Economy

The service industries employ the largest number of workers in the province. Much of Nova Scotia's manufacturing is based on the province's natural resources. Important natural-resource industries include fishing, lumbering, pulp and paper milling, and coal mining. Other important industries in Nova Scotia include steel; food processing; printing and publishing; metal fabricating; petroleum refining; and the manufacturing of transportation equipment, notably automobiles and ships. Tourism is of growing importance. Industrial centers, besides Sydney, include Halifax, Dartmouth, Truro, New Glasgow, and Amherst.

Although less than 20 per cent of the land is suited to farming, agriculture contributes significantly to the economy. Most farm income is derived from dairying and the raising of beef cattle. Hay is the chief crop grown by acreage. Also grown are oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, and fodder corn. The Annapolis Valley, which parallels the Bay of Fundy, is a major apple-producing region. Blueberries are also an important fruit crop.

Nova Scotia's coastal fisheries have long been among the most productive in the world. During the early 1990's, however, overfishing, especially off the province's Atlantic coast, significantly depleted the stocks of many fish. Consequently, fishing and fish processing have declined somewhat. Nevertheless, these industries remain an important part of the province's economy. Lobsters, scallops, and groundfish make up more than 80 per cent of the catch. Lunenburg is the leading fishing port.

Coal, mined chiefly on Cape Breton Island, is Nova Scotia's leading mineral resource by value of production. The province also produces most of Canada's gypsum and substantial amounts of rock salt. Few metallic ores are mined. Large amounts of oil and gas may exist offshore.

Nova Scotia has well-developed transportation systems. A freight railway network, operated by Canada's two transcontinental systems, serves the major cities. VIA Rail Canada, a national agency, provides passenger service. Roads include part of the Trans-Canada Highway and several provincial primary highways. Most other roads are gravel-surfaced. A causeway links Cape Breton Island with mainland Nova Scotia. Air service is provided through a number of airports, chief of which is the international airport at Halifax. Halifax, with an excellent ice-free harbor, is Nova Scotia's chief port and the busiest on Canada's east coast. Ferries operate between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Maine.