St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Canadian city of St. John's (population 99,182 in 2001), is the provincial capital and largest city of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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2 History 3 Facts 4 External Link(s) |
Geography
The city is located on the northeast coast of the Avalon Peninsula, in southeastern Newfoundland island, and on the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, it is said to be the easternmost city in North America. The downtown area exists to the north of St. John's Harbour (thus the apostrophe in the city name), and the rest of the city expands uphill and to the west, north, and east. The city of Mount Pearl borders St. John's to the east, and is substantially smaller in population, yet only slightly smaller in size. St. John's is the largest city in Division No. 1. The following table is a representation of St. John's and its surrounding areas:
| North: Torbay, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove | |||||
| West: Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, Paradise, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South |
St. John's |
East: Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, | |||
| South: Division No. 1, Subd. D, Bay Bulls |
History
St. John's is one of the oldest settlements in North America. On August 5, 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the region for England. The settlement changed hands several times between France and England, until becoming permanently British in 1762 and serving as a naval and air base during both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The worst disaster to befall St. John's was on July 18, 1892 and is commonly called The Great Fire of 1892. It was at St. John's that Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message, and it was from there that the first nonstop transatlantic flight was made in 1919. During the Second World War, the harbour was used by Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy ships used for protecting convoys. It was also the site of a large US Army base called "Fort Peperrel". This base was established as part of the "Lend-lease" agreement between the UK and USA.
See also: Canada, List of cities in Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador
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