NASA landsat photo of Cape Breton Island
(—formerly
île Royale,
Scottish Gaelic:
Eilean Cheap Breatuinn,
Míkmaq:
Únamakika, simply:
Cape Breton) is an
island on the
Atlantic coast of
North America. It likely corresponds to the French word "Breton", referring to
Brittany.
Cape Breton Island is part of the province of
Nova Scotia,
Canada. Although physically separated from the
Nova Scotia peninsula by the
Strait of Canso, it is artificially connected to mainland Nova Scotia by the
Canso Causeway. The island is located east-northeast of the mainland with its northern and western
coasts fronting on the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence; its western coast also forming the eastern limits of the
Northumberland Strait. The eastern and southern coasts front the Atlantic Ocean; its eastern coast also forming the western limits of the
Cabot Strait. Its landmass slopes upward from south to north, culminating in the
highlands of its northern cape. One of the world's largest salt water lakes (Bras d'Or--"Arm of Gold" in French), dominates the centre of the island.
The island is divided into four of Nova Scotia's eighteen counties:
Cape Breton,
Inverness,
Richmond, and
Victoria. Their total population as of the
2001 census numbered 147,454 "Cape Bretoners"; this is approximately 16% of the provincial population. Cape Breton Island has experienced a decline in population of approximately 6.8% since the previous census in 1996. Approximately 72% of the island's population is located in the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) which includes all of
Cape Breton County and is often referred to as
Industrial Cape Breton, given the history of
coal mining and steel manufacturing in this area.
The island contains five
reserves of the
Mi'kmaq Nation, these being:
Eskasoni,
Membertou,
Wagmatcook,
We'kopaq/Waycobah, and
Potlotek/Chapel Island. Eskasoni is the largest in both population and land area.
History
Cabot's Landing, Victoria County, commemorating the "first land seen" by explorer John Cabot in 1497
A bulk carrier in the
Strait of Canso docked at the Martin Marietta Materials quarry located at Cape Porcupine. The photo is taken from Cape Breton side of the
Canso Causeway.
Cape Breton Island's first residents were likely
Maritime Archaic natives, ancestors of the
Mi'kmaq, the latter of whom inhabited the island at the time of European discovery.
Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) reportedly visited the island in 1497 to become the first
Renaissance European explorer to visit present-day Canada. However, historians are unclear as to whether Cabot first visited
Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. This discovery is commemorated by Cape Breton's
Cabot Trail, and by
Cabot's Landing Historic Site & Provincial Park, located near the village of
Dingwall.
A fishing colony was established on the island about 1521–22 by the Portuguese under
João Álvares Fagundes. As many as 200 settlers lived in the nameless village in what is now present day
Ingonish (location according to some historians) on the island's northwestern peninsula. The fate of the colony is unknown, but it is mentioned as late as 1570.
On February 8, 1631,
Charles I granted Cape Breton Island to
Robert Gordon of
Lochinvar and his son Robert.
Known as "
Île Royale" to the French, the island also saw active settlement by
France as part of the colony of
Acadia. After the French ceded its colonies on
Newfoundland and the
Acadian mainland to the British by the
Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the French relocated the population of
Plaisance, Newfoundland to Île Royale and the French
garrison was established in the central eastern part at
Ste. Anne. As the harbour at Ste. Anne experienced icing problems, it was decided to construct a much larger fortification at
Louisbourg to improve defences at the entrance to the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence and defend France's fishing fleet on the
Grand Banks. The French also built the
Louisbourg Lighthouse in 1734, the first lighthouse in Canada and one of the first in North America. In addition to Cape Breton Island, the French colony of Île Royale also included
Île St.-Jean (today called
Prince Edward Island). Louisbourg itself was one of the most important commercial and military centres in New France. Although Louisbourg was captured by New Englanders with British naval assistance in
1745 and by the British again in 1758, Île Royale remained formally part of
colonial France until it was ceded to
Britain under the
Treaty of Paris in 1763. Britain merged the island with its adjacent colony of Nova Scotia (present day peninsular Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick).
Some of the first British-sanctioned settlers to the island following the
Seven Years' War were
Irish, although upon settlement, they merged with local French communities to form a culture rich in both music and tradition. From 1763 to 1784 the island was administratively part of the colony of
Nova Scotia and governed from
Halifax.
The first permanently settled
Scottish community on Cape Breton Island was
Judique, settled in 1775 by Michael Mor MacDonald. He spent his first winter using his upside-down boat for shelter, which is reflected in the architecture of the village's Community Centre. He composed a song about the area called "O's alainn an t-aite", or "Fair is the Place."
In 1784, Britain split the colony of Nova Scotia into three separate colonies: New Brunswick, Cape Breton Island, and present-day peninsular Nova Scotia, in addition to the adjacent colonies of
St. John's Island (renamed Prince Edward Island in 1798) and
Newfoundland. The colony of Cape Breton Island had its capital at
Sydney on its namesake harbour fronting on Spanish Bay and the
Cabot Strait. Its first Lieutenant-Governor was
Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres (1784–1787) and his successor was
William Macarmick (1787). From 1799 to 1807 the military commandant was John Despard, brother of
Edward.
An order forbidding the granting of land in Cape Breton, issued in 1763, was removed in 1784. The mineral rights to the island were given over to the Crown by an order-in-council. The British government had intended that the Crown take over the operation of the mines when Cape Breton was made a colony, but this was never done, probably because of the rehabilitation cost of the mines. The mines were in a neglected state, caused by careless operations dating back at least to the time of the final fall of Louisbourg.
Large scale shipbuilding began in the 1790s, beginning with
schooners for local trade moving in the 1820s to larger
brigs and
brigantines, mostly built for British shipowners. Shipbuilding peaked in the 1850s, marked in 1851 by the
full rigged ship Lord Clarendon, the largest wooden ship ever built in Cape Breton.
In 1820, the colony of Cape Breton Island was merged for the second time with Nova Scotia. This development is one of the factors which led to large-scale industrial development in the Sydney Coal Field of eastern Cape Breton County (see
Industrial Cape Breton). By the late 19th century, as a result of the faster shipping, expanding fishery and industrialization of the island, exchanges of people between the island of
Newfoundland and Cape Breton increased beginning a cultural exchange that continues to this day.
During the first half of the 19th century, Cape Breton Island experienced an influx of
Highland Scots numbering approximately 50,000 as a result of the
Highland Clearances. Today, the descendants of the Highland Scots dominate Cape Breton Island's culture, particularly in rural communities. To this day
Gaelic is still the first language of a number of elderly Cape Bretoners. A campaign of violence and intimidation by the provincial school board led to the near extermination of Gaelic culture. The growing influence of English-dominated media from outside the Scottish communities saw the use of this language erode quickly during the 20th century. Many of the Scots who immigrated there were either Roman Catholics or Presbyterians, which can be seen in a number of island landmarks and place names.
The 1920s were some of the most violent times in Cape Breton. They were marked by several severe labour disputes. The famous murder of
William Davis by strike breakers, and the seizing of the
New Waterford power plant by striking miners led to a major union sentiment that persists to this day in some circles.
William Davis Miners' Memorial Day is celebrated in coal mining towns to commemorate the deaths of miners at the hands of the coal companies.
Promotions for tourism beginning in the 1950s recognized the importance of the Scottish culture to the province, and the provincial government started encouraging the use of Gaelic once again. The establishment of funding for the
Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts and formal Gaelic
language courses in public schools are intended to address the near-loss of this culture to English
assimilation.
The turn of the 20th century saw Cape Breton Island at the forefront of scientific achievement with the now-famous activities launched by inventors
Alexander Graham Bell and
Guglielmo Marconi.
Following his successful invention of the
telephone and being relatively wealthy, Bell acquired land near
Baddeck in 1885, largely due to surroundings reminiscent of his early years in
Scotland. He established a summer estate complete with research laboratories, working with deaf people—including
Helen Keller—and continued to invent. Baddeck would be the site of his experiments with
hydrofoil technologies as well as the
Aerial Experiment Association, financed by his wife, which saw the first powered flight in the
British Empire when the
AEA Silver Dart took off from the ice-covered waters of
Bras d'Or Lake. Bell also built the forerunner to the
iron lung and he experimented with breeding sheep.
Marconi's contributions to Cape Breton Island were somewhat less than Bell's as he merely used the island's geography to his advantage in transmitting the first North American trans-
Atlantic radio message from a station constructed at Table Head in
Glace Bay to a receiving station at
Poldhu in
Cornwall,
England.
Geography
The Sydney waterfront, focal point of the largest population centre on Cape Breton Island.
The island measures in area, making it the
75th largest island in the world and
Canada's 18th largest island. Cape Breton Island is composed mainly of
rocky shores, rolling
farmland,
glacial valleys, barren
headlands,
mountains,
woods and
plateaus. Geological evidence suggests that at least part of the island was originally joined with present-day
Scotland and
Norway, now separated by millions of years of
continental drift.
The northern portion of Cape Breton Island is dominated by the
Cape Breton Highlands, commonly shortened to simply the "Highlands", which are an extension of the
Appalachian mountain chain. The Highlands comprise the northern portions of
Inverness and
Victoria counties. In 1936 the federal government established the
Cape Breton Highlands National Park covering across the northern third of the Highlands. The
Cabot Trail scenic highway also encircles the coastal perimeter of the plateau.
Cape Breton Island's hydrological features include the
Bras d'Or Lake system, a salt-water
fjord at the heart of the island, and
freshwater features including
Lake Ainslie, the
Margaree River system, and the
Mira River. Innumerable smaller
rivers and
streams drain into the Bras d'Or Lake
estuary and onto the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic coasts.
Cape Breton Island is joined to the mainland by the
Canso Causeway, which was completed in 1955, enabling direct
road and
rail traffic to and from the island, but requiring
marine traffic to pass through the
Canso Canal at the eastern end of the
causeway.
Cape Breton Island is divided into four counties:
Cape Breton,
Inverness,
Richmond, and
Victoria.
Demographics
The island's residents can be grouped into five main cultures;
Scottish,
Mi'kmaq,
Acadian,
Irish, and
English, with respective languages
Gaelic,
Mi'kmaq,
French, and
English. English is now the primary spoken language, though Mi'kmaq, Gaelic and French are still heard.
Later
migrations of
Black Loyalists,
Italians, and
Eastern Europeans mostly settled in the eastern part of the island around the Industrial Cape Breton region. The population of Cape Breton Island has been in decline for almost two decades with an increasing population exodus in recent years due to economic conditions.
According to the Census of Canada, the population of Cape Breton Island in 2001 was 147,454, a 6.8% decline from 158,260 in 1996.
Racial/Ethnic composition- 3.6% Mi'kmaq (Canadian First Nation)
Religious groupsStatistics Canada in 2001 reported a "religion" total of 107,880 for Cape Breton, including 3,915 with "no religious affiliation." Major categories included:
- Protestant: 32,575 (including 13,790 United Church and 10,170 Anglican)
Synagogues in Sydney and Glace Bay serve a small historic Jewish community (which was once one of the larger ones in eastern Canada) while more recent Muslim immigrants hold Friday prayers at
Cape Breton University.
Buddhists are a tiny minority (70 in 2001, according to Statistics Canada), although
Gampo Abbey in
Pleasant Bay has been operational since 1984.
Economy
Cape Breton Island's most recent cultural flag, the "Eagle" flag (1997)
Cape Breton Island's second cultural flag, the "Tartan" flag (early 1990s)
Cape Breton Island's first cultural flag, the blue-and-yellow flag dates to the 1940s
Cape Breton Island has two major coal deposits: the Sydney Coal Field in the southeastern part of the island along the Atlantic Ocean drove the Industrial Cape Breton economy throughout the 19th and 20th centuries—until after
World War II its industries were the largest private employers in Canada; the Inverness Coal Field in the western part of the island along the Gulf of St. Lawrence is significantly smaller but hosted several mines.
Sydney has traditionally been the main port, with various facilities in a large, sheltered, natural harbour. It is the island's largest commercial centre and home to the Island's daily newspaper, the
Cape Breton Post, as well as its only active television studio,
CJCB-TV, and several radio stations. The
Marine Atlantic terminal at
North Sydney is the terminal for large ferries travelling to
Channel–Port aux Basques and seasonally to
Argentia on the island of
Newfoundland.
Point Edward on the west side of Sydney Harbour is the location of Sydport, a former
navy base () now converted to commercial use. The
Canadian Coast Guard College is located nearby at Westmount. Petroleum, bulk coal, and cruise ship facilities are also located in Sydney Harbour.
Glace Bay is the second largest urban community in population and was the island's main coal mining centre until its last mine ceased operation in the 1980s. Glace Bay served as the hub of the Sydney & Louisburg Railway and also as a major fishing port. At one time, Glace Bay was known as the largest town in Nova Scotia, based on population.
Port Hawkesbury has risen to prominence since the completion of the Canso Causeway and
Canso Canal created an artificial deep-water port, allowing extensive petrochemical, pulp and paper, and gypsum handling facilities to be established. The Strait of Canso is completely navigable to
Seawaymax vessels, and Port Hawkesbury is open to the deepest-draught vessels on the world's oceans. Large marine vessels may also enter Bras d'Or Lake through the Great Bras d'Or channel whereas small craft have the additional use of the Little Bras d'Or channel or
St. Peters Canal. The St. Peters Canal is no longer used by commercial shipping on Cape Breton Island but is an important waterway for recreational vessels.
The industrial Cape Breton area faced several challenges with the closure of the
Cape Breton Development Corporation's (DEVCO)
coal mines and the
Sydney Steel Corporation's (SYSCO)
steel mill. In recent years the Island's residents have been attempting to diversify the area economy by investing in tourism developments,
call centres, and small businesses, as well as manufacturing ventures in such fields as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and window glazings.
While the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is in transition from an industrial to a service-based economy, the rest of Cape Breton Island outside of the industrial area surrounding Sydney-Glace Bay has been more stable, with a mixture of fishing, forestry, small-scale agriculture, and tourism.
Tourism in particular has grown throughout the post-
Second World War era, especially the growth in vehicle-based touring, which was furthered by the creation of the
Cabot Trail scenic drive. The scenery of the island is rivalled in northeastern North America only by
Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island tourism marketing places a heavy emphasis on its
Scottish Gaelic heritage through events such as the Celtic Colours Festival, held each October, as well as promotions through the
Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts.
A popular attraction for tourists isn't on the land, but in the water—whales. Whale-watching cruises are operated by numerous vendors from Baddeck to Cheticamp. The most popular species of whale found in Cape Breton's waters is the Pilot whale.
The primary east-west road on the island is
Highway 105, the
Trans-Canada Highway, although
Trunk 4 is also heavily used.
Highway 125 is an important arterial route around Sydney Harbour in the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The
Cabot Trail, circling the Cape Breton Highlands, and
Trunk 19, along the western coast of the island, are important secondary roads. Railway connections between the port of Sydney to
Canadian National Railway in
Truro are maintained by the
Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway.
The
Cabot Trail is a scenic road circuit around and over the
Cape Breton Highlands with spectacular coastal vistas; over 400,000 visitors drive the Cabot Trail each summer and fall. Coupled with the
Fortress of Louisbourg, it has driven the growth of the tourism industry on the island in recent decades. The
Condé Nast travel guide has rated Cape Breton Island as one of the best island destinations in the world.
Traditional music
Cape Breton is well known for its traditional fiddle music, which was brought to North America by
Scottish immigrants during the
Highland Clearances. The traditional style has been well preserved in Cape Breton, and
céilidhs have become a popular attraction for summer tourists.
Inverness County in particular has a heavy concentration of musical activity, with regular performances in communities such as
Mabou and
Judique. Judique is recognized as 'Bhaile nam Fonn', (literally: Village of Tunes) or the 'Home of Celtic Music', featuring the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. Performers who have received significant recognition outside of Cape Breton include
Buddy MacMaster,
Natalie MacMaster,
Ashley MacIsaac,
The Rankin Family,
Aselin Debison, and the
Barra MacNeils.
The Men of the Deeps are a male choral group of current and former miners from the industrial Cape Breton area.
Film and television
Notable people
The Arts
- Nathan Cohen, theatre critic, CBC Radio host and personality
- J. P. Cormier, singer-songwriter, fiddle, mandolin, banjo guitar-player, Cheticamp.
Athletes
Politics and business
Religion
- Reverend Norman McLeod, Presbyterian minister, St Ann's, who migrated in the 1850s with 800 settlers from surrounding communities to Waipu, New Zealand.
See also
