Nova Scotia is one of the three Maritime Provinces located in Eastern Canada. It comprises of a peninsula on the mainland and Cape Breton Island. With an area of 21,345 square miles, including 751 square miles of inland water, it is Canada's second smallest Province.

Nova Scotia is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and is almost completely surrounded by water; no part of the province is more than 35 miles from the ocean. The peninsula is joined to the mainland and the Province of New Brunswick by a narrow strip of land called Isthmus of Chignecto. To the North is Prince Edward Island (PEI) and to the West is Maine, USA.

The Province is in the Atlantic Time Zone which is Greenwich Meantime -4 hours. Between the months of April and October Daylight Saving is in effect and the difference is GMT -3 hours.

There is a population of 940,000 people (Jan 2002) and most of the larger towns are located along the seacoasts. The provincial capital is Halifax located on the south coast and an international seaport. Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax, is the Provinces second largest town. There are dozens of fishing villages and towns scattered around the coastline of Nova Scotia.

There are hundreds of rivers and small streams; thousands of lakes and many areas of bogs throughout the Province. The Cape Breton Island is home to the highest point of Nova Scotia 532 metres above sea level and is very hilly. The mainland has two ridges that run over 100 miles long. Both the mainland and the Island are an outdoor enthusiast