The capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia is Halifax. It lies on Halifax Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. Located on Nova Scotia's southeastern coast, it is one of Canada's major seaports. Its year-round harbor is capable of handling large vessels.

Places of interest

Halifax is a center of education and culture. Among its institutions of higher learning are Dalhousie University, the University of King's College, St. Mary's University, and the Technical University of Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Museum has historical, geographic, and marine exhibits. Halifax's historic buildings include Province House, the Capitol, and St. Paul's Church, Canada's oldest Protestant church. Overlooking the city is the Halifax Citadel, a massive19th-century fortress built by the British. The area surrounding the citadel is now a national historic park.

Economy and transportation

Halifax is also Nova Scotia's leading commercial and industrial center. Its ice-free harbor, one of the busiest in Canada, exports fish, lumber, and agricultural products. Industries in Halifax include shipbuilding, automobile manufacture, textile and rope making, and fish processing.

Halifax is linked to other parts of the province by rail and freeway. It is connected to the town of Dartmouth, on the opposite side of the harbor, by ferry and by suspension bridges. An international airport is 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of the city.

History

In 1605 the French explorer Samuel de Champlain became the first European to visit the future site of Halifax. By the early 18th century a French fishing station had been established there. British settlers, led by Edward Cornwallis, established the town of Halifax in 1749. It was named after George Montagu Dunk, the 2nd Earl of Halifax.

Halifax continually served as a British Army and Navy base until its facilities were taken over by the Canadian government in 1906. In 1917 a ship carrying ammunition exploded in the harbor, killing nearly 2,000 people and destroying much of the city's north side. During World Wars I and II, Halifax was Canada's largest and most important naval base. Population (1996 estimate), city, 113,910; (1999 estimate), metropolitan area, 352,600.