Learn about Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s three Maritime Provinces, and one of the four provinces that form Atlantic Canada. Its provincial capital is Halifax. It is the second-smallest of Canada’s ten provinces, with an area of 55,284 square kilometers, including Cape Breton and another 3,800 coastal islands. It is Canada’s second-most-densely populated province, after Prince Edward Island, with 17.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The province’s defense and the aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy each year. Mining, especially of gypsum and salt and to lesser extent silica, peat, and barite, is also a significant sector. Offshore oil and gas have become an important part of the economy, although production and revenue are also now declining. Agriculture remains an important sector in the province, particularly in the Annapolis Valley. Tourism also helps boost the economy in the warmer months. Two hundred thousand cruise shippassengers from around the world flow through the Port of Halifax. In the province’s biggest city, Halifax’s diverse economy includes the IT, Gaming & Digital Media sector, Financial Services, and real estate firms.