Canada - Flag of Nova Scotia

Flag of Nova Scotia.

Sent by Buffy, a postcrosser from Nova Scotia, Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : The flag of Nova Scotia, created in 1858, is a banner of the coat of arms of Nova Scotia, which were granted to the Scottish colony by Charles I, in 1625.

The flag of the modern Canadian province, a blue saltire on a white field, is a simple figure-ground reversal of the flag of Scotland (a white saltire, Saint Andrew's cross, on a blue field), charged with an inescutcheon bearing the royal arms of Scotland, a gold shield with a red lion rampant surrounded by a royal double tressure (a double border decorated with fleurs de lis). The royal arms do not appear on Scotland's flag - they were added to Nova Scotia's to distinguish the flag from the Naval Ensign of Russia which is also a blue saltire on a white field.

The similarity to the Scottish flag reflects the province's name, which is Latin for "New Scotland.' Nova Scotia was one of the few Canadian colonies to be granted its own Coat of Arms, and the flag is the only one of the Canadian provinces dating back to before confederation.

The flag is ranked #12 in the North American Vexillological Association's survey of North American state and provincial flags.

Canada - Halifax

Halifax is a city of beauty, tradition and charm.

Sent by Stephanie from Nova Scotia, Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It and was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996. It is no longer an incorporated city and is a community of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

The Town of Halifax was founded by British government under the direction of the Board of Trade and Plantations under the command of Governor Edward Cornwallis in 1749. The founding of Halifax marked the beginning of Father Le Loutre's War, in which Halifax was raided several times by the Mi'kmaq.

Halifax was founded below a glacial drumlin that would later be named Citadel Hill. The outpost was named in honour of George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, who was the President of the British Board of Trade. Halifax was ideal for a military base, with the vast Halifax Harbour, among the largest natural harbours in the world, which could be well protected with batteries at McNab's Island, the North West Arm, Point Pleasant, George's Island and York Redoubt. In its early years, Citadel Hill was used as a command and observation post, before changes in artillery which could range out into the harbour.

After a protracted struggle between residents and the Governor, the City of Halifax was incorporated in 1841. On April 1, 1996, the government of Nova Scotia dissolved the City of Halifax, and amalgamated the four municipalities within Halifax County and formed Halifax Regional Municipality, a single-tier regional government covering that whole area.

Today the area of the former City of Halifax is now referred to as an unincorporated "provincial metropolitan area" by the provincial government's place name website and the area is referred to as "Halifax, Nova Scotia" for civic addressing and as a placename.

The area is now administered as two separate community planning areas by the regional government for development, Halifax Peninsula and Mainland Halifax. It forms a significant part of the Halifax urban area. Residents of the former city are referred to as "Haligonians".

Canada - Peggy's Cove

An aerial view of the rugged granite coastline at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.

Sent by Ruxandra from Quebec, Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Peggys Cove (2009 population: approx. 46), also known as Peggy's Cove from 1961 to 1976, is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.

Peggys Cove is 43 kilometres southwest of downtown Halifax and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. The community is named after the cove of the same name, a name also shared with Peggys Point, immediately to the east of the cove. The village marks the eastern point of St. Margaret's Bay.

Canada - Nova - Scotia - Joggins Fossil Cliffs

Joggins Fossil Cliffs - Nova Scotia
Put on the world's scientific map in 1851 by the discovery of fossilized reptiles, Joggins, a former coal mining town, situated on the N-E shore of Chignecto Bay, is today one of the most important sites in North America for paleontologists. In recognition of their importance UNESCO added the cliffs to their list of World Natural Heritage Sites. Overlooking the cliffs is the Joggins Fossil Centre opened in May 2008, which acts as an interpretive centre and as a point of entry for those wishing to explore the wonders of the cliffs. These cliffs, which are continually being eroded, possess a natural beauty evident both in the day and at night. Pictured here is one sample of prehistoric life - an upright tree preserved in the cliff face.

Sent by Margaret, a postcrosser from Nova Scotia in Canada.

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a 689 ha palaeontological site along the coast of Nova Scotia (eastern Canada), have been described as the “coal age Galápagos” due to their wealth of fossils from the Carboniferous period (354 to 290 million years ago). The rocks of this site are considered to be iconic for this period of the history of Earth and are the world’s thickest and most comprehensive record of the Pennsylvanian strata (dating back 318 to 303 million years) with the most complete known fossil record of terrestrial life from that time. These include the remains and tracks of very early animals and the rainforest in which they lived, left in situ, intact and undisturbed. With its 14.7 km of sea cliffs, low bluffs, rock platforms and beach, the site groups remains of three ecosystems: estuarine bay, floodplain rainforest and fire prone forested alluvial plain with freshwater pools. It offers the richest assemblage known of the fossil life in these three ecosystems with 96 genera and 148 species of fossils and 20 footprint groups. The site is listed as containing outstanding examples representing major stages in the history of Earth. (Source)