Editing Nova Scotia

{{Short description|Province of Canada}}
{{About|the province in Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox province or territory of Canada
| name                = Nova Scotia
| settlement_type     = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| other_name          = {{native name|fr|Nouvelle-Écosse}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/2abcb7c5af4311d892e2080020a0f4c9 |title=Place names – Nouvelle-Écosse / Nova Scotia |last=Government of Canada |first=Natural Resources Canada |website=www4.rncan.gc.ca |access-date=16 April 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610175146/http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/unique/2abcb7c5af4311d892e2080020a0f4c9 |url-status=live}}</ref><br/>{{native name|gd|Alba Nuadh}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gaelic.novascotia.ca |title=Nova Scotia/Alba Nuadh |last=Province of Nova Scotia |first=Gaelic Affairs |website=gaelic.novascotia.ca |access-date=21 April 2020 |archive-date=23 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423125844/https://gaelic.novascotia.ca/ |url-status=live}}</ref><br/>	
{{native name|mic|Enmigtaqamu'g}}<ref name="o215">{{cite web | title=Bill 148 | website=Nova Scotia Legislature | date=2022-04-07 | url=https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/64th_1st/1st_read/b148.htm | access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
| image_flag          = Flag of Nova Scotia.svg
| image_shield        = Coat of arms of Nova Scotia.svg
| motto               = {{native phrase|la|Munit Hæc et Altera Vincit}}<br />"One defends and the other conquers"
| image_map           = Nova Scotia in Canada 2.svg
| Label_map           = yes
| coordinates         = {{Coord|45|N|63|W|type:adm1st_scale:30000000_region:CA-NS|notes=<ref>{{Cite cgndb|CBCBY|Nova Scotia}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
| official_lang        = [[Canadian English]] (''de jure'')<ref>{{cite web |title=The Legal Context of Canada's Official Languages |publisher=University of Ottawa |url=https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal |access-date=7 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010214715/https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />'''First Language''': [[Mi'kmaq language|Mi'kmawi'simk]]<ref name=FirstLang>{{cite web |title=Legislation Enshrines Mi'kmaw as Nova Scotia's First Language |url=https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220407003 |website=Province of Nova Scotia |publisher=L'nu Affairs |access-date=19 June 2022 |language=en, mic |date=7 April 2022 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502085432/https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220407003 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=LangAct>{{Cite canlaw|short title=Mi'kmaw Language Act |abbr=SNS |year=2022 |chapter=5. |link=https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/mi'kmaw%20language.pdf}}</ref>
'''Recognized Regional Languages:'''
[[Canadian French]], [[Canadian Gaelic]]
| capital             = [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]]
| largest_city        = [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]]
| largest_metro       = Halifax
| Premier             = [[Tim Houston]]
| PremierParty        = [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|PC]]
| government_type     = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] [[constitutional monarchy]]
| Viceroy             = [[Michael Savage (politician)|Mike Savage]]
| ViceroyType         = Lieutenant Governor
| Legislature         = Nova Scotia House of Assembly
| PCI                 = 39,092
| area_rank           = 12th
| area_total_km2      = 55284
| area_land_km2       = 52942
| area_water_km2      = 2342
| PercentWater        = 4.2
| population_demonym  = Nova Scotian, Bluenoser
| population_rank     = 7th
| population_total    = 969,383<!--2021 StatCan federal census population only per [[WP:CANPOP]]. Do not update until 2026 census population released. Use "Population_est" below for latest StatCan quarterly estimate.-->
| population_ref      = <ref name=StatCan2021>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000101 |title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=9 February 2022 |access-date=9 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209134802/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000101}}</ref>
| population_as_of    = [[2021 Canadian census|2021]]
| population_est      = 1079627<!-- Latest StatCan quarterly estimate only. -->
| pop_est_as_of       = Q1 2025
| pop_est_ref         =<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2025 |title=Population estimates, quarterly |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]]}}</ref>
| DensityRank         = 2nd
| Density_km2         = 18.91<ref name="StatCan2021"/>
| GDP_year            = 2020
| GDP_total           = {{CAD|46.849}}&nbsp;billion<ref name=GDP2020>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610022201 |title=Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual (x 1,000,000) |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=9 November 2021 |access-date=8 May 2022 |archive-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423203300/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610022201 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| GDP_rank            = 7th
| GDP_per_capita      = {{CAD|52,390}}
| GDP_per_capita_rank = 12th
| AdmittanceOrder     = 1st, with [[New Brunswick]], [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]]
| AdmittanceDate      = 1 July 1867
| Former              = <nowiki>Province of Nova Scotia</nowiki>
| HouseSeats          = 11
| SenateSeats         = 10
| timezone1           = [[Atlantic Time Zone|Atlantic]]
| utc_offset1         = -04:00
| PostalAbbreviation  = NS
| PostalCodePrefix    = [[List of B postal codes of Canada|B]]
| iso_code            = CA-NS
| website             = novascotia.ca
| flower              = [[Epigaea repens|Mayflower]]
| tree                = [[Picea rubens|Red spruce]]
| bird                = [[Osprey]]
|HDI=0.903<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Global Data Lab |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/CAN/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |access-date=18 July 2021 |website=globaldatalab.org |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718222007/https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/CAN/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |url-status=live}}</ref> — <span style="color:#090">Very high</span>|HDI_rank=11th|HDI_year=2019|timezone1_DST=[[Atlantic Daylight Time|ADT]]|utc_offset1_DST=-03:00}}

'''Nova Scotia'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|oʊ|v|ə|_|'|s|k|oʊ|ʃ|ə}} {{respell|NOH|və|_|SKOH|shə}}; {{Langx|fr|Nouvelle-Écosse}}; {{Langx|gd|Alba Nuadh|lit=New Scotland}}}} is a [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[Canada]], located on its east coast. It is one of the three [[Maritime Canada|Maritime provinces]] and [[Population of Canada by province and territory|most populous province]] in [[Atlantic Canada]], with an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2024; it is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and second-smallest province by area.<ref name="2016census">{{cite web |date=8 February 2017 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census - Nova Scotia [Province] and Canada [Country] |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=12&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=nova%20scotia&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225002914/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=12&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=nova%20scotia&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=8 February 2017 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}</ref> The province comprises the [[Nova Scotia peninsula]] and [[Cape Breton Island]], as well as 3,800 other coastal islands. The province is connected to the rest of Canada by the [[Isthmus of Chignecto]], on which the province's land border with [[New Brunswick]] is located.

Nova Scotia's [[Capital city|capital]] and largest municipality is [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], which is home to over 45% of the province's population as of the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]]. Halifax is the [[List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada|twelfth-largest]] census metropolitan area in Canada,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beck |first1=J. Murray |date=7 April 2009 |title=Nova Scotia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nova-scotia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106020100/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/nova-scotia |archive-date=6 November 2021 |access-date=4 March 2020 |website=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> the largest municipality in [[Atlantic Canada]], and Canada's second-largest coastal municipality after [[Vancouver]].

The land that makes up what is now Nova Scotia was inhabited by the [[Mi'kmaq|Miꞌkmaq]] people at the time of European colonization. In 1605, [[Acadia]]—France's first [[New France]] colony—was founded with the creation of Acadia's capital, [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port Royal]].<ref name="Morton1999" /> The Scots, English, then British, fought France for the territory on numerous occasions for over a century afterwards, having gained it from them in the 1713 [[Peace of Utrecht]], which ended the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. In subsequent years, the British began settling "[[foreign Protestants]]" in the region and [[Expulsion of the Acadians|deported the French-speaking Acadians en masse]]. During the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), thousands of [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] settled in Nova Scotia.

In 1848, Nova Scotia became the first British colony to achieve [[responsible government]]. In July 1867, Nova Scotia [[Canadian Confederation|joined in Confederation]] with New Brunswick and the [[Province of Canada]] (now [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]), forming the Dominion of Canada.

==Etymology==
{{Further|Etymology of Scotland}}
"{{lang|la|Nova Scotia}}" is [[Latin]] for "New [[Scotland]]"<ref>[http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/discovernovascotia/history/routestoyourroots/settlementpatterns/scottishsettlement.aspx Scottish Settlement] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207152640/http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/discovernovascotia/history/routestoyourroots/settlementpatterns/scottishsettlement.aspx |date=7 December 2013 }}. Novascotia.com. Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref> and is the recognized [[Canadian English]] name for the province. In both [[Canadian French]] and [[Canadian Gaelic]], the province is directly translated as "New Scotland" (French: ''{{lang|fr|Nouvelle-Écosse}}''. Canadian Gaelic: ''{{lang|gd|Alba Nuadh}}''). In general, [[Romance languages|Romance]] and [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] languages use ''[[translations]]'' of "New Scotland" to their language, while most other languages use ''[[transliterations]]'' of the Latin (which is the same as English) name.

The province was first named in the 1621 Royal Charter granting to [[William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling|Sir William Alexander]] the right to settle lands as a [[Scotland|Scottish]] colony, including modern Nova Scotia, [[Cape Breton Island]], [[Prince Edward Island]], [[New Brunswick]] and the [[Gaspé Peninsula]].<ref name="royalcharter">{{cite book |title=Nova Scotia: The Royal Charter of 1621 to Sir William Alexander |url=https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20110202 |year=1922 |publisher=University of Toronto Press (Reprinted from the Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute, Vol. XIV, Part 1) |location=Toronto |access-date=7 April 2018 |archive-date=8 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408073335/https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20110202 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Nova Scotia}}
{{See also|Military history of Nova Scotia|Monarchy in Nova Scotia#History}}
{{More citations needed|section|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Mi'kmaq people at Tufts Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada, ca. 1871.jpg|thumb|[[Mi'kmaq]] family in [[Tuft's Cove, Nova Scotia|Tuft's Cove]], 1871. The Mi'kmaq inhabited Nova Scotia when the first Europeans arrived.]]

Nova Scotia includes regions of the [[Mi'kmaq]] nation of [[Miꞌkmaꞌki|Mi'kma'ki]] (''{{lang|mic|mi'gama'gi}}''), the territory of which extends across the Maritimes, parts of [[Maine]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] and the [[Gaspé Peninsula]]. The Mi'kmaq people are part of the large [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian-language]] family and inhabited Nova Scotia at the time the first European colonists arrived.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museum.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/inline/documents/mikmaq1.pdf |title=Info Sheet – The Mi'kmaq |work=museum.novascotia.ca |access-date=2 July 2019 |archive-date=22 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122213253/https://museum.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/inline/documents/mikmaq1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Research published in 1871 as well as S. T. Rand's work from 1894 showed that some Mi’kmaq believed they had emigrated from the west, and then lived alongside the Kwēdĕchk, the original inhabitants.<ref name="Elder_1871">{{cite book |last=Elder |first=William |title=The North American Review |publisher=Vol. 112, No. 230 |date=1871 |page=3}}</ref><ref name="Rand_1894">{{cite book |last=Rand |first=Silas Tertius |title=Legends of the Micmacs |publisher=Longman, Green, and Co. |date=1894 |location=New York and London |page=206}}</ref> The two tribes engaged in a war that lasted "many years", and involved the "slaughter of men, women, and children, and torture of captives", and the eventual displacement of the Kwēdĕchk by the victorious Mi’kmaq.<ref name="Elder_1871"/>

===European settlement===
The first Europeans to settle the area were the French, who sailed into the Annapolis Basin in 1604, but chose to settle at [[Saint Croix Island, Maine|Saint Croix Island]] in Maine instead. They abandoned the Maine settlement the following year and, in 1605, established a settlement at [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port Royal]], which grew into modern-day [[Annapolis Royal]]. This would be the first permanent European settlement in what would later become Canada. The settlement was in the Mi'kmaw district of Kespukwitk and was the founding settlement of what would become [[Acadia]].<ref name="Morton1999">{{cite book |first=Desmond |last=Morton |title=Canada: A Millennium Portrait |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GOxGQZg0KtoC&pg=PT19 |date=30 November 1999 |publisher=Dundurn |isbn=978-1-4597-1085-6 |page=19 |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-date=18 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118083129/https://books.google.com/books?id=GOxGQZg0KtoC&pg=PT19 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/acadian/ Nova Scotia Archives – An Acadian Parish Remembered] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116002459/http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/acadian/ |date=16 January 2013 }}. Gov.ns.ca (1 December 2009). Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref>

In 1621, King [[James VI of Scotland]] granted a charter to allow a Scottish colony to be founded in North America. The charter which was granted by the King covered the area of the [[The Maritimes|Maritime Provinces]] and the [[Gaspé peninsula]], whilst the French had claimed territory in [[Acadia]]. The charter granted [[Sir William Alexander]], a Scottish noble, powers to establish a system of government, full rights over fishing and minerals and the power to execute law in the new colony. A Scottish colony was eventually established in 1629 following the arrival of around seventy Scots to settle in the area known as "New Scotland".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parks Canada Agency |first1=Government of Canada |title=Site history |url=https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/fortanne/culture/charles-fort/histoire-history |website=parks.canada.ca |access-date=7 December 2024 |date=24 November 2022}}</ref> "New Scotland" was captured by the French in 1632, with the Scots who had colonised the area forced to return to Scotland after the French occupation. Following a prolonged period of change between the French and British, Nova Scotia eventually returned to the British (which by now included Scotland as one of the [[countries of the United Kingdom]] following the [[Treaty of Union]]). As a result, many Scots grasped the opportunity to once again settle in Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Colonisation of Nova Scotia |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Colonisation-of-Nova-Scotia/ |website=Historic UK |access-date=7 December 2024}}</ref>

Warfare was common in Nova Scotia during the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Landy |first1=Nicolas |last2=Chiasson |first2=Pere Anselme |title=History of Acadia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-acadia |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=25 November 2024 |date=August 19, 2013}}</ref> During the first 80 years the French and Acadians lived in Nova Scotia, nine significant military clashes took place as the English, Dutch, French and Mi'kmaq fought for possession of the area. These encounters happened at Port Royal, [[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]],<ref>Until 1784, New Brunswick administratively formed part of Nova Scotia.</ref> Cap de Sable (present-day [[Pubnico (village), Nova Scotia|Pubnico]] to [[Port La Tour, Nova Scotia]]), [[Jemseg, New Brunswick|Jemseg]] (1674 and 1758) and [[Baleine, Nova Scotia|Baleine]] (1629). The [[Acadian Civil War]] took place from 1640 to 1645. Beginning with [[King William's War]] in 1688, a series of six wars [[Second Hundred Years' War|took place between the English and the French]], with Nova Scotia being a consistent theatre of conflict between the two powers.

====18th century====
[[File:EvacutionOfPortRoyal1710byCWJefferys.png|thumb|left|French forces withdrawing from [[Port-Royal (Acadia)|Port-Royal]] after being [[Siege of Port Royal (1710)|defeated]] by the British in 1710]]

Hostilities between England and France in North America resumed from 1702 to 1713, known as [[Queen Anne's War]]. The [[Siege of Port Royal (1710)|siege of Port Royal]] took place in 1710, ending French rule in peninsular Acadia. The subsequent signing of the [[Peace of Utrecht|Treaty of Utrecht]] in 1713 formally recognized British rule in the region, while returning Cape Breton Island ({{lang|fr|Île Royale}}) and Prince Edward Island ({{lang|fr|Île Saint-Jean}}) to the French. Despite the British [[Siege of Port Royal (1710)|conquest of Acadia]] in 1710, Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Mi'kmaq, who confined British forces to Annapolis and to Canso. Present-day New Brunswick formed a part of the French colony of Acadia. Immediately after the capture of Port Royal in 1710, [[Francis Nicholson]] announced it would be renamed [[Annapolis Royal]] in honour of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].

As a result of [[Dummer's War|Father Rale's War]] (1722–1725), the Mi'kmaq signed a series of treaties with the British in 1725. The Mi'kmaq signed a treaty of submission to the British crown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mascarene's Treaty of 1725 |url=http://www.stmarysfirstnation.com/consult/Treaty1.pdf |access-date=15 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010214841/http://www.stmarysfirstnation.com/consult/Treaty1.pdf |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mascarene's Treaty of 1725 |url=https://www.apcfnc.ca/images/uploads/mascarenestreaty.pdf |access-date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719200134/https://www.apcfnc.ca/images/uploads/mascarenestreaty.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, conflict between the Acadians, Mi'kmaq, French and the British persisted in the following decades with [[King George's War]] (1744–1748).

[[Father Le Loutre's War]] (1749–1755) began when [[Edward Cornwallis]] arrived to establish [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] with 13 transports on 21 June 1749.<ref>Grenier, John. ''The Far Reaches of Empire. War in Nova Scotia, 1710–1760.'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008</ref><ref>Thomas Beamish Akins. ''History of Halifax,'' Brookhouse Press. 1895. (2002 edition), p. 7</ref> A General Court, made up of the governor and the council, was the highest court in the colony at the time.<ref name=nscourts/> [[Jonathan Belcher (jurist)|Jonathan Belcher]] was sworn in as chief justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on 21 October 1754.<ref name=nscourts>{{Cite web |url=http://www.courts.ns.ca/history/timeline.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017110236/http://www.courts.ns.ca/history/timeline.htm |url-status=dead |title=Timeline History of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court |archive-date=17 October 2013 |access-date=26 December 2013}}</ref> The first legislative assembly in Halifax, under the Governorship of [[Charles Lawrence (British Army officer)|Charles Lawrence]], met on 2 October 1758.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nslegislature.ca/legc/index.htm |title=Statutes at Large of Nova Scotia |volume=1: 1758–1804. |date=24 March 2017 |access-date=23 December 2013 |archive-date=2 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202113622/http://nslegislature.ca/legc/index.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[French and Indian War]] of 1754–1763 (the North American theatre of the [[Seven Years' War]]), the British [[Expulsion of the Acadians|deported the Acadians]] and recruited [[New England Planters]] to resettle the colony. The 75-year period of war ended with the [[Peace and Friendship Treaties|Halifax Treaties]] between the British and the Mi'kmaq (1761). After the war, some Acadians were allowed to return.

[[File:Deportation Grand-Pré.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Expulsion of the Acadians]] in [[Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia|Grand-Pré]]. More than 80 per cent of the Acadian population was expelled from the region between 1755 and 1764.]]

In 1763, most of Acadia (Cape Breton Island, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island), and New Brunswick) became part of Nova Scotia. In 1765, the county of [[Sunbury County, Nova Scotia|Sunbury]] was created. This included the territory of present-day New Brunswick and eastern Maine as far as the [[Penobscot River]]. In 1769, St. John's Island became a separate colony.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Prince Edward Island {{!}} History, Population, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Prince-Edward-Island |access-date=5 February 2022 |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=22 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222154921/https://www.britannica.com/place/Prince-Edward-Island |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[American Revolution]] (1775–1783) had a significant impact on shaping Nova Scotia, with the colony initially displaying ambivalence over whether the colony should join the revolution; Rebellion flared at the [[Battle of Fort Cumberland (1776)]] and at the [[St. John River expedition|Siege of Saint John (1777)]]. Throughout the war, American [[privateer]]s devastated the maritime economy by capturing ships and looting almost every community outside of Halifax. These American raids alienated many sympathetic or neutral Nova Scotians into supporting the British. By the end of the war, Nova Scotia had outfitted numerous privateers to attack American shipping.<ref>Roger Marsters (2004). ''Bold Privateers: Terror, Plunder and Profit on Canada's Atlantic Coast'', pp. 87–89.</ref>

British military forces based at Halifax succeeded in preventing an American occupation of Nova Scotia, though the [[Royal Navy]] failed to establish naval supremacy in the region. While the British captured many American privateers in battles such as the [[Battle off Halifax (1782)|Naval battle off Halifax]] (1782), many more continued attacks on shipping and settlements until the final months of the war. The Royal Navy struggled to maintain British supply lines, defending British convoys from American and French attacks as in the fiercely fought convoy battle, the [[Action of 21 July 1781|Naval battle off Cape Breton]] (1781).

[[File:AricanNovaScotianByCaptain William Booth1788.png|thumb|left|A [[Black Loyalist]] wood cutter, at [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia]], in 1788]]

After the Americans and their French allies won at the [[siege of Yorktown]] in 1781, approximately 33,000 [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] (the King's Loyal Americans, allowed to place "[[United Empire Loyalist]]" after their names) settled in Nova Scotia (14,000 of them in what became New Brunswick) on lands granted by the Crown as some compensation for their losses. (The British administration divided Nova Scotia and hived off Cape Breton and New Brunswick in 1784.) The Loyalist exodus created new communities across Nova Scotia, including [[Shelburne, Nova Scotia|Shelburne]], which briefly became one of the larger British settlements in North America, and infused Nova Scotia with additional capital and skills.

The migration caused political tensions between Loyalist leaders and the leaders of the existing New England Planters settlement. The Loyalist influx also pushed Nova Scotia's 2000 Mi'kmaq People to the margins as Loyalist land grants encroached on ill-defined native lands. As part of the Loyalist migration, about 3,000 [[Black Loyalist]]s arrived; they founded the largest free Black settlement in North America at [[Birchtown, Nova Scotia|Birchtown]], near Shelburne. There are several Black Loyalists buried in unmarked graves in the [[Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia)|Old Burying Ground]] in Halifax. Many Nova Scotian communities were [[Nova Scotia in the American Revolution#Loyalist settlements|settled by British regiments that fought in the war]].

In 1786, during the tenure of [[John_Parr_(colonial_governor)|Lt. Gen. John Parr]] as governor, the Colony of Nova Scotia transitioned to being the Province of Nova Scotia, with the populace gaining a higher degree of autonomy and self-governance.

====19th century====
[[File:John Christian Schetky, H.M.S. Shannon Leading Her Prize the American Frigate Chesapeake into Halifax Harbour (c. 1830).jpg|thumb|{{HMS|Shannon|1806|6}} leading the [[Capture of USS Chesapeake|captured]] {{USS|Chesapeake|1799|6}} into [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] during the [[War of 1812]]]]

During the [[War of 1812]], Nova Scotia's contribution to the British war effort involved communities either purchasing or building various privateer ships to attack U.S. vessels.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boileau |first=John |title=Half-Hearted Enemies: Nova Scotia, New England and the War of 1812 |location=Halifax |publisher=Formac Publishing |year=2005 |page=53 |isbn=9780887806575}}</ref> Perhaps the most dramatic moment in the war for Nova Scotia occurred when {{HMS|Shannon|1806|6}} escorted the captured American frigate {{USS|Chesapeake|1799|6}} into [[Halifax Harbour]] in 1813. Many of the U.S. prisoners were kept at [[Deadman's Island (Nova Scotia)|Deadman's Island]].

Nova Scotia became the first colony in [[British North America]] and in the [[British Empire]] to achieve [[responsible government]] in January–February 1848 and become [[self-governing colony|self-governing]] through the efforts of [[Joseph Howe]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian, 1848–1873 |last=Beck |first=James Murray |year=1982 |volume=2 |location=Kingston & Montreal |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |isbn=0-7735-0388-9}}</ref> Nova Scotia had established [[Representative democracy|representative government]] in 1758, an achievement later commemorated by the erection of [[Sir Sandford Fleming Park|Dingle Tower]] in 1908.

Nova Scotians fought in the [[Crimean War]] of 1853–1856.<ref name="MagocsiOntario1999poiujm">{{cite book |editor-last=Magocsi |editor-first=Paul R. |title=Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples |year=1999 |publisher=Multicultural History Society of Ontario |isbn=978-0-8020-2938-6 |page=165}}</ref> The 1860 [[Sebastopol Monument|Welsford-Parker Monument]] in Halifax is the second-oldest war monument in Canada and the only Crimean War monument in North America. It commemorates the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)|1854–55 Siege of Sevastopol]].

[[File:Inauguration of the Welsford-Parker Monument, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 17 July 1860 - restored.jpg|thumb|right|Inauguration of the [[Sebastopol Monument]] in 1860. The monument was built to honour Nova Scotians who fought in the [[Crimean War]].]]

Thousands of Nova Scotians fought in the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), primarily on behalf of the [[Union (American Civil War)|North]].<ref name="Marquis, Greg 1998">
Marquis, Greg. ''In Armageddon's Shadow: The Civil War and Canada's Maritime Provinces''. McGill-Queen's University Press. 1998.</ref> The British Empire (including Nova Scotia) [[s:British proclamation of neutrality in the American Civil War|declared itself neutral]] in the conflict. As a result, Britain (and Nova Scotia) continued to trade with both the [[Confederate States of America|South]] and the North. Nova Scotia's economy boomed during the Civil War.

===Post-Confederation history===
[[File:Bluenose sailing 1921.jpg|thumb|right|The ''[[Bluenose]]'' in 1921. The racing ship became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia in the 1920s and 1930s.]]

Soon after the American Civil War, Pro-Canadian Confederation [[List of premiers of Nova Scotia|premier]] [[Charles Tupper]] led Nova Scotia into [[Canadian Confederation]] on 1 July 1867, along with New Brunswick and the [[Province of Canada]].<ref>{{cite DCB |first=Phillip |last=Buckner |title=TUPPER, Sir CHARLES |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/tupper_charles_14E.html |volume=14 |access-date=March 31, 2025}}</ref> The [[Anti-Confederation Party]] was led by [[Joseph Howe]]. Almost three months later, in the election of 18 September 1867, the Anti-Confederation Party won 18 out of 19 federal seats, and 36 out of 38 seats in the provincial legislature.<ref>{{cite book|last=Beck|first=J. Murray|year=1983|title=Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian 1848–1873|volume=2|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|isbn=0-7735-0388-9}}</ref>

Throughout the 19th century, numerous businesses developed in Nova Scotia became of pan-Canadian and international importance: the Starr Manufacturing Company (first ice skate manufacturer in Canada), the [[Scotiabank|Bank of Nova Scotia]], [[Cunard Line]], Alexander Keith's Brewery, Morse's Tea Company (first tea company in Canada), among others.

Nova Scotia became a world leader in both building and owning wooden sailing ships in the second half of the 19th century. Nova Scotia produced internationally recognized shipbuilders [[Donald McKay]] and [[William Dawson Lawrence]]. The fame Nova Scotia achieved from sailors was assured in 1895 when [[Joshua Slocum]] became the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. International attention continued into the following century with the many racing victories of the ''[[Bluenose]]'' schooner. Nova Scotia was also the birthplace and home of [[Samuel Cunard]], a [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] shipping magnate (born at [[Halifax (former city)|Halifax]], Nova Scotia) who founded the Cunard Line.

In December 1917, at least 1,782 people were killed in the [[Halifax Explosion]], which was the [[Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions#Largest accidental artificial non-nuclear explosions by magnitude|largest human-made explosion]] at the time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Knauer|first=Kelly|title= Time: Disasters that Shook the World |publisher= Time Home Entertainment |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-60320-247-3}}</ref>

In April 2004, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a resolution explicitly inviting the government of the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] to explore the possibility of joining [[Canada]] as part of that [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 April 2004 |title=N.S. votes to invite Turks and Caicos to join it |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/n-s-votes-to-invite-turks-and-caicos-to-join-it-1.465836 |website=CBC News |access-date=21 February 2024 |archive-date=24 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224003525/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/n-s-votes-to-invite-turks-and-caicos-to-join-it-1.465836 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2020, [[2020 Nova Scotia attacks|a killing spree]] occurred across the province and became the deadliest rampage in Canada's history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/7c9a33ae52420e0ddbfb5275898a7e79 |title=Gunman kills 16 in rampage, deadliest in Canadian history |date=19 April 2020 |first=Rob |last=Gillies |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=19 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419202425/https://apnews.com/7c9a33ae52420e0ddbfb5275898a7e79 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Nova Scotia}}
{{See also|List of provincial parks in Nova Scotia|List of protected areas of Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Novascotia topo.png|thumb|right|Topographic map of Nova Scotia]]

Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province in area, after [[Prince Edward Island]]. It is surrounded by four major bodies of water: the [[Gulf of Saint Lawrence]] to the north, the [[Bay of Fundy]] to the west, the [[Gulf of Maine]] to the southwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.<ref name="ECclimate" /> The province's mainland is the [[Nova Scotia peninsula]] and includes numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia is more than {{cvt|67|km}} from the ocean.<ref>{{cite book |title=O Canada |first=Ted |last=Harrison |publisher=Ticknor & Fields |year=1993 |author-link=Ted Harrison}}</ref> [[Cape Breton Island]], a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is [[Sable Island]], a small island notorious for being the site of offshore shipwrecks,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/research/sable-island |work=Maritime Museum of the Atlantic |title=Sable Island: Shipwrecks and Lifesaving |date=14 February 2013 |access-date=2 July 2019 |archive-date=7 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207055001/https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/research/sable-island |url-status=live}}</ref> approximately {{cvt|175|km|-1}} from the province's southern coast.

Nova Scotia has many ancient fossil-bearing rock formations. These formations are particularly rich on the [[Bay of Fundy]]'s shores. [[Blue Beach]] near [[Hantsport]], [[Joggins Fossil Cliffs]], on the [[Bay of Fundy]]'s shores, has yielded an abundance of [[Carboniferous]]-age fossils. Wasson's Bluff, near the town of [[Parrsboro]], has yielded both [[Triassic]]- and [[Jurassic]]-age fossils. The highest point is [[White Hill (Nova Scotia)|White Hill]] at 533&nbsp;m (1,749&nbsp;ft) above sea level, situated amongst the [[Cape Breton Highlands]] in the far north of the province.

Nova Scotia is located along the [[45th parallel north]], so it is midway between the [[Equator]] and the [[North Pole]]. The province contains 5,400 lakes.<ref>{{Cite journal |year=2016 |title=Gaspe, Canada |journal=Princess Explorations Café (Powered by the New York Times)}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Nova Scotia Köppen.svg|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Nova Scotia]]

Nova Scotia lies in the mid-temperate zone and, although the province is almost surrounded by water, the climate is closer to [[continental climate]] rather than [[Oceanic climate|maritime]]. The winter and summer temperature extremes of the continental climate are moderated by the ocean.<ref name=ECclimate>{{cite web |url=http://atlantic-web1.ns.ec.gc.ca/climatecentre/default.asp?lang=En&n=61405176-1 |title=The Climate of Nova Scotia |work=The Climates of Canada |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=7 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419024000/http://atlantic-web1.ns.ec.gc.ca/climatecentre/default.asp?lang=En&n=61405176-1 |archive-date=19 April 2010}}</ref> However, winters are cold enough to be classified as continental—still being nearer the freezing point than inland areas to the west. The Nova Scotian climate is in many ways similar to the central [[Baltic Sea]] coast in Northern Europe, only wetter and snowier. This is true although Nova Scotia is some fifteen parallels further south. Areas not on the Atlantic coast experience warmer summers more typical of inland areas, and winter lows are a little colder. On 12 August 2020, the community of Grand Étang, famous for its [[Suetes|Les Suêtes]] winds, recorded a balmy overnight low of {{cvt|23.3|C}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?StationID=10792&timeframe=2&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2021&Day=15&Year=2020&Month=8# |title=Daily Data Report for August 2020: Grand Etang, Nova Scotia |date=31 October 2011 |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=14 July 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814233610/https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?StationID=10792&timeframe=2&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2021&Day=15&Year=2020&Month=8}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected locations in Nova Scotia<ref name="Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010">{{cite web |url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html |title=Canadian Climate Normals |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |date=11 June 2019 |access-date=24 October 2015 |archive-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227145147/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July (°C)
!July (°F)
!January (°C)
!January (°F)
|-
|[[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] || 23/14 || 73/58 || 0/−8 || 32/17
|-
|[[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]] || 23/12 || 73/54 || −1/−9 || 30/14
|-
|[[Kentville, Nova Scotia|Kentville]] || 25/14 || 78/57 || −1/−10 || 29/14
|-
|[[Truro, Nova Scotia|Truro]] || 24/13 || 75/55 || −1/−12 || 29/9
|-
|[[Liverpool, Nova Scotia|Liverpool]] || 25/14 || 77/57 || 0/–9 || 32/15
|-
|[[Shelburne, Nova Scotia|Shelburne]] || 23/12 || 73/54 || 1/−8 || 33/17
|-
|[[Yarmouth, Nova Scotia|Yarmouth]] || 21/12 || 69/55 || 1/−7 || 33/19
|}<!-- Do not add data that conflicts with the source -->

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Nova Scotia}}

===Population===
{{Graph:Chart
 | width = 200
 | height= 133
 | type = line
 | xType = date
 | xAxisAngle = -40
 | yAxisTitle = Population
 | yGrid = yes
 | linewidth = 2
 | x = 1827, 1837, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931, 1941, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1975, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021
 | y = 123630, 199906, 276854, 330857, 387800, 440572, 450396, 459574, 492338, 523837, 512846, 577962, 642584, 694717, 737007, 756039, 788965, 828570, 847442, 873175, 899942, 909282, 908007, 913462, 921727, 923598, 969383
 | colors = #0047b6
}}

[[File:Canada Nova Scotia Density 2016.png|thumb|right|Population density map of Nova Scotia ({{circa}} 2016) with county and regional municipality borders shown.]]

=== Ethnicity ===
{{Main|Demographics of Nova Scotia#Ethnic Origin}}
According to the 2016 Canadian census<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=12&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Nova+Scotia&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Ethnic%20origin&TABID=1&type=1 |title=Population by selected ethnic origins, by province and territory (2016 Census) (Nova Scotia) |author=Statistics Canada |author-link=Statistics Canada |date=November 2017 |access-date=15 November 2021 |archive-date=15 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115194931/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=12&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Nova+Scotia&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Ethnic%20origin&TABID=1&type=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia is [[Scottish people|Scottish]] (30.0%), followed by English (28.9%), Irish (21.6%), French (16.5%), German (10.7%), First Nations (5.4%), Dutch (3.5%), Métis (2.9%), and Acadian (2.6%). 42.6% of respondents identified their ethnicity as "[[Canadian ethnicity|Canadian]]".<!--*NOTE, this adds up to 122.1%, before the 42.6% Canadian, and excluding the groups represented in smaller numbers, so assume some overlap of ethnicities!*-->

=== Language ===
{{Main|Demographics of Nova Scotia#Languages}}
{{See also|Maritimer English|Cape Breton English|Acadian French|Canadian Gaelic}}
As of the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Canadian Census]], the ten most spoken languages in the province included English (951,945 or 99.59%), French (99,300 or 10.39%), Arabic (11,745 or 1.23%), Hindi (10,115 or 1.06%), Spanish (8,675 or 0.91%), Mandarin (8,525	or 0.89%), [[punjabi language|Punjabi]] (6,730 or 0.7%), German (6,665 or 0.7%), Miꞌkmaq (5,650 or 0.59%), and [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] (5,595 or 0.59%).<ref name="language2021">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=17 August 2022 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table Nova Scotia [Province] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000212&HEADERlist=,15,13,18,12,16,14,17&SearchText=Nova%20Scotia |access-date=17 August 2022 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818000838/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000212&HEADERlist=,15,13,18,12,16,14,17&SearchText=Nova%20Scotia |url-status=live}}</ref> The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses.

The [[2021 Canadian census]] showed a population of 969,383. Of the 958,990 singular responses to the census question concerning [[mother tongue]], the most commonly reported languages were:
[[File:Nouvelle-Ecosse langues.png|thumb|Languages in Nova Scotia:<br>red – majority anglophone, orange – mixed, blue – majority francophone]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! Rank
! Language
! Population
! Percentage
|- 
|1.
|English
|868,365
|89.57%
|-
|2.
|French
|34,675
|3.57%
|-
|3.
|Arabic
|9,560
|0.98%
|-
|4.
|Mandarin
|7,185
|0.74%
|-
|5.
|Punjabi
|5,335
|0.55%
|-
|6.
|Tagalog
|4,255
|0.43%
|-
|7.
|Mi'kmaw
|3,990
|0.41%
|-
|8.
|German
|3,480
|0.35%
|-
|9.
|Spanish
|3,075
|0.31%
|-
|10.
|Hindi
|3,020
|0.31%
|}

Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/tbt-tt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=103251&PRID=0&PTYPE=101955&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2011&THEME=90&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |title=Detailed Mother Tongue (192), Single and Multiple Language Responses (3), Age Groups (7) and Sex (3) for the Population Excluding Institutional Residents of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2011 Census |access-date=16 March 2021 |archive-date=30 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830155022/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/tbt-tt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=103251&PRID=0&PTYPE=101955&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2011&THEME=90&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Gaidhealtachd-chanadach.svg|thumb|Distribution of [[Scottish Gaelic]] in [[the Maritimes]]]]
Nova Scotia is home to the largest [[Scottish Gaelic]]-speaking community outside of Scotland, with a small number of native speakers in [[Pictou County]] and [[Antigonish County]], and on [[Cape Breton Island]], and the language is taught in a number of secondary schools throughout the province. In 2018 the government launched a new Gaelic vehicle licence plate to raise awareness of the language and help fund Gaelic language and culture initiatives. They estimated that there were 2,000 Gaelic speakers in the province.<ref name="plate">{{cite news |title=Nova Scotia unveils Gaelic licence plate, as it seeks to expand language |url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-unveils-gaelic-licence-plate-as-it-seeks-to-expand-language-1.3910559#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=Facebook&_gsc=sEr8tNZ |access-date=2 May 2018 |work=Atlantic CTV News |agency=The Canadian Press |date=1 May 2018 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816082804/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/nova-scotia-unveils-gaelic-licence-plate-as-it-seeks-to-expand-language-1.3910559#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=Facebook&_gsc=sEr8tNZ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Demographics of Nova Scotia#Religion}} 
According to the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 census]], religious groups in Nova Scotia included:<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=26 October 2022 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Nova%20Scotia&DGUIDlist=2021A000212&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |access-date=9 November 2022 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101122312/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Nova%20Scotia&DGUIDlist=2021A000212&GENDERlist=1%2C2%2C3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Christianity in Canada|Christianity]] (556,115 persons or 58.2%)
*[[Irreligion in Canada|Irreligion]] (359,395 persons or 37.6%)
*[[Islam in Canada|Islam]] (14,715 persons or 1.5%)
*[[Hinduism in Canada|Hinduism]] (8,460 persons or 0.9%)
*[[Sikhism in Canada|Sikhism]] (4,735 persons or 0.5%)
*[[Buddhism in Canada|Buddhism]] (2,955 persons or 0.3%)
*[[Judaism in Canada|Judaism]] (2,195 persons or 0.2%)
*[[Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous Spirituality]] (1,090 persons or 0.1%)
*Other (6,195 persons or 0.6%)

According to the 2011 census, the largest denominations by number of adherents were Christians with 78.2%. About 21.18% were non-religious and 1% were [[Muslims]]. [[Jews]], [[Hindus]], and [[Sikhs]] constitute around 0.20%.<ref name="religion2011d">{{cite web |url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |title=Religions in Canada—Census 2011 |date=8 May 2013 |publisher=Statistics Canada/Statistique Canada |access-date=21 April 2020 |archive-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219142107/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm?HPA |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1871, the largest religious denominations were Presbyterian with 103,500 (27%); Roman Catholic with 102,000 (26%); Baptist with 73,295 (19%); Anglican with 55,124 (14%); Methodist with 40,748 (10%), Lutheran with 4,958 (1.3%); and Congregationalist with 2,538 (0.65%).<ref>A history and geography of Nova Scotia by John Burgess Calkin: p. 88</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry Service (21772298471).jpg|thumb|left|[[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], the capital and largest municipality, is the economic hub of Nova Scotia]] 
Nova Scotia's [[List of Canadian provinces and territories by gross domestic product|per capita GDP]] in 2016 was {{CAD|44,924}}, significantly lower than the national average per capita GDP of {{CAD|57,574}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, provincial and territorial, annual (x 1,000,000) |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610022201&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.4&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.2 |website=statcan.gc.ca |date=19 November 2012 |access-date=24 September 2019 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205025335/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610022201 |url-status=live}}</ref> GDP growth has lagged behind the rest of the country for at least the past decade.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/statistics/analysis/default.asp?id=1&sid=5 |title=Province of Nova Scotia |access-date=29 June 2012 |archive-date=10 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910015125/http://www.gov.ns.ca/finance/statistics/analysis/default.asp?id=1 |url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2017, the median family income in Nova Scotia was $85,970, below the national average of $92,990;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110001201&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.5 |title=Median total income, by family type, by province and territory |year=2017 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=18 September 2019 |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206013039/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110001201 |url-status=live}}</ref> in Halifax the figure rises to $98,870.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110001201&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.6 |title=Median total income, by family type, by census metropolitan area |year=2017 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=18 September 2019 |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206013039/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110001201 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The province is the world's largest exporter of [[Christmas tree]]s, [[lobster]], [[gypsum]], and [[Berry|wild berries]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.twrsoft.com/trivia/hist04.htm |title=The Nova Scotian Economy |author=Tower Software |access-date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531053941/http://www.twrsoft.com/trivia/hist04.htm |archive-date=31 May 2010 }}</ref> Its export value of fish exceeds $1&nbsp;billion, and fish products are received by 90 countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ttns.gov.ns.ca/en/home/doingbusiness/gettingtoknowus/sectorsnapshots/fisheriesaquaculture.aspx |title=Fisheries & Aquaculture |author=Trade Team Nova Scotia |access-date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606001941/http://ttns.gov.ns.ca/en/home/doingbusiness/gettingtoknowus/sectorsnapshots/fisheriesaquaculture.aspx |archive-date=6 June 2009 }}</ref> Nevertheless, the province's imports far exceed its exports. While these numbers were roughly equal from 1992 until 2004, since that time the trade deficit has ballooned. In 2012, exports from Nova Scotia were 12.1% of provincial GDP, while imports were 22.6%.<ref>Nova Scotia's Merchandise Trade with the World [http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/ResearchPublications/2013-38-e.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216044713/http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/ResearchPublications/2013-38-e.htm|date=16 February 2016}}.</ref>

Nova Scotia's traditionally [[Natural resource|resource-based economy]] has diversified in recent{{when|date=August 2022}} decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America, historically, was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the [[Fish stocks|fish stock]]s off the [[Scotian Shelf]]. The [[Fishing|fishery]] was a pillar of the economy since its development as part of [[New France]] in the 17th century; however, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to [[overfishing]] in the late 20th century. The collapse of the [[Atlantic Cod|cod stocks]] and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fisherycrisis.com |title=The Starving Ocean |author=Fish in Crisis |access-date=26 April 2007 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928053844/http://www.fisherycrisis.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Other sectors in the province were also hit hard, particularly during the last two{{when|reason=which two?|date=August 2022}} decades: coal mining in Cape Breton and northern mainland Nova Scotia has virtually ceased, and a [[Sydney Steel Corporation|large steel]] mill in [[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]] closed during the 1990s. More recently, the high value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar has hurt the forestry industry, leading to the shutdown of a long-running [[Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited|pulp and paper mill]] near [[Liverpool, Nova Scotia|Liverpool]]. Mining, especially of [[gypsum]] and salt and to a lesser extent [[silica]], [[peat]] and [[barite]], is also a significant sector.<ref>Province of Nova Scotia, [http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/one/95act1-4.asp "Summary of Nova Scotia Mineral Production, 1994 and 1995"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015140229/http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/one/95act1-4.asp |date=15 October 2009 }}</ref> Since 1991, [[Offshore drilling|offshore oil and gas]] has become an important part of the economy, although production and revenue are now{{when|reason=still?|date=August 2022}}declining.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> However, agriculture remains an important sector in the province, particularly in the [[Annapolis Valley]].
[[File:Grafton, Nova Scotia.JPG|thumb|A farm in [[Grafton, Nova Scotia|Grafton]]. Agriculture remains an important sector of the economy in the [[Annapolis Valley]].]]
Nova Scotia's defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500&nbsp;million in revenues and contributes about $1.5&nbsp;billion to the provincial economy each year.<ref name = business>Nova Scotia Business Inc. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060516013130/http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/sectorinfo/defense_aerospace.aspx Defence, Security & Aerospace]. Retrieved 10 October 2008.</ref> To date, 40% of Canada's military assets reside in Nova Scotia.<ref name="business"/> Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest [[film industry]] in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.<ref>Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation [http://www.film.ns.ca/pdfs/2007-08%20stat%20summary%20for%20Press%20release.pdf Production Statistics for the 12 Month Period Ended 31 March 2008]. Retrieved 10 October 2008. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 2015, the government of Nova Scotia eliminated tax credits to film production in the province, jeopardizing the industry given most other jurisdictions continue to offer such credits.<ref>{{cite news |work=CTV Atlantic |url=http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-s-film-tv-jobs-in-rapid-decline-since-elimination-of-film-tax-credit-ndp-1.2652636 |title=N.S. film, TV jobs in rapid decline since elimination of film tax credit: NDP |date=11 November 2015 |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=19 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619225145/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-s-film-tv-jobs-in-rapid-decline-since-elimination-of-film-tax-credit-ndp-1.2652636 |url-status=live}}</ref> The province also has a rapidly developing [[Information Technology|Information & Communication Technology]] (ICT) sector which consists of over 500 companies, and employs roughly 15,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ttns.gov.ns.ca/en/home/doingbusiness/gettingtoknowus/sectorsnapshots/ict.aspx |title=Information and Communications Technology |author=Trade Team Nova Scotia |access-date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706190937/http://ttns.gov.ns.ca/en/home/doingbusiness/gettingtoknowus/sectorsnapshots/ict.aspx |archive-date=6 July 2011 }}</ref>

In 2006, the manufacturing sector brought in over $2.6&nbsp;billion in chained GDP, the largest output of any industrial sector in Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://investincanada.gc.ca/download/650.pdf |title=Nova Scotia |author=Invest in Canada |access-date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703010613/http://investincanada.gc.ca/download/650.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2010 }}</ref> [[Michelin]] remains by far the largest single employer in this sector, operating three production plants in the province. Michelin is also the province's largest private-sector employer.<ref name="2019nov22michelin">{{cite news |last1=Withers |first1=Paul |title=Michelin's future in Nova Scotia secure under new free trade deal, says Freeland |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/freeland-tours-michelin-tire-plant-in-granton-1.4915416 |publisher=CBC News |date=22 November 2018 |access-date=31 March 2020 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021075625/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/freeland-tours-michelin-tire-plant-in-granton-1.4915416 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2024, the provincial government committed CAD$18.6 million to build 27 new [[telecommunication tower]]s to upgrade cellular service province-wide.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timescolonist.com/national-business/new-money-to-expand-cellular-service-in-parts-of-rural-ns-with-spotty-coverage-9293044|title=New money to expand cellular service in parts of rural N.S. with spotty coverage|work=Times Colonist|access-date=2024-08-27}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Enchantment of the Seas Halifax 2011.jpg|thumb|A cruise ship docked at the [[Port of Halifax]]. The port sees more than 200,000 cruise passengers each year.]]
The Nova Scotia tourism industry includes more than 6,500 direct businesses, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia |url=http://www.tians.org/ |title=Tourism Summit 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619223747/https://www.tians.org/ |archive-date=19 June 2021 |access-date=10 October 2008}}</ref> Cruise ships pay regular visits to the province. In 2010, the [[Port of Halifax]] received 261,000 passengers and Sydney 69,000.<ref name=2010indicators>{{cite web |title=2010 Nova Scotia Tourism Indicators |url=http://gov.ns.ca/econ/tourism/docs/Key-Tourism-Indicators-2010.pdf |publisher=Province of Nova Scotia |access-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210065422/http://gov.ns.ca/econ/tourism/docs/Key-Tourism-Indicators-2010.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2012}}</ref><ref name="gov-ns1">{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.ns.ca/econ/exportstrategy/docs/Export_Development_Strategy-NS.pdf |title=Going Global, Staying Local: A Partnership Strategy for Export Development |publisher=Government of Nova Scotia |access-date=10 October 2008 |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227042119/https://beta.novascotia.ca/government/business |url-status=live}}</ref> This industry contributes approximately $1.3&nbsp;billion annually to the economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/keyfacts/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516012851/http://www.novascotiabusiness.com/en/home/locate/keyfacts/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2006 |title=Key Facts |access-date=16 April 2010}}</ref> A 2008 Nova Scotia tourism campaign included advertising a fictional mobile phone called [[Pomegranate (phone)|Pomegranate]] and establishing a website, which after reading about the "new phone" redirected to tourism info about the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/10/pomegranate-ns0.html |title=Pomegranate phone? Nova Scotia ad budget goes to cellphone concept video |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619224346/https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/10/pomegranate-ns0.html |archive-date=19 June 2021 |date=30 October 2008 |access-date=12 April 2014}}</ref>

Nova Scotia's tourism industry showcases Nova Scotia's culture, scenery and coastline. Nova Scotia has many museums reflecting its [[ethnic]] heritage, including the [[Glooscap]] Heritage Centre, [[Grand-Pré National Historic Site]], [[Hector (immigration ship)|Hector Heritage Quay]] and the [[Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia]]. Other museums tell the story of its working history, such as the [[Cape Breton Miners Museum]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.minersmuseum.com/ |title=Explore |publisher=Cape Breton Miners Museum |access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref> and the [[Maritime Museum of the Atlantic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/visit-us |title=Visit Us |date=16 January 2013 |publisher=Maritime Museum of the Atlantic |access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref>

Nova Scotia is home to several internationally renowned musicians and there are visitor centres in the home towns of [[Hank Snow]], [[Rita MacNeil]], and [[Anne Murray]]. There are also numerous music and cultural festivals such as the [[Stan Rogers Folk Festival]], [[Celtic Colours]], the [[Nova Scotia Gaelic Mod]], [[Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo]], the [[Atlantic Film Festival]] and the [[Atlantic Fringe Festival]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
[[File:Lighthouse DSC01066 - Peggy's Cove Lighthouse (7612052968).jpg|thumb|[[Peggys Point Lighthouse]] in [[Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia|Peggys Cove]] is a tourist attraction in the province.]]

The province has [[List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Nova Scotia|87 National Historic Sites of Canada]], including the [[Habitation at Port-Royal]], the [[Fortress of Louisbourg]], [[Grand-Pré National Historic Site|Grand-Pré]] and [[Citadel Hill (Fort George)]] in Halifax. One of the most famous communities in Nova Scotia, [[Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia|Peggys Cove]], is internationally recognized and receives more than 600,000 visitors every year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Peggy's Cove: Assessment of Capacity Issues and Potential Tourism Opportunities |url=http://www.gov.ns.ca/tch/pubs/peggyscove_report.pdf |publisher=The Economic Planning Group of Canada |access-date=26 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121031710/http://www.gov.ns.ca/tch/pubs/peggyscove_report.pdf |archive-date=21 January 2012}}</ref> [[Lunenburg, Nova Scotia|Old Town Lunenburg]], another popular cultural destination, is a port town on the [[Southern Nova Scotia|South Shore]] that was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [[UNESCO World Heritage Site|(UNESCO) World Heritage Site]]. 

[[Ecotourism]] plays an important role Nova Scotia's tourism industry, with the province being home to two [[national parks of Canada]], [[Kejimkujik National Park]] and [[Cape Breton Highlands National Park]], as well as one national park reserve: [[Sable Island|Sable Island National Park Reserve]]. Nova Scotia also hosts many other [[List of protected areas of Nova Scotia|protected areas]] at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels that are popular destinations for visitors. Some popular sites, like [[Cape Split|Cape Split Provincial Park]], have seen dramatic increases in their visitation rates in recent years (with Cape Split receiving 40% more visitors in 2021 than it did in 2015).<ref>{{cite hansard |url=https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/committees/standing/natural-resources-and-economic-development/archive/natural-resources-and-economic-development/ne2022jun28 |jurisdiction=Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development |title=Nova Scotia Park System ||house=Nova Scotia House of Assembly |date=28 June 2022 |speaker=Matt Parker |position=Executive Director, Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources and Renewables}}</ref> Nova Scotia is a renowned destination for [[whale watching]], particularly [[Cape Breton Island]] and [[Brier Island]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://novascotia.com/explore-nova-scotia/outdoor-activities-tours/whale-watching/|title = Whale Watching|date = 2025-04-08}}</ref> One of Nova Scotia's most sought-after natural features are its [[beaches]], with many popular sites scattered throughout the province,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://novascotia.com/explore-nova-scotia/outdoor-activities-tours/beaches/|title = Beaches|date = 2025-04-08}}</ref> including [[Melmerby Beach Provincial Park]], [[Summerville Beach, Nova Scotia|Summerville Beach]], and [[Crescent Beach, Nova Scotia|Crescent Beach]], among many others.

==Government and politics==
{{See also|Government of Nova Scotia|Politics of Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Province House, Halifax (3609681508).jpg|thumb|right|[[Province House (Nova Scotia)|Province House]], the seat of the [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly]]]]

Nova Scotia has a [[parliamentary system]] within the construct of a [[constitutional monarchy]]; the [[monarchy in Nova Scotia]] is the foundation of the [[Government of Nova Scotia|executive]], [[Legislature|legislative]], and [[Judiciary|judicial]] branches.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Canadian Heritage |title=Canadian Heritage Portfolio |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |date=February 2009 |edition=2nd |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf |pages=3–4 |isbn=978-1-100-11529-0 |access-date=23 May 2011 |ref=CITEREF_Department_of_Canadian_Heritage_2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611162155/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/publctn/gp-pg/ppc-chp/ppc-chp-eng.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2011 }}</ref> The sovereign [[King Charles III]] since 8 September 2022, is King in Right of Nova Scotia who also serves as head of state of [[Commonwealth realm|14 other Commonwealth countries]], each of Canada's nine other provinces, and the Canadian federal realm, but resides in the United Kingdom. As such, the King's representative, the [[Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia]] ([[Arthur Joseph LeBlanc]] was the 33rd Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2024{{Update after|2025|2|13}}), carries out most of the royal duties in Nova Scotia.

The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in any of these areas of governance is limited, though; in practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by [[Executive Council of Nova Scotia|the Executive Council]], a committee of [[Minister of the Crown|ministers of the Crown]] responsible to the unicameral, elected [[Nova Scotia House of Assembly|House of Assembly]] and chosen and headed by the [[Premier of Nova Scotia]] ([[Tim Houston]] since 2021), the [[head of government]]. To ensure the stability of government, the Lieutenant Governor will usually appoint as premier the person who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a [[plurality (voting)|plurality]] in the House of Assembly. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the [[Leader of the Opposition (Nova Scotia)|Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition]] ([[Zach Churchill]] from 2022–24{{update after|2025|2|13}}) and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.<ref>{{cite web |last=Library of Parliament |title=The Opposition in a Parliamentary System |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/researchpublications/bp47-e.htm |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |access-date=23 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125122354/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/bp47-e.htm |archive-date=25 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:TimHouston.png|thumb|left|180px|[[Tim Houston]], the 30th [[Premier of Nova Scotia]] serving from 2021]]

Each of the 51 [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|Members of the Legislative Assembly]] in the House of Assembly is elected by single member plurality in an [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral district]] or riding. General elections must be called by the lieutenant governor on the advice of the premier, or may be triggered by the government losing a [[confidence vote]] in the House.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dawson |first=R. MacGregor |author2=Dawson, WF |title=Democratic Government in Canada |url=https://archive.org/details/democraticgovern0000daws |url-access=registration |editor=Ward, Norman |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1989 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/democraticgovern0000daws/page/16 16]–17, 59–60, 66 |isbn=978-0-8020-6703-6}}</ref> There are three dominant political parties in Nova Scotia: the [[Nova Scotia Liberal Party|Liberal Party]], the [[Nova Scotia New Democratic Party|New Democratic Party]], and the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia|Progressive Conservative Party]]. The other two registered parties are the [[Green Party of Nova Scotia]] and the [[Atlantica Party]], neither of which has a seat in the [[House of Assembly]].

The province's revenue comes mainly from the taxation of personal and corporate income, although taxes on tobacco and alcohol, its stake in the [[Atlantic Lottery Corporation]], and oil and gas royalties are also significant. In 2006–07, the province passed a budget of $6.9&nbsp;billion, with a projected $72&nbsp;million surplus. Federal equalization payments account for $1.385&nbsp;billion, or 20.07% of the provincial revenue. The province participates in the Harmonised Sales Tax ([[Harmonized Sales Tax|HST]]), a blended sales tax collected by the federal government using the Goods and Services Tax ([[Goods and Services Tax (Canada)|GST]]) tax system.

On 21 July 2022, Nova Scotia became the second province in Canada to regulate online gambling by launching its own online casino through the Atlantic Lottery Corporation ([[Atlantic Lottery Corporation|ALC]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haynes |first1=Matthew |title=Online Gambling Regulation Approved for Nova Scotia |url=https://www.casinoreviews.net/news/online-gambling-regulation-approved-for-nova-scotia/ |website=casinoreviews.net |date=25 July 2022 |access-date=27 July 2022 |archive-date=25 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725171823/https://www.casinoreviews.net/news/online-gambling-regulation-approved-for-nova-scotia/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The site will bring benefits to the economy and provide residents with a safe and secure place to gamble online.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gorman |first1=Michael |title=Nova Scotia rolls the dice on online casino |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/atlantic-lottery-corporation-online-gambling-casino-1.6527727 |website=cbc.ca |access-date=27 July 2022 |archive-date=27 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727061533/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/atlantic-lottery-corporation-online-gambling-casino-1.6527727 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{clear}}

===Administrative divisions===
{{See also|Administrative divisions of Nova Scotia|List of counties of Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Nova Scotia counties 2015.png|thumb|upright=1.35|alt=Map showing locations of Nova Scotia's historical counties|Map of Nova Scotia's 18 historical counties by their current [[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia|organization or municipal status]].]]

Municipal-level governance is provided by 50 municipalities, of which there are three types: regional municipalities, towns, and county or district municipalities.<ref>{{cite book |title=Municipal Statistics Annual Report |publisher=Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing |url=https://beta.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/documents/1-2476/municipal-statistics-annual-report-2019-en.pdf |access-date=19 July 2021 |ref=report |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211023058/https://beta.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/documents/1-2476/municipal-statistics-annual-report-2019-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Villages can exist within county or district municipalities, with a limited authority and an elected council.

Nova Scotia is divided into [[List of counties of Nova Scotia|18 counties]]. 9 of the original 18 counties retain a county-level government while the rest are either governed by [[List of municipalities in Nova Scotia|regional or district municipalities]]. Regional municipalities are coextensive with the borders with a historic county, while historic counties governed by district municipalities are split into two district municipalities each. Despite this, [[Statistics Canada]] uses all counties of Nova Scotia for the purposes of administering the census and presenting its data, and they remain used in common parlance as geographic identifiers by Nova Scotians.

There are three regional municipalities. They may incorporate under the ''Municipal Government Act'' (''MGA'') of 1998, which came into force on 1 April 1999,<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=https://novascotia.ca/dma/government/history.asp |title=Municipal History Highlights |publisher=Province of Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs |date=8 October 2015 |access-date=8 December 2016 |archive-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529085028/http://novascotia.ca/dma/government/history.asp |url-status=live}}</ref> while towns, county municipalities and district municipalities are continued as municipalities under the ''MGA''.<ref name=MGA>{{cite web |url=http://nslegislature.ca/legc/statutes/municipal%20government.pdf |title=Municipal Government Act |publisher=Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly |date=19 June 2012 |access-date=5 December 2016 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201191744/http://nslegislature.ca/legc/statutes/municipal%20government.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''MGA'' gives municipal councils the power to make bylaws for "health, well being, safety and protection of persons" and "safety and protection of property" in addition to a few expressed powers.<ref name=FCM>{{cite web |url=http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/pdf/ma_pt.pdf |title=Assessment of the Municipal Acts of the Provinces and Territories |publisher=[[Federation of Canadian Municipalities]] |page=30 |date=April 2004 |access-date=5 December 2016 |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211020726/https://yukon.ca/en/department-community-services |url-status=live}}</ref><!--Municipal governments are led by elected councils and are responsible for the delivery of services such as civic administration, land use planning, emergency measures, policing, road, and garbage collection.<ref name=MuniTypes /> --> The regional municipality of [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]] is the capital and largest municipality of Nova Scotia by population with 403,131 residents representing {{percentage|403131|923598|0}} of the total population of the province and land area at {{cvt|5490.35|km2|mi2}}.<ref name=2016StatCanNS>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=12 |title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia) |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=8 February 2017 |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=12 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091116/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=12 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Pictou]] was the first municipality to incorporate on {{dts|4 May 1874}}, and the newest municipalities are Halifax and [[Region of Queens Municipality, Nova Scotia|Region of Queens Municipality]] both amalgamating into their present regional municipality form of government on {{dts|1 April 1996}}.<ref name=incorporations>{{cite web |url=https://novascotia.ca/dma/government/incorporation.asp |title=Municipal Incorporation Timeline |publisher=Province of Nova Scotia |access-date=6 December 2016 |archive-date=31 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031071102/https://www.novascotia.ca/dma/government/incorporation.asp |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are 26 towns, nine county municipalities and 12 district municipalities.<ref name=2015MuniStats>{{cite web |url=https://novascotia.ca/dma/pdf/mun-2015-annual-report-of-municipal-statistics.pdf |title=Nova Scotia Annual Report of Municipal Statistics for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 |publisher=Department of Municipal Affairs |pages=12 |year=2015 |access-date=5 December 2016 |archive-date=19 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619223604/https://beta.novascotia.ca/documents/municipal-statistics-annual-report-2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Rail===
{{Nova Scotia rail network}}
[[Via Rail]]'s ''[[Ocean (train)|Ocean]]'' service, which connects [[Montreal]] to Halifax, is currently the oldest continuously operated passenger route in North America, with stops from west to east at [[Amherst station (Nova Scotia)|Amherst]], [[Springhill Junction]], [[Truro railway station (Nova Scotia)|Truro]], and Halifax.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==Culture{{anchor|Culture}}==
===Cuisine===
The [[cuisine]] of Nova Scotia is typically [[Canadian cuisine|Canadian]] with an emphasis on [[local food|local]] [[seafood]] typical of the northwestern [[Atlantic]]. Nova Scotia is renowned for its [[Placopecten magellanicus|scallops]], particularly from the [[Digby County|Digby]] area. As a major [[Homarus americanus|lobster]] producer (Nova Scotia supplied nearly 46% of total Canadian lobster landings in 2021),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Processed-Lobster.pdf |title=Nova Scotia Species Spotlight: Lobster (Homarus americanus) |publisher=Perennia |access-date=10 April 2025}}</ref> the [[shellfish]] is a common feature at Nova Scotian restaurants and in Nova Scotian variants of seafood dishes. One endemic dish (in the sense of "peculiar to" and "originating from") is the [[donair|Halifax donair]], a distant variant of the [[doner kebab]] prepared using thinly sliced beef shavings and a sweet [[condensed milk]] sauce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flavournetwork.ca/article/the-delicious-history-of-the-halifax-donair/|title = The Delicious History of the Halifax Donair|date = 2024-12-20}}</ref> An endemic variant of the Scottish [[Hodge-Podge (soup)|hodge-podge]], is a popular summer dish in Nova Scotia. Unlike the Scottish dish, the Nova Scotian variant typically does not feature meat but instead includes seasonal vegetables like [[carrot]]s, [[new potato]]es, and [[bean]]s in a rich, [[cream]]-based broth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tasteofnovascotia.com/recipes/hodge-podge/ |title=Hodge podge recipe |date=4 September 2015 |access-date=20 February 2016 |archive-date=19 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619224047/https://tasteofnovascotia.com/recipes/hodge-podge/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The province is known for its [[wine]]s, and produces its own signature [[appellation]], Tidal Bay, which must be solely produced from 100% Nova Scotia [[grape]]s to legally receive the designation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://novascotia.com/blog/nova-scotia-in-a-glass-tidal-bay-wine/ |title=Nova Scotia in a Glass: Tidal Bay Wine |date=16 October 2023 |publisher=Government of Nova Scotia |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref> Nova Scotia also hosts a vibrant [[craft brewery]] industry, with more than 50 craft breweries located throughout the province.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nscraftbeer.ca/ |title=Home |publisher=Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref> Many renowned [[distilleries]] are based in the province, including [[Glenora Distillery]]; which produces North America's first [[single malt whiskey]].

As a major [[Vaccinium angustifolium|blueberry]] producing province (the fruit is Nova Scotia's largest agricultural export annually, with harvest exceeding {{convert|50000000|lb|kg|order=flip|disp=comma|spell=on}} each year),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/wild-blueberries/ |title=Wild Blueberries |website=Perennia |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref> the fruit features prominently in many traditional desserts from the province.  Notably, blueberry grunt (a [[dessert]] dish), originates from Nova Scotia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tasteofnovascotia.com/recipes/oven-baked-blueberry-grunt/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225141406/http://tasteofnovascotia.com/recipes/oven-baked-blueberry-grunt/ |url-status=dead |title=Blueberry grunt recipe |archive-date=25 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLI3TSfKIr0C&pg=PA19 |title=Fodor's Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada |page=19 |publisher=Random House |year=2008 |isbn=9781400019069 |access-date=18 November 2021 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220112152/https://books.google.com/books?id=vLI3TSfKIr0C&pg=PA19 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[ice cream]] flavour known as [[moon mist]] is also endemic to Nova Scotia, and is a popular feature at ice cream shops in the province.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Matei |first=Adrienne |date=September 14, 2016 |title=An Illustrated Guide to Canadian Desserts |magazine=Nuvo Magazine}}</ref>

===Events and festivals===
{{Main category|Festivals in Nova Scotia}}

===Film and television===
{{No sources section|date=March 2025}}
Nova Scotia has produced numerous film actors. [[Academy Award]] nominee [[Elliot Page]] (''[[Juno (film)|Juno]]'', ''[[Inception]]'') was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia; five-time [[Academy Award]] nominee [[Arthur Kennedy]] (''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'', ''[[High Sierra (film)|High Sierra]]'') called Nova Scotia his home; and two-time [[Golden Globe]] winner [[Donald Sutherland]] (''[[MASH (film)|MASH]]'', ''[[Ordinary People]]'') spent most of his youth in the province. Other actors include [[John Paul Tremblay]], [[Robb Wells]], [[Mike Smith (actor)|Mike Smith]] and [[John Dunsworth]] of ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]'' and actress [[Joanne Kelly]] of ''[[Warehouse 13]]''.

Nova Scotia has also produced numerous film directors such as [[Thom Fitzgerald]] (''[[The Hanging Garden (film)|The Hanging Garden]]''), [[Daniel Petrie]] (''[[Resurrection (1980 film)|Resurrection]]''—Academy Award nominee) and Acadian film director [[Phil Comeau]]'s multiple award-winning local story (''[[Le Secret de Jérôme (film)|Le Secret de Jérôme]]'').

Nova Scotian stories are the subject of numerous feature films: ''[[Margaret's Museum]]'' (starring [[Helena Bonham Carter]]); ''[[The Bay Boy]]'' (directed by [[Daniel Petrie]] and starring [[Kiefer Sutherland]]); ''[[New Waterford Girl]]''; ''[[The Story of Adele H.]]'' (the story of unrequited love of [[Adèle Hugo]]); and two films of ''Evangeline'' (one starring [[Miriam Cooper]] and another starring [[Dolores del Río]]).

There is a significant film industry in Nova Scotia. Feature filmmaking began in Canada with ''Evangeline'' (1913), made by [[Canadian Bioscope Company]] in Halifax, which released six films before it closed. The film has since been lost. Some of the award-winning feature films made in the province are ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' (starring [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] and [[Kate Winslet]]); ''[[The Shipping News]]'' (starring [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Julianne Moore]]); ''[[K-19: The Widowmaker]]'' (starring [[Harrison Ford]] and [[Liam Neeson]]); ''[[Amelia (film)|Amelia]]'' (starring [[Hilary Swank]], [[Richard Gere]] and [[Ewan McGregor]]) and ''[[The Lighthouse (2019 film)|The Lighthouse]]'' (starring [[Robert Pattinson]] and [[Willem Dafoe]]).

Nova Scotia has also produced numerous television series: ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'', ''[[Don Messer's Jubilee]]'', ''[[Black Harbour]]'', ''[[Haven (TV series)|Haven]]'', ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]'', ''[[Mr. D]]'', ''[[Call Me Fitz]], [[From (TV series)|FROM]]'' and ''[[Theodore Tugboat]]''. The ''[[Jesse Stone (character)|Jesse Stone]]'' film series on [[CBS]] starring [[Tom Selleck]] were also routinely produced in the province.

===Fine arts===
[[File:Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.JPG|thumb|The [[Art Gallery of Nova Scotia]] is the [[Provincial museums of Canada|provincial art gallery]] of Nova Scotia.]]
Halifax hosts institutions such as [[Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University]], [[Art Gallery of Nova Scotia]], [[Neptune Theatre (Halifax)|Neptune Theatre]], and the [[Dalhousie Arts Centre]]. The province is home to avant-garde visual art and traditional crafting, writing and publishing and a film industry.

Much of the historic public art sculptures in the province were made by New York sculptor [[J. Massey Rhind]] as well as Canadian sculptors [[Hamilton MacCarthy]], [[George William Hill (sculptor)|George Hill]], [[Emanuel Hahn]] and [[Louis-Philippe Hébert]]. Some of this public art was also created by Nova Scotian [[John Wilson (sculptor)|John Wilson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CAN-NS-GUYSBOROUGH/2004-07/1091230348 |title=RootsWeb: CAN-NS-Guysborough-L John Wilson, Sculptor, 1877–1954 |publisher=Archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com |access-date=6 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523231601/http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CAN-NS-GUYSBOROUGH/2004-07/1091230348 |archive-date=23 May 2013}}</ref> Nova Scotian [[George Lang (builder)|George Lang]] was a [[stone sculpture|stone sculptor]] who also built many landmark buildings in the province, including the [[Welsford-Parker Monument]]. Two valuable sculptures/monuments in the province are in [[St. Paul's Church (Halifax)]]: one by [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]] (for [[Richard John Uniacke, Jr.]]) and another monument by Sir [[Francis Leggatt Chantrey]] (for Amelia Ann Smyth). Both Gibson and Chantry were famous British sculptors during the Victorian era and have numerous sculptures in the [[Tate]], [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]] and [[Westminster Abbey]].

Some of the province's greatest painters were [[Maud Lewis]], [[William Valentine (painter)|William Valentine]], [[Maria Frances Ann Morris|Maria Morris]], [[Jack L. Gray]], [[Ernest Lawson]], [[Frances Bannerman]], [[Alex Colville]], and ship portrait artist [[John O'Brien (marine artist)|John O'Brien]]. Some of most notable artists whose works have been acquired by Nova Scotia are British artist [[Joshua Reynolds]] (collection of Art Gallery of Nova Scotia); [[William Gush]] and [[William J. Weaver]] (both have works in [[Province House (Nova Scotia)|Province House]]); [[Robert Field (painter)|Robert Field]] ([[Government House (Nova Scotia)|Government House]]), as well as leading American artists [[Benjamin West]] (self portrait in [[The Halifax Club]], portrait of chief justice in [[Nova Scotia Supreme Court]]), [[John Singleton Copley]], [[Robert Feke]], and [[Robert Field (painter)|Robert Field]] (the latter three have works in the [[Richard John Uniacke|Uniacke Estate]]). Two famous Nova Scotian photographers are [[Wallace R. MacAskill]] and [[Sherman Hines]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030826071155/http://www.shermanhinesphotographymuseum.com/collect_mac_.html Sherman Hines Museum of Photography: Macaskill Collection]}}. Shermanhinesphotographymuseum.com. Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref> Three of the most accomplished illustrators were [[George Wylie Hutchinson]], [[Bob Chambers (cartoonist)]] and [[Donald A. Mackay]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Literature===
There are numerous [[List of people from Nova Scotia|Nova Scotian]] authors who have achieved international fame: [[Thomas Chandler Haliburton]] (''[[Sam Slick|The Clockmaker]]''), [[Alistair MacLeod]] (''[[No Great Mischief]]''), [[Evelyn M. Richardson|Evelyn Richardson]] ''(We Keep A Light)'', [[Margaret Marshall Saunders]] ''([[Beautiful Joe]]),'' [[Laurence Bradford Dakin|Laurence B. Dakin]] ''(Marco Polo),'' and [[Joshua Slocum]] ''([[Sailing Alone Around the World]]).'' Other authors include [[Johanna Skibsrud]] ''(The Sentimentalists),'' [[Alden Nowlan]] ''(Bread, Wine and Salt),'' [[George Elliott Clarke]] ''(Execution Poems),'' [[Lesley Choyce]] ''(Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea),'' [[Thomas Raddall]] ''(Halifax: Warden of the North),'' [[Donna Morrissey]] ''(Kit's Law),'' and [[Frank Parker Day]] ''([[Rockbound]]).''{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Nova Scotia has also been the subject of numerous literary books. Some of the international best-sellers are: ''Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mining Disaster'' (by [[Melissa Fay Greene]]); ''Curse of the Narrows: The [[Halifax Explosion]] 1917'' (by Laura MacDonald); "In the Village" (short story by [[Pulitzer Prize]]–winning author [[Elizabeth Bishop]]); and [[National Book Critics Circle Award]] winner ''[[Rough Crossings]]'' (by [[Simon Schama]]). Other authors who have written novels about Nova Scotian stories include: [[Linden MacIntyre]] (''[[The Bishop's Man]]''); [[Hugh MacLennan]] (''[[Barometer Rising]]''); [[Ernest Buckler]] (''The Valley and the Mountain''); [[Archibald MacMechan]] (''Red Snow on Grand Pré''), [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] (long poem ''[[Evangeline]]''); [[Lawrence Hill]] (''[[The Book of Negroes (novel)|The Book of Negroes]]'') and [[John Mack Faragher]] (''Great and Nobel Scheme'').{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Media===

====News====
The first newspaper to be printed in Nova Scotia was the [[Halifax Gazette]] on 23 March 1752. It was also the first newspaper printed anywhere in Canada. A single copy of the first issue of the Gazette exists today, which was acquired by [[Library and Archives Canada]] on 20 June 2002 from the [[Massachusetts Historical Society]] in [[Boston]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nova Scotia Archives - Halifax Gazette - Canada's First Newspaper |url=https://archives.novascotia.ca/gazette/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 November 2021 |website=Nova Scotia Archives |date=20 April 2020 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127185604/https://archives.novascotia.ca/gazette/}}</ref> [[Newsprint]] made from [[Pulp (paper)|wood pulp]] was invented in 1844 by [[List of people from Nova Scotia|Nova Scotian]] [[Charles Fenerty]] and was presented to the [[Acadian Recorder]] as an alternative printing medium to the paper made from other plant fibers at the time, such as cotton, which was typically made from [[Cotton paper|discarded articles of clothing]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Punch |first=Terrence M. |date=4 March 2015 |orig-year=23 January 2008 |title=Charles Fenerty |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-fenerty |url-status=live |access-date=26 November 2021 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127041217/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-fenerty}}</ref> Founded in 1874, the province's current primary daily [[broadsheet]] newspaper is [[The Chronicle Herald]], which is circulated to 91,152 weekday customers, with the number increasing to 93,178 on Saturdays (2015). It is the most widely circulated newspaper in Atlantic Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Chronicle Herald |url=http://newsroomhistory.com/newspaper/the-chronicle-herald/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 November 2021 |website=Newsroom History |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127041343/http://newsroomhistory.com/newspaper/the-chronicle-herald/}}</ref> The paper does not publish on Sundays. It is owned by the [[SaltWire Network]], the largest media company in Atlantic Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quon |first=Alexander |date=13 April 2017 |title=How SaltWire became the largest media group in Atlantic Canada |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3377318/saltwire-media-group-atlantic-canada/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 November 2021 |website=Global News |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127041217/https://globalnews.ca/news/3377318/saltwire-media-group-atlantic-canada/}}</ref> The Nova Scotia Government also provides a digital [[archive]] of past newspapers via the Nova Scotia Archives website.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nova Scotia Archives |url=https://archives.novascotia.ca/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 November 2021 |website=Nova Scotia Archives |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216224105/https://archives.novascotia.ca/}}</ref>

====Radio====
{{Main|List of radio stations in Nova Scotia}}The province's first radio station was [[CHNS-FM]] which first aired on 12 May 1926 from the [[The Carleton|Carleton Hotel]] in Halifax by [[World War I]] [[Royal Canadian Corps of Signals|Signal Corps]] soldier [[William C. Borrett]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CHNS-FM {{!}} History of Canadian Broadcasting |url=https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listing_and_histories/radio/chns-fm |url-status=dead |access-date=27 November 2021 |website=History of Canadian Broadcasting |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127191804/https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/listing_and_histories/radio/chns-fm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=William C. Borrett fonds - MemoryNS |url=https://memoryns.ca/william-c-borrett-fonds |url-status=live |access-date=27 November 2021 |website=MemoryNS |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127190304/https://memoryns.ca/william-c-borrett-fonds}}</ref> Today the station is owned by [[Maritime Broadcasting System]] and goes by the on-air [[Brand|brand name]] ''89.9 The Wave'' and attracts a weekly average of 64,236 listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maritime Broadcasting System - 89.9 The Wave |url=https://www.mbsradio.com/stations/89-9-the-wave/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 November 2021 |website=Maritime Broadcasting System |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102121626/https://www.mbsradio.com/stations/89-9-the-wave/}}</ref>

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Nova Scotia}}
[[File:Symphony Nova Scotia performs at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.jpg|thumb|[[Symphony Nova Scotia]] performing at the [[Maritime Museum of the Atlantic]] in Halifax]]
Nova Scotia hosts a lively and rich music scene, influenced by the traditions of the various cultures that live there. Many of the songs that are today considered traditional to Nova Scotia were born as [[work song|working songs]], specifically [[sea shanties]] were a prominent form of music in the province's coastal communities throughout the 19th century. While no longer practical as working songs, sea shanties are still closely associated with the province's musical culture.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2006/08/18/sea-shanty-performances-maritime-museum |title=Sea Shanty Performances at Maritime Museum |publisher=Government of Nova Scotia |date=18 August 2006 |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref> Traditional music in Nova Scotia bears a heavy [[Celtic music|Celtic]] influence owing to the large numbers of settlers from [[Ireland]] and the [[Scottish Highlands]] coming to the province in the 19th century. Every year, [[Cape Breton Island]] hosts the [[Celtic Colours]] International Festival, which celebrates and showcases the region's Celtic music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://celtic-colours.com/about/ |title=About Celtic Colours |publisher=Celtic Colours International Festival |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

Nova Scotia is home to [[Symphony Nova Scotia]], a [[symphony orchestra]] based in Halifax. The province has produced more than its fair share of famous musicians, including [[Grammy Award]] winners [[Denny Doherty]] (from [[The Mamas & the Papas]]), [[Anne Murray]], and [[Sarah McLachlan]], country singers [[Hank Snow]], [[George Canyon]], and [[Drake Jensen]], jazz vocalist [[Holly Cole]], classical performers [[Portia White]] and [[Barbara Hannigan]], multi [[Juno Award]] nominated rapper [[Classified (rapper)|Classified]], and such diverse artists as [[Rita MacNeil]], [[Matt Mays]], [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]], [[Feist (singer)|Feist]], [[Todd Fancey]], [[The Rankin Family]], [[Natalie MacMaster]], [[Susan Crowe]], [[Buck 65]], [[Joel Plaskett]], and the bands [[April Wine]] and [[Grand Dérangement (band)|Grand Dérangement]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

There are numerous songs written about Nova Scotia: The Ballad of Springhill (written by [[Peggy Seeger]] and performed by Irish folk singer [[Luke Kelly]], a member of [[The Dubliners]]); several songs by [[Stan Rogers]] including Bluenose, Watching The Apples Grow, The Jeannie C (mentions Little Dover, NS), [[Barrett's Privateers]], Giant, Fogarty's Cove, The Rawdon Hills, and Farewell to Nova Scotia (traditional). Blue Nose ([[Stompin' Tom Connors]]); She's Called Nova Scotia (by [[Rita MacNeil]]); Cape Breton (by [[David Myles (singer-songwriter)|David Myles]]); [[Acadian Driftwood]] (by [[Robbie Robertson]]); Acadie (by [[Daniel Lanois]]); [[Song for the Mira|Song For The Mira]] (by [[Allister MacGillivray]]) and My Nova Scotia Home (by [[Hank Snow]]).{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Nova Scotia has produced many significant songwriters, such as [[Grammy Award]] winning [[Gordie Sampson]], who has written songs for [[Carrie Underwood]] ("Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Just a Dream", "Get Out of This Town"), [[Martina McBride]] ("If I Had Your Name", "You're Not Leavin Me"), [[LeAnn Rimes]] ("Long Night", "Save Myself"), and [[George Canyon]] ("My Name"). Many of [[Hank Snow|Hank Snow's]] songs went on to be recorded by the likes of [[The Rolling Stones]], [[Elvis Presley]], and [[Johnny Cash]]. Cape Bretoners [[Allister MacGillivray]] and [[Leon Dubinsky]] have both written songs which, by being covered by so many popular artists, and by entering the repertoire of so many choirs around the world, have become iconic representations of Nova Scotian style, values and ethos. Dubinsky's pop ballad "[[Rise Again (The Rankin Family song)|We Rise Again]]" might be called the unofficial anthem of Cape Breton.<ref name="Leon Dubinsky">{{cite news |url=http://thechronicleherald.mobi/novascotia/142062-talented-artist-loved-family-music |title=Talented artist loved family, music |last=Cooke |first=Stephan |date=1 October 2012 |newspaper=The Chronicle Herald |access-date=28 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301052313/http://thechronicleherald.mobi/novascotia/142062-talented-artist-loved-family-music |archive-date=1 March 2013 |location=Halifax, Nova Scotia}}</ref>

Music producer [[Brian Ahern (producer)|Brian Ahern]] is a Nova Scotian. He got his start by being music director for CBC television's [[Singalong Jubilee]]. He later produced 12 albums for [[Anne Murray]] ("Snowbird", "Danny's Song" and "You Won't See Me"); 11 albums for [[Emmylou Harris]] (whom he married at his home in Halifax on 9 January 1977).<ref name="Brian Ahern">{{cite web |url=http://www.insurgentcountry.net/emmylou_harris_story.htm |title=The Emmylou Harris Story |publisher=Insurgentcountry.net |date=19 September 1973 |access-date=13 December 2011 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612052459/http://www.insurgentcountry.net/emmylou_harris_story.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He also produced discs for [[Johnny Cash]], [[George Jones]], [[Roy Orbison]], [[Glen Campbell]], [[Don Williams]], [[Jesse Winchester]] and [[Linda Ronstadt]].<ref name="Ahern Allmusic">{{cite web |last=Ahern |first=Brian |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-ahern-p50702/credits |title=Brian Ahern – Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=6 July 2012 |archive-date=5 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505192945/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-ahern-mn0000521888 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Grammy winning songwriter and music producer [[Cirkut]], known for writing and producing songs for [[The Weeknd]], [[Britney Spears]], [[Miley Cyrus]], and [[Katy Perry]], was born and raised in Halifax before moving to Toronto in 2004.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

===Sports===
[[File:Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at Halifax Mooseheads (February 6 2010) (4336519788).jpg|thumb|An [[ice hockey]] game between the [[Cape Breton Screaming Eagles]], and the [[Halifax Mooseheads]], two [[Major Junior]] hockey teams in Nova Scotia]]
Sport is an important part of Nova Scotia culture. There are numerous semi pro, university and amateur sports teams, for example, The [[Halifax Mooseheads]], 2013 [[Canadian Hockey League|Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup Champions]], and the [[Cape Breton Eagles]], both of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The [[Halifax Hurricanes]] of the National Basketball League of Canada were another team that called Nova Scotia home, and were 2016 league champions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Halifax Rainmen file for bankruptcy in 'disappointing' end |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-rainmen-file-for-bankruptcy-in-disappointing-end-1.3140023 |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=15 July 2015 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224141634/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-rainmen-file-for-bankruptcy-in-disappointing-end-1.3140023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Professional soccer came to the province in 2019 in the form of [[Canadian Premier League]] club [[HFX Wanderers FC]].

The [[Nova Scotia Open]] was a professional [[golf]] tournament on the [[Web.com Tour]] in 2014 and 2015.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

The province has also produced numerous athletes such as [[Sidney Crosby]] (ice hockey), [[Nathan Mackinnon]] (ice hockey), [[Lincoln Steen]] (Wrestling), [[Brad Marchand]] (ice hockey), [[Colleen Jones]] (curling), [[Al MacInnis]] (ice hockey), [[T. J. Grant]] (mixed martial arts), [[Rocky Johnson]] (wrestling, and father of [[Dwayne Johnson|Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson]]), [[George Dixon (boxer)|George Dixon]] (boxing) and [[Kirk Johnson]] (boxing). The achievements of Nova Scotian athletes are presented at the [[Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==Education==
[[File:Henri Hicks Building, Dalhousie University.jpg|thumb|A view of [[Dalhousie University]]'s Henry Hicks building located at the university's historic Studley Campus in Halifax.]]
The Minister of Education is responsible for the administration and delivery of education, as defined by the Education Act and other acts relating to colleges, universities and private schools. The powers of the Minister and the Department of Education are defined by the Ministerial regulations and constrained by the Governor-In-Council regulations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/education.pdf |title=Education Act |author=Government of Nova Scotia |year=2024 |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

All children under the age of 16 are legally required to attend school unless the parents perform home schooling.<ref>{{cite web |title=Education |url=https://novascotiaimmigration.com/live-here/education/ |website=novascotiaimmigration.com |access-date=29 March 2019 |archive-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828094539/https://novascotiaimmigration.com/live-here/education/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Nova Scotia's education system is split up into eight different regions including; Tri-County (22 schools), Annapolis Valley (42 schools), South Shore (25 schools), Chignecto-Central (67 schools), Halifax (135 schools), Strait (20 schools), and Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education (39 schools).<ref>{{cite web |title=Directory of Public Schools 2019–2020 |url=https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/directoryofpublicschools.pdf |website=www.ednet.ns.ca |access-date=29 March 2019 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310110911/https://www.ednet.ns.ca/docs/directoryofpublicschools.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Nova Scotia has more than 450 public schools for children. The public system offers primary to Grade 12. There are also private schools in the province. Public education is administered by seven regional school boards, responsible primarily for English instruction and French immersion, and province-wide by the [[Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial]], which administers French instruction to students whose primary language is French.<ref>{{Citation |last=Conseil scolaire acadien provincial |title=Notre mission et notre vision, Our Mission and vision statement |website=Le CSAP |url=https://csap.ca/le-csap/notre-mission-et-notre-vision |access-date=22 October 2022 |archive-date=22 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022164334/https://csap.ca/le-csap/notre-mission-et-notre-vision |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Post-secondary education===
{{See also|Higher education in Nova Scotia}}
 
The [[Nova Scotia Community College]] system has 13 campuses around the province. With a focus on training and education, the [[College (Canada)|college]] was established in 1988 by amalgamating the province's former vocational schools. In addition to the provincial community college system, there are more than 90 registered private colleges in Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pcc.ednet.ns.ca/schools.shtml |title=Registered Colleges for 2010–2011 |publisher=Province of Nova Scotia |year=2010 |access-date=26 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413151013/http://pcc.ednet.ns.ca/schools.shtml |archive-date=13 April 2010}}</ref>

Nova Scotia, and Halifax in particular, is a major destination in Canada for [[post-secondary]] students. Ten universities are situated in the province: [[Dalhousie University]] (including [[Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture]]), [[University of King's College]], [[Saint Mary's University (Halifax)|Saint Mary's University]], [[Mount Saint Vincent University]], [[Nova Scotia College of Art and Design|NSCAD University]], [[Acadia University]], [[Université Sainte-Anne]], [[Saint Francis Xavier University]], [[Cape Breton University]] and the [[Atlantic School of Theology]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Universities – Study Nova Scotia |url=https://studynovascotia.ca/universities/ |access-date=28 September 2021 |website=studynovascotia.ca |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928162647/https://studynovascotia.ca/universities/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In total, nearly 58,000 students were enrolled in a Nova Scotian post-secondary institution during the 2021/2022 academic year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/447802/enrollment-of-postsecondary-students-in-canada-by-province/ |title=Number of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in Canada in 2021/22, by province |work=Statista |access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|border=no|Nova Scotia|Canada}}
* [[Outline of Nova Scotia]]
* [[Index of Nova Scotia–related articles]]
{{clear}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Main list|Bibliography of Nova Scotia}}
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |editor=Nova Scotia Geomatics Centre |year=2006 |title=The Nova Scotia Atlas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuhVOMKpgNoC&q=Nova%20Scotia&pg=PP1 |publisher=Province of Nova Scotia |isbn=978-0-88780-707-7 |access-date=2 November 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612053001/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuhVOMKpgNoC&q=Nova%20Scotia&pg=PP1 |url-status=live}}
* [[John Bartlet Brebner|Brebner, John Bartlet]]. ''New England's Outpost. Acadia before the Conquest of Canada'' (1927)
* Brebner, John Bartlet. ''The Neutral Yankees of Nova Scotia: A Marginal Colony During the Revolutionary Years'' (1937)
* {{Cite book |last=Creighton |first=Helen |year=1966 |title=Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJAAC_9ykKQC&q=Nova%20Scotia&pg=PP1 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=978-0-486-21703-1 |access-date=2 November 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612052635/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJAAC_9ykKQC&q=Nova%20Scotia&pg=PP1 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Griffiths |first=N.E.S. |author-link=Naomi E. S. Griffiths |title=From Migrant to Acadian: A North American Border People, 1604–1755 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cG4wSmIlziYC&pg=PP1 |year=2005 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |isbn=978-0-7735-2699-0 |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612134132/https://books.google.com/books?id=cG4wSmIlziYC |url-status=live}}
* Grenier, John. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jVG5h6G5fWMC&dq=The%20Far%20Reaches%20of%20Empire.%20%20War%20in%20Nova%20Scotia%2C%201710-1760&pg=PP1 The Far Reaches of Empire. War in Nova Scotia, 1710–1760] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110041531/https://books.google.com/books?id=jVG5h6G5fWMC&lpg=PP1&dq=The%20Far%20Reaches%20of%20Empire.%20%20War%20in%20Nova%20Scotia,%201710-1760&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |date=10 January 2016 }}. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2008. ({{ISBN|9780806138763}})
* Landry, Peter. The Lion & The Lily. Vol. 1, Trafford Publishing, Victoria, BC., 2007. ({{ISBN|1425154506}})
* Murdoch, Beamish. [https://archive.org/details/ahistorynovasco04murdgoog <!-- quote=A History of Nova Scotia,. --> History of Nova Scotia, Or Acadie]. Vol 2. BiblioBazaar, LaVergne, TN, 1865.
* Pryke, Kenneth G. ''Nova Scotia and Confederation, 1864–74'' (1979) ({{ISBN|0-8020-5389-0}})
* Thomas Akins. History of Halifax, Brookhouse Press. 1895. (2002 edition) ({{ISBN|1141698536}})
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|name=Official website of the Government of Nova Scotia}}

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