All About Newfoundland

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Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador. Much of the population is descended from English and Irish settlers, with the majority immigrating from the early 17th century to the late 19th century.

Until 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland was a separate dominion in the British Empire.  On March 31, 1949, it became the tenth and most recent province to join the Canadian Confederation as "Newfoundland". On December 6, 2001, the Constitution of Canada was amended to change the province's name from "Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador".

97% of residents reported English as their native language, making Newfoundland and Labrador Canada's most linguistically homogeneous province.  We heard no French spoken by Newfoundlanders and practically all signage was in English only.

The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador features a white field with blue and red triangles, and a golden arrow. The white symbolizes snow and ice, blue represents the sea, and red signifies human effort. The golden arrow, which transforms into a sword when the flag is hung as a banner, symbolizes the province's future and the sacrifices made in war, respectively. The two red triangles, one on the mainland and one on the island, emphasize the province's geographical unity.

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Newfoundland Fun Facts: (from various Internet sources)

• Newfoundland was once at the center of the supercontinent Pangea (according to the Smithsonian Museum). Geologically, the west, central and east coasts of the island are from modern day North America, Europe, and Africa that collided due to millions of years of continental drift.
• Newfoundland has its own time zone. The time zone on the island is one of the rare time 30 minute time zones—yep, it’s not on the hour mark like most countries, instead if you visit Newfoundland you will be living 30 min ahead of Atlantic time and 90 minutes ahead of eastern time.
• It used to be the location of the world’s busiest airport. Back in the day, most airplanes couldn’t make a transatlantic flight from New York to London without refueling. Newfoundland was the closest bit of North America to Europe, so it’s where most planes stopped. Gander International Airport is located almost exactly on the great circle route from New York to London, which is why it was the busiest in the world in the 1950’s. Its airport code, YQX, would make a great Scrabble word if they let you use airport codes.
• The only known case of Germans landing in North America during WWII was in Newfoundland. On October 22, 1943, German submarine U-537 landed on Martin Bay in the north of Labrador and set up a remote weather station. After the war, this spot was completely forgotten and wasn’t visited again until 1981.
• Newfoundland has more dialects per capita than anywhere in the world.
• Newfoundland has more working musicians per capita than anywhere in the world.
• The Flat Earth Society considers NL to be one of the 4 corners of the world.
• According to Stats Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada's "happiest" province. It also reports the highest quality of life and life satisfaction in the country.
• Newfoundland was essentially its own country with its own currency, Prime Minister, national anthem, ect. To this day, it is the only Dominion to ever give up its self governing status.
• The official name of the province is Newfoundland and Labrador, changed in 2001 to reflect the larger chunk of land on the continental mainland.
• Almost everyone pronounces Newfoundland wrong – there’s a slight guttural stop between “Newfound” and “land” with the latter pronounced as you would if it were isolated. So, the proper way to say the name is “Newfound-land”.
• L’Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland island is the oldest European settlement in North America, built by Norse sailors (or “Vikings”) around 1000 years ago.
• 95% of North American puffins live in Newfoundland and Labrador, and it is the official bird of the province.
• St. John’s has one of the most colourful waterfronts in the world. The row houses were painted all different colors so ships could see them through the fog.
• The Newfoundland Dog is a large, strong dog with a heavy coat to protect it from icy winds and waters. Its feet are large, strong, webbed, and well-suited to swimming. It’s also known for its intelligence, loyalty, and sweet temperament.
• The province is located along a major iceberg migration route known as “Iceberg Alley.” Icebergs calve (basically split or shed) from glaciers in Greenland and travel south along the Labrador Current, bringing them close to the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The provincial anthem of Newfoundland and Labrador is “Ode to Newfoundland” by Sir Cavendish Boyle.  Click HERE to listen to the anthem.
• Everyone lives on Newfoundland – while the province encompasses both Newfoundland AND Labrador, a shocking 94% of the population lives on Newfoundland. Of those folks, another whopping 40% live in St. John’s, the capital city.

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Newfoundland Dog or "Newfie".  Photo from Adobe Stock

We will be on the island of Newfoundland, affectionately known as "The Rock" for almost 3 weeks.  We will primarily circumnavigate the island in a clockwise fashion, before returning to the mainland via ferry in Nova Scotia. Stay tuned!