Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the most Easterly Province of
Canada. There are two portions to the Province, the Island of
Newfoundland is located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Labrador
is on the Eastern part of the Canadian mainland. They are
separated by the Strait of Belle Isle.
The only joining neighbour is the Province of Quebec to the West
as the East of the Province is on the ocean. The Island of
Newfoundland is 111,390 square kilometers and Labrador is
294,330 square kilometers making the total area of the Province
405,720 square kilometers. It is more than three times the size
of the Maritime Provinces.
Newfoundland has its own time zone called the Newfoundland Time
Zone which is Greenwich Mean Time -3.5 hours. Between the months
of April and October Daylight Saving is in effect and the
difference is GMT -2.5 hours. Labrador is in the Atlantic Time
Zone which is Greenwich Mean Time -4 hours; it also observes
Daylight Savings between the months of April and October when
the difference is GMT -3 hours. Newfoundland and Labrador has a
total population of 512,930 (2001), of which 27,864 (2001) live
on the mainland portion of Labrador and 485,066 (2001) live on
the island of Newfoundland. The Avalon Peninsular, located at
the South end of the Island, is the most populated area of
Newfoundland and home to the Provincial capital, St John's. The
other principal cities of the Province are Mount Pearl and
Gander all located on Newfoundland Island and Happy Valley-Goose
Bay is in Labrador on the mainland. The Province is also dotted
with many towns and fishing villages. The coastline is very
rugged and consists of coves, fjords and offshore islands. The
interior is mostly covered with forest and barren rock; 31,340
square kilometers are covered by inland water. These
geographical characteristics give the Province some great
recreational opportunities in the wilderness with some amazing
Parks and Ecological Sites.
Most of the Western part of the Island is made up of the
Newfoundland Highlands which are part of the Appalachian region
and elevations reach 814 metres. The South and East of the
Island is mostly flat, although there are some hilly sections on
the Avalon Peninsular. Apart from the Southeastern corner,
Labrador is occupied by the Canadian Shield - mostly made up of
ancient hard rock. St. John's is said to be the foggiest,
wettest, snowiest and windiest of all the major cities in
Canada. The locals apparently call it character-building! The
average July temperatures in Newfoundland are 13 to 16 degrees
Celsius, with the interior normally warmer than to coast. The
January average temperature is -4 degrees although it could fall
to -34 degrees Celsius. Heavy snowfall is common and annual
precipitation averages about 44inches.
Labrador tends to be cooler with average July temperatures
between 10 and 13 degrees Celsius and January about -18 degrees
Celsius, it can be as cold as -51 degrees Celsius in Western
Labrador. The annual precipitation varies from about 40 inches
in the south east to 20 inches in the extreme north.
The Provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is led by
the Honourable Danny Williams who is the leader of the
Progressive Conservative Party. The Province is responsible for
administering the Healthcare System which provides a basic care
system for the Newfoundland and Labrador residents. The
Education System and the Driving Regulations are also regulated
by the Province and have differences from other parts of Canada.
Newfoundland and Labrador has a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of 15
per cent. This is composed of both the Federal GST 7% and the
Provincial sales tax 8% and is applied to the retail sale or
rental of most goods and certain services in the Province.
Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador are subject to Provincial
and Federal Taxation.
Also, be sure to acquaint yourself with the Provincial
Employment Standards which describes your rights and obligations
as an employee, the minimum wage system and great links to the
health and safety regulations.
For more, detailed information please visit
http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/newfoundland_and_labrado
r.html