Welcome to Nova Scotia, Canada

Quick Facts about Nova Scotia | Time Zone | Climate | Public Holidays | Map

Canada is the world's second largest country, occupying the northern half of the North American continent. It is made up of 10 provinces and three territories. The capitol of Canada is Ottawa, in the province of Ontario. English and French are the two official languages in Canada. French is the predominant language in the province of Quebec and parts of New Brunswick, while English is generally spoken in the rest of the country. The native culture is the only truly indigenous culture of Canada, since all other Canadians were originally immigrants. Canada opened its doors to immigrants from all over the world in the early 20th century.

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's Eastern most provinces. Nova Scotia is a 580 kilometre peninsula surrounded by four bodies of water: the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, the Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

For additional information about Nova Scotia, please visit our provincial government website at www.gov.ns.ca/about.htm

Time Zone

Nova Scotia is in the Atlantic time zone, which means that our clocks are one hour ahead of Eastern time and two hours ahead of Central time. Depending on the time of year, Nova Scotia is 4-6 hours behind the countries of the European Union.

Climate

Because Nova Scotia is surrounded by water and lies near the Gulf Stream, its climate is more moderate than you might expect. Summer daytime highs often reach into the low 30 degree C range (approximately 90F), especially away from the coast. The Atlantic coast can be foggy and cool, so be prepared with a sweater. Nights are usually comfortable for sleeping (12-18C) but don't be surprised by warmer, muggier nights in late July and early August.

Spring is short, cool and rainy in most places in Nova Scotia. Late spring nad September are about 5C degrees cooler than summer. September highs are 13-21C. Winters are coldest on the northen shore. Winters are quite long and the temperature goes as low as -20C. There is generally plenty of snow for winter sports, although coastal areas tend to receive more rain than snow in the winter.

Public Holidays

Map

Courtesy of atlas.gc.ca