Prince Edward Island, Canada

It is one of the country's thirteen provinces and territories that Prince Edward Island belongs to. It is the province with the smallest land area and population, but the highest population density. Garden of the Gulf and Cradle of Confederation are just two of the many nicknames given to the island. The province's capital and largest city, Charlottetown, is located here. As one of the three

Maritime provinces, it's a member of both the Atlantic and the Canadian continents.

It was part of the traditional territory of the Mi'kmaq when it was colonized by the French in 1604. After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, the island was given to the British and became part of Nova Scotia. As a British colony in 1769, the island was given its own name. While the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 was intended to discuss a union of the maritime provinces, it actually served as a springboard for a series of meetings that led to the formation of Canada's confederation in 1867. When the Land Question and the building of a railroad threatened to bankrupt Prince Edward Island, it became the seventh province of Canada in 1873, after years of opposition to union.

According to Statistics Canada, the population of Prince Edward Island in 2019 was 158,717. Agriculture is the foundation of the island's economy; it produces 25 percent of Canada's potatoes. Other significant industries include fishing, tourism, aerospace, biotechnology, information technology, and renewable energy. As one of Canada's oldest settlements, Prince Edward Island's population reflects some of the earliest settlers, with Canadian, Scottish, Irish, and English surnames predominating.

Prince Edward Island is situated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Halifax and 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of Quebec City, and has a total land area of 5,686.03 km2 (2,195.39 sq mi) (2,195.39 sq mi). The main island is 5,620 km2 in area (2,170 sq mi). The island is 104th in the world and 23rd in Canada in terms of area.

Geographical Description of Prince Edward Island

Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, west of Cape Breton Island, north of the Nova Scotia peninsula, and east of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island is an island in the region. The Northumberland Strait runs along its southern coast. The island is home to Canada's two largest cities and the majority of the country's residents.

The largest urban area on the island surrounds Charlottetown Harbour, which is situated in the center of it all on the island's south coast. There's a growing urban fringe as well as Charlottetown's suburbs like Cornwall and Stratford. While Charlottetown Harbour is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west, Summerside Harbour has grown into a much smaller urban area. For the most part, Summerside is included here. All natural harbors on the island, including Charlottetown and Summerside, are formed by rias.

There are numerous bays and harbors along the coast, with long beaches, dunes, sandstone cliffs, saltwater marshes, and bays. Sedimentary rock and other materials rich in iron make up the beaches, dunes, and sandstone cliffs. Iron oxidizes in the presence of oxygen. Basin Head's white silica sand is unique to the province because of its geological properties. When walked on, the sand grains make a scrubbing sound, earning the nickname "singing sands." Dunes cover large areas of barrier islands at the entrance of bay and harbor on the north shore of New Jersey. The sand dunes in Greenwich are of particular importance. The shifting, parabolic dune system is home to a wide variety of birds and rare plants, as well as a significant archaeological site.

Economy of Prince Edward Island

Province-wide industries such as agriculture and tourism are heavily reliant on seasonality for their success. In addition, the island receives visitors all year round. The island is a popular tourist destination thanks to a wide range of recreational activities, including beaches, golf courses, ecotourism adventures, countryside tours, and cultural events in the island's local communities. Small-scale farming is the primary source of income for most rural communities on the island. Industrial agriculture has grown as companies buy up and consolidate older farmland. Although heavy industry and manufacturing are scarce in the province, Cavendish Farms has a large food manufacturing operation there.

The province's economy is still dominated by agriculture, as it has been since colonial times. Agriculture and food processing accounted for 7.6% of the province's GDP in 2015. Approximately 594,000 acres (240,383 hectares) of the Island's 1,400,000-acre (570,000-hectare) total land area has been cleared for agricultural use. The Island had 1,353 farms in the 2016 Census of Agriculture, a 9.5% decrease from the previous count (2011). Potatoes, which now account for a third of farm income, replaced mixed farming as the province's primary cash crop in the twentieth century. A total of 88,000 acres of potatoes and 55,000 acres of soybeans were planted in the United States in 2010. There are approximately 330 potato growers on Prince Edward Island, the vast majority of which are family-run operations with several generations of the same family involved. Potatoes are grown in the province to the tune of 1.3 billion kilograms (1,400,000 short tons) per year, which accounts for one-third of Canada's total potato output. A population of 9.0 times larger than Idaho's 6.2 billion kilograms per year is a far cry from the state's annual output of 6,800,000 short tons. Seed potatoes are a major export for the province, which sends them to over twenty countries around the world. Most of the land is used for farming, and Prince Edward Island is home to 25% of the country's potatoes. Frozen fried potatoes, green vegetables, and berries are all processed in large quantities.

Because of the island's colonial history, the provincial government has placed strict restrictions on non-residents' ability to own land, especially since the passage of the PEI Lands Protection Act in 1982. Residents and corporations are limited to 400 and 1,200 hectares of land, respectively. Additionally, non-residents are prohibited from owning shorelines in the state.

Many of the province's coastal communities are reliant on the harvesting of shellfish, particularly lobster, oyster, and mussel.

The island's economy has grown significantly over the past decade in key innovation areas. There have been growth and diversification foci in aerospace, bioscience, IT, and renewable energy sectors. An estimated $355 million in annual revenue is generated by the province's fourth-largest industry, aerospace, which accounts for over 25% of all exports. More than 1,300 people are employed in the bioscience industry, which brings in more than $150 million annually.

The sale of carbonated beverages like beer and soft drinks in non-refillable containers like aluminum cans and plastic bottles was prohibited in 1976 as an environmental measure in response to public concerns about litter. Refillable glass bottles for beer and soft drinks are becoming increasingly popular, thanks in part to the efforts of beverage manufacturers and distributors.

Because it protected jobs while also protecting the environment, the "ban the can" legislation was supported by environmentalists and economists alike. One of the largest employers in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is Seaman's Beverages, a bottling and carbonated beverage manufacturer that was established in 1939. As a result of the ban on retail can sales, Seamans was able to increase its carbonated beverage market share. Before the law was repealed in 2002, Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. bought Seamans Beverages.

May 3, 2008, was a date set by the provincial government to lift the ban on can and plastic bottle recycling in response to similar programs being implemented in neighboring provinces (also using a redemption system).

Prince Edward Island had a 10 percent provincial sales tax before it was harmonised in 2013. On April 1, 2013, the provincial and federal sales taxes were combined to form the harmonized sales tax. Only some clothing, food, and heating fuel are exempt from the 15% tax. Rates in neighboring Atlantic provinces are exactly the same, so we're in good company.

Rent increases for apartments and petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, propane, and home heating oil are just a few of the many things that the provincial government regulates to protect consumers. In PEI, the Regulatory and Appeals Commission is in charge of enforcing these (IRAC). To limit the number of companies that can sell petroleum products, IRAC has the power to do so.

In 2015, the average annual income for a family of four in Prince Edward Island was $76,607. On April 1, 2018, the minimum wage was raised to $12.85 per hour.