Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island  is an island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence located off the east coast of Canada.
The island has been inhabited since ancient times by the tribes of the Mikmak Indian people, who call the island Epekwikt, which means “rest on the waves”.
The northern coast of the island was discovered on July 1, 1534.  by the French navigator Jacques Cartier during his first voyage in search of the so-called “Northwest Passage”, which he called the island of Ile de Saint Jean. Over the next 200 years, European, primarily French, migrant fishermen settled on the island, established their own settlements, and developed agriculture and fishing.
Throughout the 19th century, many immigrants arrived on the island, mainly from the British Isles and, mainly relatively wealthy families in Britain, and by the time the colony joined Canada.

The island consists of 3 counties: Prince County: It covers the west of the island , Queens County: 2-thirds of the island live here. There are capital cities and villages of various sizes , Kings County: It does not have a city. Most people live in Montauge, Georgetown, and Morell.
Prince Edward Island is known for its sandy beaches, sand dunes and potato fields. It is also known as the home of Anne Shirley from the Lucy Maud Montgomery classic Anne of Green Gables. It became the cradle of Canadian Confederation when the Fathers of Confederation met there in 1864 to discuss the union of the British colonies in North America. Canada was created three years later. The province is renowned as an exporter of the world’s finest lobsters, specialty potatoes and the Green Gables tourist destination.

Access : Coordinates: 46.5, -63 / The island can be reached by crossing the 13 km Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick and by ferry from Nova Scotia.
The island’s transportation network developed from the port towns of Charlottetown, Summerside, Borden, Georgetown and Souris.
/ By 1997, three ferry lines made the connection to the mainland. Marine Atlantic operated a year-round line between Borden and Cape Tormentine in New Brunswick. Seasonal lines from Northumberland Ferries Limited between Wood Islands and Caribou in Nova Scotia and from CTMA between Souris and Cap-aux-Meules in Québec and to the Magdalene Islands are still in operation.
/ During the summer season, several cruise ships stop in Charlottetown for a day.

Highlights :

•  Cities : Charlottetown – Capital of the province ,Cornwall , Brackley Beach , Stanhope, Borden-Carleton ,North Rustico-New Glasgow , Montague ,Wood Islands , Summerside , Cavendish – A rural village but full of vacationers in good weather , Souris – At the eastern end of the island, Souris is a delightful village with a small dock.
•  The house of green gables : The most famous writer of the Canadian island-province is Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her novel, Anne of Green Gables, has become a classic in Canadian literature. The tourism industry of the province is built on the popularity of the book and its author: excursions to the writer’s house are organized both for the readers of the author’s books and for TV viewers , at the Charlottetown Concert Hall during the tourist season, the play “Anne of the Green Gables” is played daily for visitors.
  Cavendysh is a typical tourist resort with the Green Gables Museum, restaurants and beaches. The Green Gables House Museum welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.
•  The island is named after Queen Victoria’s father, Prince Edward Augustus (1767-1820), Duke of Kent and Strathearn.
•  Prince Edward Island National Park : National park covering most of the North Central coast and includes several tourist destinations.
•  Évangéline region – The main Acadian region of the province / St. Peters Bay.
•  The former bustling fishing town of Charlottetown has become a favorite tourist destination with buildings from the late 18th and 19th centuries preserved.
•  The Confederation Bridge (New Brunswick, Canada), with a length of 12.9 km, connects the province of Prince Edward Island.
•  The beaches are famous for their moving sand dunes and coastal cliffs.
•  Victoria  is a picturesque artists’ village, a former fishing port. The Victoria Lighthouse  has been converted into a museum, and the old marina has been converted into a complex of shops and restaurants.
•  Summerside  is the second largest city of PEI . It houses the College of Piping and Celtic Perfofming Arts . The College teaches bagpipes and traditional Celtic and Scottish dances, and also hosts Celtic festivals. Each summer, the city hosts the Lobster Carnival  and the Atlantic Arm Wrestling Championships .
•  Monument for the Acadian expulsion in Prince Edward Island :  A large number of Acadians were forcibly removed from the island in the mid 18th century.
•  The Cavendish Beach Music Festival is an annual music festival held in mid-July.
•  The building of the Confederation Center for the Arts (Charlottetown, PEI, Canada) stands out for its post-modernist architecture. Inside there is a museum, art gallery, library and a working theater.
•  Prince Edward Island is recognizable by its soil and red sand. It is the high iron content that gives this color to the soil.
•  kitchen : There is probably the only “Lobsterburger” at McDonalds in the world. The island’s lobsters and oysters are famous./ This province is also often called the “potato island”, the ferruginous soils of the island are conducive to growing the largest and most delicious potatoes in the world.

Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / Golf : The island is a golfer’s paradise in summer. / Sport fishing for bluefin tuna attracts tourists from all over the world. / horse racing.

Go next : Îles-de-la-Madeleine – Magdalen Islands / Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s Atlantic Provinces. / New Brunswick / Cape Breton Island.