Newfoundland and Labrador

Introduction

Norris Point fishing boats, Newfoundland

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Only joining Canada in 1949, Newfound and Labrador is the youngest of Canada's provinces and yet has a wealth of history, from the aboriginal peoples living in the area, to the Vikings who landed in Newfoundland in the time around 1000 AD, to John Cabot, who came in 1497. Today, Newfoundland and Labrador offers the natural beauty of the rugged coastline, dotted with "jellybean houses" in beautiful colours, a chance to see whales playing among icebergs, and a chance to drink something called "Screech," kiss a fish and be considered one of the locals.

For more tourism information, check out the official tourism site of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Geography

The eastern most province in Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador is made up of two parts. Newfoundland is an island that sits in the Saint Lawrence Gulf, 70 miles from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and 11 miles across the Strait of Belle Isle from the mainland part of the province, Labrador. Labrador shares the majority of it's land border with Quebec, and includes part of the disputed region of "Nunatsiavut," an area in northern Labrador and Quebec claimed by the Inuit.

Newfoundland has a rugged coastline, in many places consisting of high cliffs.

Cities

• St. John's is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America.

Sights

Gros Morne National Park (Unesco world heritage sight)
Terra Nova National Park
Viking site L'anse aux Meadows (Unesco world heritage sight)
Avalon Wilderness Reserve, with a huge population of karibous.

Activities

Kiss the Cod

The "Screech-In" is a ceremony where non-Newfoundlanders or “come-from-aways” become honourary Newfoundlanders by drinking a shot of Screech rum, repeating some phrases in a Newfoundland dialect and kissing a cod. The Atlantic cod was abundant in the waters off Newfoundland, and much of the province was employed in the fishery industry. In the early 1980s, the cod stocks collapsed due to overfishing, however the cod still holds a place of honour in Newfoundland.

Come-from-aways who perform the "screech-in" will get a certificate that names them as honourary Newfoundlanders and members of the Royal Order of Screechers.^[1]

Whale watching

The waters around Newfoundland have a very rich and varied wildlife, which can be viewed on whale watch excursions and if you are lucky even from land you can see the whales just offshore. There are about 22 different sorts of whales, the Humpback whale being the most impressive sight. Of course there are also opportunities to see dolphins, seals and different species of birds on these trips. The best locations on Newfoundland are along the coast of the Avalon Peninsula in the southeast of the island, especially south of the capital St. John's. Also on the eastern shores there are good possibilities like from Twilingate and Trinity.

Iceberg watching

Every spring and early summer the eastcoast of Newfoundland is the showpiece of watching icebergs, drifting away from the icefields near Greenland and North Canada. They can be seen as south as St. John's, but usually one of the best places to see them is in near Twilingate and Trinity.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Due to the Labrador current in the Atlantic Ocean, Newfound and Labrador has cool summers and cold winters.

Of all the cities in Canada, St. John's is the foggiest, snowiest, wettest, windiest, and cloudiest, with more days of freezing rain and wet weather.^[2]

Getting There

By Plane

Newfoundland has two international airports – located in St. John's and Gander.

By Car

If you prefer to get to Labrador by road, you can drive to Labrador City and Wabush via Quebec Route 389. The Quebec Highway meets unpaved Route 500, which crosses Labrador to meet the ferry and coastal boat at Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

There are no bridges to the island of Newfoundland. See the By Boat section for details on car ferries to Newfoundland.

By Rail

Rail services are operated between Sept-Îsles, Quebec and Wabush, Labrador by the Iron Ore Company of Canada’s Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway.

By Boat

The main surface links to the Island of Newfoundland are by superferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Superferries carry hundreds of vehicles and passengers daily between North Sydney and Port aux Basques in southwestern Newfoundland, and between North Sydney and Argentia, a 90 minute drive from St. John's in The Avalon, from June to September.
For details check their website Marine Atlantic

In summer, a passenger ferry operates between Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a little piece of France just off of the Burin Peninsula, and Fortune, just 19 kilometres away.

A coastal passenger and freight vessel also sails along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Natashquan at the end of Quebec Route 138 to Blanc Sablon on the border between Quebec and Labrador. From there you can drive on Route 510 as far north as Cartwright and take a ferry from there to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, or take the Strait of Belle Isle ferry from Blanc Sablon to St. Barbe on Newfoundland’s west coast.

Getting Around

By Plane

In addition to the two international airports in St. John's and Gander, Newfound and Labrador has domestic airports in Deer Lake, Stephenville, and St. Anthony in Newfoundland, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Churchill Falls, and Wabush in Labrador

By Car

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador offers a time and distance calculator for drivers at their site: Road Distances in Newfoundland and Labrador, which includes links to google maps for directions.

Eat

Drink

Sleep