Map of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is a first-level division of Canada. Its largest mapped city is St. John's, with about 131,469 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Newfoundland and Labrador, and the tables list its 22 mapped cities along with the mountains, dams, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 22
- Largest City
- St. John's
- Country
- Canada
- Highest Point Mapped
- 806 m
Interactive Map of Newfoundland and Labrador
About Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. It comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, with an area of 405,212 km2 (156,453 sq mi) and a population of 552,462 in 2026. Newfoundland with its neighbouring islands has 94% of the province's population, with more than half in the Avalon Peninsula. Labrador has a land border with the province of Quebec and a short border with Nunavut on Killiniq Island. The French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon lies about 20 km (12 mi) west of the Burin Peninsula.
In 2021, 99.4% of residents reported English as their native language, making Newfoundland and Labrador Canada's most linguistically homogeneous province. Much of the population is descended from English and Irish settlers, with the majority immigrating from the early 17th century to the late 19th century.
St. John's, the capital and largest city, is Canada's 22nd-largest census metropolitan area and home to about 40% of the province's population. St. John's is the seat of the provincial House of Assembly and its highest court, the Court of Appeal.
Until 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland was a separate dominion in the British Empire. In 1933, the House of Assembly of the self-governing dominion voted to dissolve itself and to hand over administration of Newfoundland and Labrador to the British-appointed Commission of Government. This followed the suffering caused by the Great Depression and Newfoundland's participation in the First World War. On March 31, 1949, it became the tenth and most recent province to join the Canadian Confederation as "Newfoundland". On December 6, 2001, the Constitution of Canada was amended to change the province's name from "Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador".
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Newfoundland and Labrador (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Newfoundland and Labrador in Depth
History
Human habitation in Newfoundland and Labrador can be traced back about 9,000 years. The Maritime Archaic peoples were sea-mammal hunters in the subarctic. They prospered along the Atlantic Coast of North America from about 7000 BC to 1500 BC. Their settlements included longhouses and boat-topped temporary or seasonal houses. They engaged in long-distance trade, using as currency white chert, a rock quarried from northern Labrador to Maine. The southern branch of these people was established on the north peninsula of Newfoundland by 5,000 years ago. The Maritime Archaic period is best known from a mortuary site in Newfoundland at Port au Choix.
The Maritime Archaic peoples were gradually displaced by people of the Dorset culture (Late Paleo-Eskimo) who also occupied Port au Choix.
Geography
Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly province in Canada, situated in the northeastern region of North America. The Strait of Belle Isle separates the province into two geographical parts: Labrador, connected to mainland Canada, and Newfoundland, an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The province also includes over 7,000 tiny islands. The highest point of the province is Mount Caubvick with the highest point on Newfoundland being Cabox.
Newfoundland has a roughly triangular shape. Each side is about 400 km (250 mi) long, and its area is 108,860 km2 (42,030 sq mi). Newfoundland and its neighbouring small islands (excluding French possessions) have an area of 111,390 km2 (43,010 sq mi). Newfoundland extends between latitudes 46°36′N and 51°38′N.
Economy
For many years, Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a depressed economy. Following the collapse of the cod fishery during the early 1990s, the province suffered record unemployment rates and the population decreased by roughly 60,000. Due to a major energy and resources boom, the provincial economy has had a major turnaround since the turn of the 21st century. Unemployment rates decreased, the population stabilized and had moderate growth. The province has gained record surpluses, which has rid it of its status as a "have not" province.
Economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), exports, and employment resumed in 2010, after suffering the effects of the late-2000s recession.
Demographics
As of October 1, 2021, Newfoundland and Labrador had a population of 521,758. More than half the population lives on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, site of the capital and historical early settlement. Since 2006, the population of the province has started to increase for the first time since the early 1990s. In the 2006 census, the population of the province decreased by 1.5% compared to 2001 and stood at 505,469. But, by the 2011 census, the population had risen by 1.8%.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Newfoundland and Labrador (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Newfoundland and Labrador: Key Facts
| Population | 510,550 (2021) |
|---|---|
| Area | 405,212 km² |
| Capital | St. John's |
| Head of government | Tony Wakeham |
| Highest point | Mount Caubvick |
| Established | 31 March 1949 |
Facts from Wikidata Q2003 (CC0).
History of Newfoundland and Labrador: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Newfoundland and Labrador, from British Colonial Empire in 1713 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1713–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1713–1957 CE |
| Canada | 1932–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is the largest of Atlantic Canada's four provinces. Newfoundland is an island; Labrador is an adjoining mainland coastal region which abuts Quebec. The beauty of Newfoundland can be found on the rocky coasts of the island and the relatively new, and stunningly beautiful East Coast Trail, but this is a truly coast-to-coast kind of place. There's much to see in the Tundra of Labrador (often called "the Big Land"), the "mini-Rockies" of the West Coast's Long Range Mountains and Lewis Hills, the historic Avalon Peninsula, home to the capital of St. John's. Also don't underestimate the power of the largely uninhabited Newfoundland interior. There is a raw, untouched quality to the entire place, especially where water meets rocks.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Newfoundland and Labrador (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Newfoundland and Labrador
22 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. John's | 131,469 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Corner Brook | 20,791 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 3 | Labrador City | 10,313 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 4 | Happy Valley - Goose Bay | 7,572 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 5 | Stephenville | 7,054 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 6 | Channel-Port aux Basques | 4,220 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 7 | Deer Lake | 4,163 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 8 | Gander | 3,345 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 9 | Port Burwell | 2,762 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 10 | Nain | 1,151 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 11 | Argentia | 1,063 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 12 | La Scie | 817 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 13 | Buchans | 685 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 14 | Cartwright | 505 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 15 | Trout River | 452 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 16 | Forteau | 448 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 17 | Hopedale | 442 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 18 | Trepassey | 398 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 19 | St. Anthony | 224 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 20 | Port Hope Simpson | 197 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 21 | Rigolet | 124 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
| 22 | Churchill Falls | 100 | Newfoundland and Labrador | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Newfoundland and Labrador
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gros Morne | 806 m | 2,644 ft | North America |
Major Dams in Newfoundland and Labrador
1 dam mapped. Ranked by structural height. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Churchill Falls | 61 m | Churchill | 5,428 MW | 1971 |
Largest Lakes in Newfoundland and Labrador
4 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smallwood Reservoir | 5,630 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Grand Lake | 642 km² | Lake |
| 3 | Lac Bermen | 570 km² | Reservoir |
| 4 | Ossokmanuan Lake | 233 km² | Reservoir |
Ports in Newfoundland and Labrador
11 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalina Harbor | 42.1 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 2 | Port Union | 42.1 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 3 | Blanc Sablon | 42.1 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 4 | Corner Brook | 38.4 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 5 | Stephenville | 38.4 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 6 | St John'S | 34.7 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 7 | Argentia | 34.7 m | Minor | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 8 | St George'S | 31.1 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 9 | Port Aux Basques | 20.1 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 10 | Come By Chance Harbor | 5.5 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
The other 1 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Clarenville · 5.5 m · Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · medium vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador
4 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L'Anse aux Meadows | 1978 | Cultural | (vi) |
| 2 | Gros Morne National Park | 1987 | Natural | (vii) (viii) |
| 3 | Red Bay National Historic Site | 2013 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) |
| 4 | Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve | 2016 | Natural | (viii) |
Newfoundland and Labrador: Quick Answers
- Where is Newfoundland and Labrador?
- Newfoundland and Labrador is a first-level division of Canada, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 51.2890° N, 58.1972° W.
- What is the largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador?
- St. John's is the largest city mapped in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a metropolitan population of about 131,469.
- How many cities are in Newfoundland and Labrador?
- YearMaps maps 22 cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a combined metropolitan population of about 198,295. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Newfoundland and Labrador?
- The highest summit mapped in Newfoundland and Labrador is Gros Morne at 806 m.
- What is the largest lake in Newfoundland and Labrador?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Newfoundland and Labrador is Smallwood Reservoir, at about 5,630 km².