LocationGeologically, the province of Nova Scotia is the oldest part of the North American shield. It is almost completely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, connected to mainland Canada’s east coast by a tiny piece of land. Across the Bay of Fundy from Nova Scotia is New Brunswick, Canada, north of the state of Maine in the United States. A large part of the province, Cape Breton, is an island connected to Nova Scotia’s mainland by a causeway. The province is twice the size of Massachusetts, just a bit smaller than Ireland, and two-thirds the size of Maine. It is 575 kilometers (360 miles) long and, on average, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) wide. Its total land area is about 53,000 square kilometers (25,000 square miles). There is no place in Nova Scotia where you are more than 56 kilometers (35 miles) from the sea. The coastline is nearly 7,500 kilometers (4,700 miles) long and is accented by many bays, inlets and salt marshes. Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia, is just about halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. Some American cities are just as far north, such as Portland, Oregon and Minneapolis, Minnesota. By air, Halifax is 670 kilometers (420 miles) northeast of Boston, 1,350 kilometers (850 miles) east of Toronto, 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) east of Chicago and 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) across the Atlantic from London, England.
Climate
Winter in Nova Scotia is fairly cold, with temperatures usually ranging from -15 to 4°C (5-40°F). There is typically a good covering of snow, though not nearly as much as Maine or New Brunswick. Spring is generally cool, with temperatures averaging 6-15°C (42-60°F). Summers are mild, with temperatures in the 16-25°C (60-80°F) range. Because of this, many tourists come from hotter parts of the US and Canada to escape the heat and enjoy some fresh air and cool sea breezes.
