John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

Newfoundland and Labrador - Introduction

Abbreviation

The official abbreviation for Newfoundland and Labrador was recently changed from NF to NL. According to one source this change was effective from 21-Oct-02.

Area

156,649 square miles. 10th largest province or territory of Canada.

Furthest North to Furthest South

Newfoundland island 325 miles.

Labrador 650 miles.

Furthest East to Furthest West

Newfoundland island 320 miles.

Labrador 450 miles.

Population Density

4 per square mile.

Licence Plate

Background: White.

Image: None.

Text: "Newfoundland and Labrador".

Provincial Highway Marker Shield Design

A green rectangle, with a crown and the word "Route" in the top half, and a white trapezium outline containing the road number in the bottom half.

Derivation of Name

The name Newfoundland (New Found Land) dates from as early as 1502 and originally applied to all the newly discovered lands in the North Atlantic. Recently the name of the province was changed from "Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador".

Nickname

The island of Newfoundland is often called "The Rock", because of its rocky terrain and high cliffs. My thanks to Carson Vincent for this information.