Halifax (Nova Scotia) - geography.

« Every year the city hosts a series of cultural events.

Particularly well known are the Scotia Festival of Music, Shakespeare by the Sea, the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the HalifaxInternational Busker Festival, and the Atlantic Winter Fair. IV ECONOMY Halifax’s workforce is concentrated in public administration, commerce, and personal services.

Despite recent cutbacks, the government remains the single largestemployer.

A large percentage of workers in Halifax are employed at the two military bases in the area, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax and CFB Shearwater.

Importantindustries are food processing, printing and publishing, petroleum refining, ship repair, motor-vehicle assembly, and tourism.

In addition, electronic equipment, plasticgoods, clothing, cordage, and furniture are manufactured in the area. From the 1960s to the 1980s, economic growth came primarily from investment in business parks located in the suburbs.

Since then, plans for growth have been focusedmore and more on the port of Halifax and on making it capable of handling ever larger ocean-going container ships.

To this end, administration of the port was put underthe control of the newly created Halifax Port Corporation in 1984, which is responsible for all Halifax port facilities and is constantly enlarging and upgrading them.

Inaddition to shipping, electronics technology and ocean-based research, including the continued exploitation of offshore gas and oil deposits begun in the early 1990s, arealso gaining importance in the economy of the region. The Halifax area is served by nearby Halifax International Airport and is the Atlantic terminus of the Canadian National Railways.

The Angus L.

Macdonald Bridge and the A.Murray MacKay Bridge span Halifax Harbour and provide a link to Dartmouth. V GOVERNMENT When the Halifax Regional Municipality was established, a new Halifax Regional Council was created.

This council is made up of a mayor and 23 councilors who are popularlyelected to two-year terms.

The city of Halifax is also the site of the provincial governing bodies for the province of Nova Scotia. VI HISTORY Called Chebucto (“at the great harbor”) by the indigenous Mi’kmaq (Mi'kmaq) nation, this part of Nova Scotia’s coast remained unoccupied by Europeans until 1749.

In thatyear, British colonel Edward Cornwallis established a settlement and military base on the harbor and named it in honor of the earl of Halifax, a British official who hadplanned the enterprise.

The base was created primarily to defend the area against potential attacks by the French, who had a fortress at Louisbourg on Isle Royale (nowCape Breton Island in eastern Nova Scotia).

In 1752 the first newspaper in Canada was established in Halifax, and in 1758 Halifax became the site of the first electedlegislature in what is now Canada.

During the 19th century, the port emerged as a major center for trade.

Halifax was incorporated as a city in 1841. During World War I (1914-1918) Halifax again became a military bastion.

Huge convoys of ships assembled at the inner harbor (Bedford Basin) to prepare for sailingthrough the submarine-infested North Atlantic.

On December 6, 1917, a munitions ship arriving to join a convoy collided with another vessel at the Narrows leading into theBasin.

A massive explosion resulted, killing nearly 2000 people and devastating the whole north end of the city. In World War II Halifax played a vital role in the Allied effort.

Many of the supplies and ordnance going to Europe from the Americas were shipped through its port facilities.For both its modern military presence and for its important role during both world wars, Halifax has earned the nickname “Warden of the North.” Contributed By:David A.

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