- Geography of New Brunswick
New Brunswick ( _fr. Nouveau-Brunswick) is one ofCanada 's threeMaritime provinces , and the only officially bilingual province (French and English) in the country. Its capital isFredericton .Physical geography
New Brunswick is bounded on the north by
Quebec 'sGaspé Peninsula andChaleur Bay and on the east by theGulf of Saint Lawrence andNorthumberland Strait . To the south, the narrowIsthmus of Chignecto connects it to peninsularNova Scotia , most of which is separated from the mainland by theBay of Fundy . On its west, the province borders the American state ofMaine . The boundary with the U.S. was settled during the "Aroostook War " of 1838-39 which was largely instigated by businessman and political activist John Baker. New Brunswick is one of two provinces (the other beingAlberta ) to border a singleU.S. state .The total land and water area of the province is 72,908
square kilometre s. About 80% of the province is forested, with the other 20% consisting of agricultural land and urban areas. The major urban centres lie in the south of the province. The bulk of the arable land is found in the UpperSt. John River Valley, with lesser amounts of farmland found in the southeast of the province.While New Brunswick is one of Canada's
Maritime Provinces , it differs from its neighbours both ethnoculturally and physiographically. BothNova Scotia andPrince Edward Island are either wholly or nearly surrounded by water and the ocean therefore tends to define their climate, economy and culture. New Brunswick, on the other hand, although having a significant seacoast, is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean proper and has a large interior which is removed from oceanic effects. New Brunswick therefore tends to be defined by its rivers rather than its seacoast.The major river systems in the province include the
St. John River ,Petitcodiac River ,Miramichi River ,St. Croix River and theRestigouche River . The St. John River is thought to be the second longest river on the North American eastern seaboard between theSt. Lawrence River and theMississippi River .New Brunswick lies entirely within the Appalachian Mountain range, a chain of ancient, eroded mountains which have created river valleys and low, gently rolling hills throughout large parts of the province. The eastern and central part of the province consists of the New Brunswick Lowland, whereas the Caledonia Highlands and St. Croix Highlands extend along the Bay of Fundy coast, reaching elevations of 300 metres. The northwestern part of the province is the remote and more rugged Miramichi Highlands, Chaleur Uplands, and the Notre Dame Mountains with a maximum elevation at Mount Carleton of 820 metres.
The northern seacoast, along
Miramichi Bay , theGulf of St. Lawrence and theBay of Chaleur is called the North Shore, a region predominately Francophone, but with sizeable English speaking communities as well.Rivers
The majority of western New Brunswick is drained by the
Saint John River system. The river, which rises in northern Maine, empties into theBay of Fundy in Saint John. Notable tributaries within the province include the Madawaska River,Tobique River ,Meduxnekeag River ,Nashwaak River ,Oromocto River ,Nerepis River andKennebecasis River . Other water bodies within the Saint John River system are Grand Lake (which itself is fed by the Salmon River),Washademoak Lake (fed by theCanaan River ), andBelleisle Bay . The high tides of the Bay of Fundy often cause the Saint John River to flow upstream, an effect most pronounced at theReversing Falls in Saint John.The
Petitcodiac River Shepody River ,Tantramar River , andMemramcook River empty intoChignecto Bay at the head of the Bay of Fundy. Like the Saint John River, the Bay of Fundy tides cause another upstream phenomenon, known as atidal bore . The construction of acauseway on the river atMoncton , approximately 50kilometre s upstream, has lessened the tidal bore's effect and changed the river's ecosystem.Other rivers which empty into the Bay of Fundy include the St. Croix River,
Digdeguash River ,Magaguadavic River , Musquash River andBig Salmon River .The system of the
Miramichi River , which flows intoMiramichi Bay at the city of Miramichi, drains a large portion of central New Brunswick. There are two main branches, theSouthwest Miramichi River andNorthwest Miramichi River , with several smaller tributaries such as theDungarvon River ,Renous River ,Bartholomew River andCains River . The Miramichi River system is noted for itssalmon pools and parks.The
Restigouche River system drains a large portion of northwestern and north-central New Brunswick. The river flows into theBay of Chaleur at its head near Dalhousie, and like the Miramichi, is renowned for its salmon fishing. Notable tributaries are theKedgwick River ,Patapedia River , andUpsalquitch River .The
Nepisiguit River is another notable river feeding the Bay of Chaleur. Smaller rivers into the bay include theCaraquet River ,Tetagouche River andJacquet River .The
Northumberland Strait is fed by the Kouchibouguac, Kouchibouguacis, Richibucto, Bouctouche, Cocagne and Shediac Rivers; while theGulf of St. Lawrence is fed by the Tabusintac, Big Tracadie and Pokemouche Rivers.Islands
There are two major island groups in New Brunswick:
The Fundy Isles are located at the entrance to the
Bay of Fundy . The three main Fundy Isles are Campobello, Deer, and Grand Manan. White Head, off the southeast coast of Grand Manan, is the only other inhabited island in the Bay of Fundy.Machias Seal Island , to the west, is claimed by both Canada and the United States. Partridge Island, at the entrance to Saint John Harbour, is of historical importance as the site of aquarantine station for new immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries.Another group of islands is located in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence , off the coast of theAcadian Peninsula in the northeastern corner of the province. The two largest islands areLamèque Island andMiscou Island ; with another inhabited island, Pokesudie, located to the west on the other side ofShippagan Bay .Few large islands are located in the
Northumberland Strait orBay of Chaleur .Several inland islands are located in the
Saint John River , but none are currently settled. Many were flooded by the construction of theMactaquac Dam in the 1960s. Two islands in theKennebecasis River (Kennebecasis Island andDarlings Island ) are permanently settled.Cities and municipalities
New Brunswick has eight officially incorporated cities, listed here in descending order by population:
*Saint John
*Moncton
*Fredericton
*Dieppe
*Miramichi
*Edmundston
*Bathurst
*CampbelltonThe major urban areas of the province are Metropolitan Saint John (Saint John,
Quispamsis , Rothesay) and Greater Moncton (Moncton ,Riverview , Dieppe). Moncton being the largest Metro at 126,424 and Saint John coming in second at 122,389. GreaterFredericton (the provincial capital) has a census agglomeration population of 85,688. The population of New Brunswick is majority English-speaking but with a substantial (35%) French-speaking minority calledAcadians (from "Acadia ", the former name of this region during the French colonial period). Most Acadians migrated to the area from theVienne region of France. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada.10 largest municipalities by population
Provincial parks
There are eleven provincial parks.
Provincial
See also
* Communities in New Brunswick
* Counties in New Brunswick
* Airports in New Brunswick
* Rivers in New Brunswick
* Schools in New BrunswickExternal links
* [http://www.gnb.ca/ Official site of the Government of New Brunswick]
Subdivisions of New Brunswick
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