Regions Of New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's thirteen provinces and territories. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is bordered by Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to the west. New Brunswick was historically divided into counties with elected governments, but this was abolished in 1966. The province is now split into 12 rural districts and 77 local governments.

The province's geography and climate

New Brunswick is one of three Canadian provinces collectively known as the 'Maritimes'. It is bordered by Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to the west. The province is joined to Nova Scotia by the narrow Chignecto Isthmus and is separated from Prince Edward Island by the Northumberland Strait. The southeast corner of the province is connected to Nova Scotia at the isthmus of Chignecto.

New Brunswick is part of the Appalachian region, one of Canada's seven physiographic regions. The province's principal geographic divisions are the watershed of the Bay of Fundy, centring on the Saint John River valley, and the north and east shores. The residents of the north and east shores live in coastal fishing villages and interior lumbering settlements along rivers. They are separated physically from the valley communities by uplands and belts of forest. The province's topography is characterised by northern uplands rising to 820m and mountainous in appearance, with gently rolling hills in the central and eastern parts of the province, and sharp hills on the southern coast that slope down to tidal marshes and a lowland plain in the southeast.

The soils of New Brunswick tend to be thin and acidic over the uplands, deeper but frequently poorly drained and acidic in the centre and west, and rocky in portions of the south. About 5% of the province is farmland, with most of the remainder – some 83% – under forest cover. Almost all of the forest is considered suitable for forestry. No part of New Brunswick is more than 180km from the ocean, and an extensive river system accesses the interior, permitting early development and dictating settlement patterns. The largest cities are located on the rivers, as are most of the towns and villages. Lakes are common in the south, with the largest, Grand Lake, more than 30km in length.

The climate of New Brunswick is continental, with snowy winters and temperate summers. The province's climate is more severe than that of the other Maritime provinces, which are lower and have more shoreline along the moderating sea. Elevated parts of the far north of the province have a subarctic climate. Evidence of climate change in the province can be seen in its more intense precipitation events, more frequent winter thaws, and a reduction in snowpack.

The First Nations groups that inhabited the area

The Maliseet are a First Nations people who inhabit the St. John River valley and its tributaries, extending to the St. Lawrence in Quebec. Their territory included the entire watershed of the St. John River on both sides of the International Boundary between New Brunswick and Quebec in Canada, and Maine in the United States. The name Maliseet comes from the Mi'kmaq language, as the slower pace of the Wəlastəkwey language (spoken by the Maliseet) made it seem like a slower version of the Mi'kmaq language. The Maliseet people called themselves Wəlastəkwiyik, meaning "People of the Good [Wave] River", as their existence centred on the St. John River, which they called the Wəlastəkw.

The Passamaquoddy are a First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, in Maine and New Brunswick. They have recently acquired legal status in Canada as a First Nation and are pursuing the return of lands in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, including Ktaqamkuk, their name for St. Andrews, which was the ancestral capital of the Passamaquoddy.

The Mi'kmaq are a First Nations people indigenous to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec, and the eastern half of New Brunswick in the Maritime Provinces. The Míkmaw is the name of their language, and the Mi'kmaq people were amenable to limited French settlement in their midst during the colonial wars.

The First Nations groups of New Brunswick have a long and rich history, and their presence in the region dates back thousands of years. These groups played a significant role in the development and culture of the area, and their influence can still be seen today.

The French colonisation of the region

The colonisation of New Brunswick began in the 16th century, when French explorers first arrived in the region. In 1604, a group led by Pierre Dugua and Samuel de Champlain sailed into Passamaquoddy Bay and set up camp on St. Croix Island. The following year, the colony was relocated to Port-Royal in present-day Nova Scotia.

Gradually, other French settlements were established, including along the Saint John River and in the upper Bay of Fundy. The whole region of New Brunswick was proclaimed to be part of the royal French colony of Acadia, which also included Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and parts of Maine. The French maintained good relations with the local First Nations groups, including the Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, and Passamaquoddy, through a healthy fur trading economy.

In 1621, a competing British claim to the region was made when King James granted permission to settle the lands of Nova Scotia to the Plymouth Company. This marked the beginning of a centuries-long struggle between England and France for control of the Canadian waterways and lands.

In the 18th century, France gradually lost control of Acadia in a series of wars with Britain. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 saw France cede its claims to peninsular Acadia, including Nova Scotia, to Britain, but it retained control of New Brunswick and the islands of Prince Edward and Cape Breton.

In the mid-18th century, the French built Fort Beausejour and Fort Gaspareaux along the frontier with Nova Scotia to bolster their position. However, the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) saw the British finish off French influence in Canada. Fort Beausejour was captured by the British in 1755, and New Brunswick fell under British control, being amalgamated with Nova Scotia for administrative purposes. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 formally ended New France, with France ceding the rest of its North American territories to Great Britain and Spain.

The British colonisation of the region

In 1784, the western portions of Nova Scotia were severed to form the new colony of New Brunswick, in response to the influx of loyalists settling in British North America after the American Revolutionary War. The colony was named in honour of King George III, who was descended from the House of Brunswick. The capital, Fredericton, was named for George III's second son, Prince Frederick. The British administrators felt that the colonial capital of Halifax was too far from the developing territories to allow for proper governance, and so the colony of New Brunswick was officially created.

The British colonial era saw the development of shipbuilding and lumbering in the region, and the arrival of Welsh, Irish, and Acadian settlers. The War of 1812 had little effect on New Brunswick, and the region contributed troops to the conflict in Upper Canada. In the 1830s, the Maine-New Brunswick frontier was contested, leading to the Aroostook War.

New Brunswick joined with Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada to form a single federation in 1867.

The establishment of the new province of New Brunswick

The first governor of New Brunswick was Thomas Carleton, and in 1785, he chose the hamlet of Sainte-Anne as the provincial capital. Sainte-Anne was later renamed Fredericton after the third son of King George III. The establishment of the new province was also influenced by the influx of Acadian refugees moving into the area after the French surrendered their claim to Nova Scotia in 1713. Many of these Acadians were later forcibly expelled from the region by the British during the Seven Years' War.

New Brunswick was named in honour of King George III, who was descended from the House of Brunswick. The capital city, Fredericton, was also named after one of the king's sons, Prince Frederick. The province was originally supposed to be called 'New Ireland' with the capital in Saint John. However, Fredericton's inland location meant it was less prone to enemy (American) attacks, which is why it was chosen as the capital instead.

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