Newfoundland And Labrador

The heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador is the result of a unique combination of geographical and historical forces. Located on the northeastern corner of North America, the province is closer to Europe than any other part of the continent.
It was perhaps the first part of the New World to be explored by Europeans. Firm archaeological evidence has shown that Norse voyagers reached Newfoundland and Labrador around 1000 C.E. There are also strong indications that Newfoundland was the site of John Cabot's landfall during his first voyage to North America in 1497. In the wake of European voyages of "discovery," migratory fishers from Portugal, France, and Spain began to harvest cod off the coast of Newfoundland in the early sixteenth century.
Divided into two geographical parts, Labrador and the island of Newfoundland, the province has a small population (551,792 in 1996) spread over a huge land mass (405,720 sq. km.). Slightly more than half of the people make their homes in outport fishing villages strung along the rugged coastline. The remainder live in cities and towns, the largest of which is the provincial capital of St. John's. The economy of the province rests heavily on the exploitation of natural resources, a fact that is reflected in family and community life.