Newfoundland facts for kids

James Cook's map of Newfoundland of 1775

Newfoundland is an island off the East Coast of Canada, and is part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The capital city of Newfoundland is St. John's, on the north-east part of the island. Over 500,000 people live in Newfoundland (these people are called Newfoundlanders). It, along with Labrador on the mainland, became part of Canada on March 31, 1949. There is no bridge or tunnel from Newfoundland to the rest of the country but there is a ferry to Nova Scotia.

In Newfoundland, most people speak English, but there are also French speakers on the island, mostly in the south-west. In some areas of Newfoundland, people speak with an accent and use words that are not in standard English. There is even a dictionary of Newfoundland English.

People first came to Newfoundland from countries like Norway, England, Portugal, France, and Ireland in the 16th century. The first explorers were the Vikings from Norway and they settled in L'Anse aux Meadows. They came because of the good fishing off the coast, especially off the south-east coast. Eventually they left because of disagreements with aboriginals.Today, there is still fishing, but not very much because people fished too much, and now there are not many fish left.

Cutting down trees and mining have also been attractions of the island. There are some paper mills (paper factories) in a few cities in Newfoundland.

Images for kids

The Long Range Mountains
Churchill Falls in Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly temperatures
Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly rainfall
Newfoundland and Labrador average monthly snowfall
The Beothuk tribe of Newfoundland is extinct but represented in museum, historical and archaeological records.
L'Anse aux Meadows on Newfoundland, site of a Norse colony
A painting of the Inuit woman Mikak and her son, by John Russell in 1769.
How the electorate voted in the 1948 referendum
Greenspond on the northeast coast of Newfoundland
View of St. John's from Signal Hill
The Terra Nova Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel located in the Terra Nova oil field
The Confederation Building
Maurice Cullen. "A Misty Afternoon, St. John's, Newfoundland." (1910), oil on canvas. 122.5 cm x 153.25. The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery Collection, Gift of the National Art Gallery of Canada
Michael Crummey
Poet E. J. Pratt
King's Cove Head lighthouse in King's Cove
Newfoundland
Great seal of Newfoundland
Logo of NFLD