were the people first described by the British as "red Indians." It was customary for the Beothuk to cover their skin with red ocher.
With air virtually free of ragweed pollen, Newfoundland is a paradise for the allergy prone. There are no snakes or skunks, either.
Newfoundland and Labrador—long popular with seascape artists in summer—are said to be among the foggiest areas in the world, especially where warm currents from the south meet the frigid Labrador Current from the north.
