Map of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a first-level division of Canada. Its largest mapped city is Halifax, with about 359,111 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Nova Scotia, and the tables list its 11 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 11
- Largest City
- Halifax
- Country
- Canada
- Highest Point Mapped
- 535 m
Interactive Map of Nova Scotia
About Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a province in The Maritimes region of Canada, located on the nation's east coast. With an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2026, Nova Scotia is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Nova Scotia is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and the second-smallest province by area. The province comprises the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island, as well as 3,800 other coastal islands. The province is connected to the rest of Canada by the Isthmus of Chignecto, on which the province's sole land border, with New Brunswick, is located.
Nova Scotia's provincial capital and largest city is Halifax, which is home to over 45% of the province's population as of the 2021 census. Halifax is the twelfth-largest census metropolitan area (CMA) in Canada, the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada, and Canada's second-largest coastal municipality after Vancouver.
The land that makes up what is now Nova Scotia was inhabited by the Mi'kmaq people at the time of European colonization. In 1605, Acadia—France's first New France colony—was founded with the creation of Acadia's capital, Port Royal. The Scots, English, then British, fought France for the territory on numerous occasions for over a century afterwards, having gained it from them in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession. Port Royal was renamed Annapolis Royal and the settlement served as the capital of Nova Scotia until the founding of Halifax in 1749.
In subsequent years, the British began settling "foreign Protestants" in the region and deported the French-speaking Acadians en masse. There was ambivalence in Nova Scotia over whether the colony should join the Americans in the war against Britain. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), thousands of Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia.
In 1848, Nova Scotia became the first British colony to achieve responsible government.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Nova Scotia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nova Scotia in Depth
History
Nova Scotia includes regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki (mi'gama'gi), the territory of which extends across the Maritimes, parts of Maine, Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula. The Mi'kmaq people are part of the large Algonquian-language family and inhabited Nova Scotia at the time the first European colonists arrived. Research published in 1871 as well as Silas Tertius Rand's work from 1894 showed that some Mi'kmaq believed they had emigrated from the west, and then lived alongside the Kwēdĕchk, the original inhabitants. According to these accounts, the two tribes engaged in a war that lasted "many years", and involved the "slaughter of men, women, and children, and torture of captives", and the eventual displacement of the Kwēdĕchk by the victorious Mi’kmaq.
Geography
Nova Scotia is Canada's second-smallest province in area, after Prince Edward Island. It is surrounded by four major bodies of water: the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The province's mainland is the Nova Scotia peninsula and includes numerous bays and estuaries. Nowhere in Nova Scotia is more than 67 km (42 mi) from the ocean. Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for being the site of offshore shipwrecks, approximately 175 km (110 mi) from the province's southern coast.
Nova Scotia has many ancient fossil-bearing rock formations.
Economy
Nova Scotia's per capita GDP in 2016 was CA$44,924, significantly lower than the national average per capita GDP of CA$57,574. GDP growth has lagged behind the rest of the country for at least the past decade. In 2017, the median family income in Nova Scotia was $85,970, below the national average of $92,990; in Halifax the figure rises to $98,870.
The province's export value of fish exceeds $1 billion, and fish products are received by 90 countries around the world. Nevertheless, the province's imports far exceed its exports. While these numbers were roughly equal from 1992 until 2004, since that time the trade deficit has ballooned. In 2012, exports from Nova Scotia were 12.1% of provincial GDP, while imports were 22.6%.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Nova Scotia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nova Scotia: Key Facts
| Population | 969,383 (2021) |
|---|---|
| Area | 55,283 km² |
| Capital | Halifax |
| Head of government | Tim Houston |
| Highest point | White Hill |
| Established | 1867 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1952 (CC0).
History of Nova Scotia: Empires and States
The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of Nova Scotia, from Kingdom of France in 1632 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Kingdom of France | 1632–1761 CE |
| New France | 1632–1761 CE |
| British Colonial Empire | 1713–1931 CE |
| The British Empire | 1713–1931 CE |
| Canada | 1932–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia 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 Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia (French: Nouvelle-Écosse), is one of Canada's Atlantic Provinces. With just under one million inhabitants, it is the largest of the four (7th overall in Canada by population) and generally considered to be the touristic hub of the Maritimes.
From the historic Acadian southern coast to scenic Cape Breton, to the seaside villages of Lunenburg to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia offers many beaches, historic sites, rugged wilderness parks, and an interesting mix of Celtic, Acadian French, and Indigenous cultures to explore.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Nova Scotia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Nova Scotia
11 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 | Halifax | 359,111 | Nova Scotia | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Sydney | 37,538 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 3 | New Glasgow | 20,322 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 4 | Amherst | 9,336 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 5 | Yarmouth | 7,500 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 6 | Antigonish | 6,739 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 7 | Liverpool | 4,331 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 8 | Digby | 3,949 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 9 | Windsor | 3,864 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 10 | Shelburne | 3,167 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
| 11 | Baddeck | 852 | Nova Scotia | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Nova Scotia
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 | White Hill | 535 m | 1,755 ft | North America |
Largest Lakes in Nova Scotia
1 lake 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 | Lake Rossignol | 169 km² | Lake |
Ports in Nova Scotia
18 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 | Musquodoboit Harbour | 56.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 2 | Whycocomagh | 53 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 3 | Little Bras D Or | 53 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 4 | Sonora | 53 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 5 | Port Hawkesbury | 49.4 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 6 | Georgetown | 45.7 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 7 | Summerside | 45.7 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | large vessels |
| 8 | Pictou | 45.7 m | Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 9 | Goldsboro | 45.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
| 10 | Windsor | 45.7 m | Very Small | Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence | medium vessels |
The other 8 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Grand Narrows · 42.1 m · Very Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · medium vessels
- Louisburg · 42.1 m · Very Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · medium vessels
- Liverpool (Brooklyn) · 42.1 m · Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · medium vessels
- Charlottetown · 38.4 m · Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · large vessels
- North Sydney · 34.7 m · Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · large vessels
- Digby · 34.7 m · Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · medium vessels
- Port Hastings · 31.1 m · Very Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · large vessels
- Stormont · 20.1 m · Very Small · Atlantic Canada & Gulf of St. Lawrence · point_of_interest
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nova Scotia
3 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 | Old Town Lunenburg | 1995 | Cultural | (iv) (v) |
| 2 | Joggins Fossil Cliffs | 2008 | Natural | (viii) |
| 3 | Grand-Pré | 2012 | Cultural | (v) (vi) |
Nova Scotia: Quick Answers
- Where is Nova Scotia?
- Nova Scotia is a first-level division of Canada, in North America. Its mapped cities centre on 45.0075° N, 63.5841° W.
- What is the largest city in Nova Scotia?
- Halifax is the largest city mapped in Nova Scotia, with a metropolitan population of about 359,111.
- How many cities are in Nova Scotia?
- YearMaps maps 11 cities and towns in Nova Scotia, with a combined metropolitan population of about 456,709. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Nova Scotia?
- The highest summit mapped in Nova Scotia is White Hill at 535 m.
- What is the largest lake in Nova Scotia?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Nova Scotia is Lake Rossignol, at about 169 km².