Halifax is our capital city, which was one of the first colonies settled in Canada in 1749. Our provincial bird is the Osprey, our flower the Mayflower and our tree the Red Spruce. The area of Nova Scotia is 55,487 square km and the coastline equals 7,459 km. The province is joined to the mainland by only 21 km of land and you are never more than 45 km from the sea. Nova Scotia has the most temperate climate in Canada. Our main industries are fishing, farming, mining, and tourism. As Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland, it's not surprising that there is a strong Scottish and Irish Gaelic heritage here. Nova Scotians, or Bluenosers as we are often called (and after which the famous sailing schooner was named) are said to be among the friendliest people in the world. NS GUIDING AREA MAP