Which Province In Canada Is Called "The Garden Province"?

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is more commonly known as "The Garden Province", or the "Garden of the Gulf", and one of Canada's four Atlantic Provinces. It is also the smallest and least populated province in Canada, with only 140,000 people. The Capital of Prince Edward Island (PEI) is Charlottetown, which comprises about 1/4th of the total PEI population.
PEI is known for its spectacular natural beauty, including its 800 km stretch of beaches.
PEI comprises of three counties, Prince, Queens, And Kings. The island is also home to the world's longest bridge, which connects PEI to the Canadian province of New Brunswick and freezes during winter.
The main island is roughly 5,620 square kilometres, making it Canada's 23rd largest island. It is located about 200 km north of Nova Scotia, and 600 kms east of Quebec City.

Demography

With population of a little over 140,000 people, PEI has the highest population density of all the Canadian provinces. More than half of the PEI population lives in the greater Charlottetown area. The population in PEI is divided between rural and urban communities. A lot of the population growth experienced in the province has been due to large scale immigration, through PEI's migration visa pathways, including the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program. The population growth has been centered in the capital; Charlottetown and Summerside.

The other major towns in PEI have less than 5,000 residents per town, including the towns of Alberton, Georgetown, Kensington, Montague, Souris, and Tignish.

The religious breakdown of the economy is as follows: Roman Catholics are the largest population, followed by United Church of Christ, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Baptists. The province also has small populations of Jewish and Muslim Communities.

The primary language spoken in PEI in English, with few speaking French as well. Bilingualism is highly encouraged in the province.

Geography

Prince Edward Island is approximately 5,630 square kilometres; 224 km long, and 64 kms wide. Any region on the island is no more than 15 minutes away from the beach, due to the island having an extensive 1000 km + shoreline.
It is situated on the Gulf of St Lawrence, and is to the North of Nova Scotia, West of Cape Breton Island, East of New Brunswick, and South of the Northumberland Strait.
The shoreline is comprised of as vast number of bays, coves, and inlets; with red sandstone cliffs. The beaches are plentiful, with grassy sand dunes, and low-level sandstone cliffs that face the Gulf of St Lawrence.
The highest point of the province is located on the southern coast, on a hill named Glen Valley at 466 ft (142 m) above sea level.
Most of the island is made up of low-hanging trees, woods, reddish white sand beaches, ocean coves, small rivers and streams, and rolling hills, connected to mainland Canada by the Confederation Bridge.
The stunning sand dunes at Greenwich are significant, and is home to rare birds and plants; a site of considerable archaeological interest.

Culture

Although Prince Edward Island is home to a small population, it embodies a vibrant culture, where the locals are friendly, warm, and welcoming, and a significant artistic culture, inspired by the island's soft landscape, and fine arts including pottery, glass jewellery, contemporary woodwork, paintings, and wrought iron works.

The famous " Anne of Green Gables" novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery is inspired by scenery, landscape and traditions of the island. Each year, residents of the island enact a play of the same name.

PEI offers a range of leisure activities, including beaches, golf courses, eco tourism adventures, as well as cultural events put together by the local communities, like live theatre performances at the Charlottetown Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. And the Victoria Playhouse, which stages more than 80 performances each year in the community hall at Victoria by the sea. The Confederation Centre of the Arts, is a multipurpose complex in Charlottetown comprising of an auditorium, art gallery, museum, children's theatre, studios, shops, and a public library.

Music is another significant part of life on PEI, where Celtic based music is rooted in the province's traditions and culture, as many residents have a Celtic ancestry, originally brought into the province from Scottish and Irish origins. The fiddle is one of the most important instruments in traditional music in the island. Well-known bands and award-winning fidlers in PEI is Richard Wood, J.J Chaisson, and Lennie Gallant.

Outside Charlottetown there is a vast number of art galleries, and small theatres, with annual multicultural festivals, including regional folk festivals, exhibitions, plowing matches, fiddling contests, and Highland Games.

The town of Summerside also has a reconstructed Acadian Village, a museum, and a cultural centre.

Popular sports in the province includes ice skating, ice hockey, golf, baseball, gootball, basketball, harness races, as well as Bob-sledding.

Climate

The climate of Prince Edward Island is a mild, Maritime/ Continental Climate, largely influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence.

On average, the island experiences about 890 mm of rain, and about 290 cm of snow. During Winter the average temperature is -7 degrees Celsius, and average summer temperatures are around 19- 23 degrees Celsius. On occasion the summer temperatures could rise above 30 degrees Celsius.

Winters are usually moderately cold but gets milder as you move inland. Regular weather clashes occur, due to the cold Arctic air and mild Atlantic air. During Winter, PEI experiences several storms, accompanied by rain, and snow, with blizzards on occasion, originating from the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. In winter PEI receives an average rainfall of 290 cm, with temperatures of -3 to -11 degrees Celsius. Cold winds can sometimes make the weather during this period feel more like -25 degrees Celsius. The snow period begins in November and lasts until April.

In summer, the weather is usually moderately warm, and is the best time to enjoy swims and other water sports in the sea, with pleasant temperatures of 20-30 degrees Celsius.

Spring has cool weather (April – May), until the ice melts from Winter, sometimes fog appears during springtime. During May and June, spring flowers begin to emerge, and cover the landscape with bright green colours, and rolling fields.

Autumn is generally more pleasant and has average temperatures of 8 – 22 degrees Celsius, and breathtaking landscapes as the leaves change colours, with hues of red, orange, and yellow.

July and August are usually the driest months of the year, while December experiences the most amount of precipitation; rain and snow.

Healthcare

As a law, all Canadian Provinces and States need to provide publicly funded health care for residents and citizens of Canada. A majority of the basic healthcare services are offered at little or no cost.

The Healthcare plan in Price Edward Island covers doctor visits, physician services, dental services ( surgical teeth removal, root resection, etc), and more.

Public Health Insurance is available to International students who plan to live for six months or more in PEI. You are only eligible to apply for a health care card after residing in the province for a minimum of 3 months. Due to this reason, it is recommended that International students purchase health coverage from their education institution, or from a private health insurance provider, prior to beginning their studies in the province.

Why Study in Prince Edward Island

Lower tuition rates: Prince Edward Island has one if the lowest tuition rates of all provinces in Canada
PEI gives students the option to transfer credits between higher Education Institutions, which means that you can pursue higher education in one college or university for the first two years of your study, and transfer your credits to a different University to pursue the rest of your studies at a more challenging University.
Prince Edward Island is made up of spectacular beauty; vast rolling hills, woods, sand beaches, ocean coves, and plenty of outdoor activities for all, including kayaking, sailing, hiking, cycling, skiing, and more.
PEI had several immigration pathways for obtaining permanent residency, through programs such as the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program, The Atlantic International Graduate Program, and the Express Entry Stream.

Economy/ Key Industries

PEI is dependent on farming which is the backbone of the province's economy, mainly potatoes, as the province produces 25% of the country's total potatoes, which is the biggest source of income for the 2,000 farms in the province. Other prominent industries includes fisheries, agricultur,e tourism, aerospace, bio-science, IT, and renewable energy.

Due to the country's stunning landscapes, warm sandy beaches, and diverse recreation facilities, the number of visitors to the province keeps growing each year.

The manufacturing sector is made up of mostly food processing, and high technology; in fields such as medical, electronics, and agriculture.

Although fishing was a primary industry in the past, there has been a decline in recent years to the depleting fish stocks in the fresh water systems. Due to this, the unemployment rate in PEI has increased to 10%, which is the second highest uneployment rate in Canada. The government is making significant efforts to move people without jobs in the fishing industry to work in jobs in other growing industry sectors in the province.

The province's fertile soil, favours it for agriculture production, and its location to vast fresh water systems, and the seas make it a base for lobster, shellfish, cod, hake, flounder and redfish operations.

Despite success in these industries, the provincial economy has staggered behind the country averages for productivity, employment, and per capita income. Other reasons for the lag in economy can be attributed to limited human and natural resources, distance to large markets, high transportation costs, and the country's high electric power rates per capita.