405,720 sq km (156,648 sq miles).

516,000 (2005 estimate).

1.27 per sq km.

St John’s. Population: 180,631 (2005).

Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly Canadian province. It consists of the Island of Newfoundland and the mainland plateau region of Labrador which borders the province of Québec. The province stretches approximately 1700km (1063 miles) north to south, and has approximately 17,000km (10,625 miles) of coastline, much of it rugged and heavily indented with bays and fjords. The interior of Newfoundland is a combination of forest, heath, lakes and rivers spread over a terrain that ranges from mountainous in the west to rolling hills in the centre and east. Labrador is also mountainous in the west, although its rivers are larger and wilder.

Although Canada is officially bilingual (English and French), 95 per cent of this province speaks English as a first language.

Newfoundland society shows the dominant influence of northern European – especially English and Irish, but also French – settlers in its dialects, folk music and dance. Aboriginal peoples with distinct cultures and traditions include the Mi’kmaq on Newfoundland and the Inuit, Innu and Métis in Labrador. Geographical isolation nurtured a fiercely independent spirit in the province, which joined the Canadian Union as late as 1949.