Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province in Canada. It has two parts: the island of Newfoundland and the mainland region of Labrador. The province is known for icebergs that float past the coast, colorful fishing villages, and a Viking settlement over 1,000 years old.

Land and People

About 520,000 people live in Newfoundland and Labrador. The capital is St. John's, one of the oldest cities in North America. The coast is rugged with cliffs, coves, and fjords. Labrador is a vast wilderness of forests, rivers, and tundra.

Culture and Fun Facts

L'Anse aux Meadows is a 1,000-year-old Viking settlement, the first European settlement in North America. Every spring, huge icebergs float south past Newfoundland in an area called Iceberg Alley. The province has its own time zone, half an hour ahead of the rest of Atlantic Canada. Puffins nest on the coastal cliffs.

Fun Facts

• L'Anse aux Meadows is a Viking settlement from about 1,000 years ago, proving Vikings reached North America before Columbus.
• Newfoundland has its own time zone that is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic Standard Time.
• Giant icebergs from Greenland float past Newfoundland's coast every spring.

Did You Know?

About 1,000 years ago, Viking explorers from Scandinavia sailed to Newfoundland and built a small settlement. This was about 500 years before Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas.