Newfoundland

Definition: The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the ten provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Newfoundland is one of four Atlantic provinces in Canada.

John Cabot first used the term "new found isle" in 1497. The name Labrador is from the Portuguese word "lavrador" or small landholder, and is probably attributable to Jo?o Fernades, a Portuguese explorer. The term was first applied to a section of the coast of Greenland. In 2001, an amendment to the Terms of Union officially approved a name change from the province of Newfoundland to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Newfoundland Facts

The most eastern province in Canada is made up of the island of Newfoundland and Labrador which is on the mainland of Canada. Newfoundland is the youngest Canadian province, joining Canada in 1949.

Last Newfoundland Provincial Election: October 9, 2007

Next Newfoundland Provincial Election: October 11, 2011

Energy, fisheries, mining, forestry, tourism

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Hurricane Maria to drench eastern Newfoundland

Hurricane Maria is bringing heavy rain and high winds to southeastern Newfoundland, as the storm continues to churn northward.

The Category 1 hurricane had already prompted school closures and airport cancellations as it moved toward Nova Scotia's Sable Island, and was expected to become more powerful throughout the day.

CBC Newfoundland and Labrador meteorologist Ryan Snoddon said winds had already picked up before 9 a.m.

"Argentia is reporting wind gusts of up to 70 km/h as are Bonavista and St. John's. These are the areas where we are eventually expecting to see gusts well over 100 km/h. Heavy rainfall is expected to develop later," said Snoddon.

The centre of the storm was moving 85 km/h, Snoddon said, which may be good news, as a fast-moving storm is expected to drop less rain than a slow-moving one.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre said Maria is expected to make landfall as a hurricane Friday afternoon in southeastern Newfoundland.

The powerful storm is expected to dump up to 90 millimetres of rain with winds gusting to 120 km/h.

Environment Canada said toppled trees, widespread power outages and some damage to buildings were possible .

A hurricane warning is in effect for the southern Avalon Peninsula and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the northern Avalon, Burin and Bonavista peninsulas.

A city of St. John's crew prepares Thursday for rain that Hurricane Marie is expected to bring on Friday. (CBC)Rob Harris of the Gander weather office said the Burin Peninsula and south coast can expect the heaviest rain.

"It could be really heavy downbursts in a short period of time," he said.

Schools in the southern Avalon area began closing before 7 a.m.

Windy conditions are expected across Atlantic Canada Friday and Saturday as Maria is expected to merge with a storm front in Labrador.

Winds had picked up to 50 km/h in St John's by 7 a.m.

Rain has already begun with the systems ahead of Maria over Nova Scotia and southern Newfoundland.

Coastal Newfoundland is expected to see large waves Friday of up to seven metres.

Hurricane Igor is the most powerful storm to strike Newfoundland on record. It made landfall Sept 21, 2010, near Cape Race with winds of 140 km/h while still at hurricane force.

CBC reporter Zach Goudie on Thursday near damage that Hurricane Igor caused in Sept. 2010. (CBC)

More than 200 mm of rain fell, washing out roads, and taking out hydroelectric power and knocking over numerous trees.

The Canadian military was called in to help rebuild bridges and destroyed infrastructure.

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St. John's, Newfoundland Facts

 The Narrows, St. John's Harbour, Newfoundland

Courtesy Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

St. John's is the capital city of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. St. John's is Canada's oldest city, and it shows its old-fashioned charm in winding, hilly streets lined with colorful buildings. St. John's sits on a deepwater harbour connected by the Narrows, a long inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. The local economy, depressed by the collapse of the cod fishery in the early 1990s, has been brought back to prosperity with petro-dollars from off-shore oil projects.

The easternmost city in North America, St. John's is situated on the east side of the Avalon Peninsula in southeast Newfoundland.

446.04 sq. km (172.22 sq. miles) (Statistics Canada, 2006 Census)

100,646 (Statistics Canada, 2006 Census)

1921

In 1832, St. John's became the seat of government of Newfoundland, an English colony at the time, when Newfoundland was granted a colonial legislature by England. St. John's became the capital city of the province of Newfoundland when Newfoundland joined Canadian Confederation in 1949.

St. John's municipal elections are held every four years on the last Tuesday in September.

Date of the last St. John's municipal election: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Date of the next St. John's municipal election: Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The City of St. John's has a partial ward system with a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, five ward councillors and four councillors at large.

St. John's has a temperate climate, without extremes in temperature. The winters are relatively mild and the summers cool. That's somewhat deceptive though, as Environment Canada also rates St. John's high in other aspects of its weather: it is the foggiest Canadian city; it is the windiest Candian city; and it has the greatest number of days of freezing rain per year.

Winter temperatures in St. John's average around -1°C (30°F), while summer days have an average temperature around 20°C (68°F).

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