St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._John%27s_Newfoundland.jpg
Author: Shipguy


St John's is the capital and largest city in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It occupies an area of 446.04 sq km (172.2 sq mi) and has a population of 106,000 people (2012 estimate), with a metropolitan population of 198,000 people. The St John's Metropolitan Area is the second largest in Atlantic Canada after that of Halifax, and is the 20th largest metropolitan area in the country.

St John's is today the oldest settlement with city status in North America. According to tradition, the site was discovered by explorer John Cabot on 24 June, 1497, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist. There is no agreement as to where exactly Cabot made landfall. In the 16th century the Portugese also arrived in the area, followed by the French and Spanish.

St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NLA_StJohns2_tango7174.jpg
Author: Tango7174


The earliest record of St John's appered on a Portuguese map from 1519, as São João. When English mariner John Rut arrived there in 1527, he found the port was harboring ships from Normandy, Brittany and Portugal. In 1527 he wrote to King Henry to report on his voyage in North America. That letter became the first ever known letter to be sent from North America back to Europe.

The first attempt at establishing a settlement in St John's came in 1583, when Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed it under Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I. However, he was lost at sea on his return, and so plans of the settlement went down with him. The Newfoundland National War Memorial was erected in 1924 to commemorate the claim.

Gate and Basilica of St John the Baptist, St John's
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_John%27s_Basilica_gateway.jpg
Author: Nilfanion


From a seaside settlement, St John's grew to become the largest town in Newfoundland by the 17th century. During this time, it was captured by Dutch and French forces a number of times, was destroyed in 1689 and 1707. Each time the town was retaken and re-fortified.

The economy of St John's was traditionally supported by the fishing industry. The industry collapsed in the 1990s, just as the oil and gas industry became dominant in the region. This has allowed St John's to shift its focus, becoming regional headquarters for major oil companies including ExxonMobil Canada, Chevron, Husky Energy, Suncor Energy and Statoil. Today St John's enjoys a per capita GDP of $52,000, the second highest of major cities in Canada.

Visiting St John's

St John's International Airport (YYT) receives flights from Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Toronto as well as various destinations in the Caribbean.

Places of Interest in St John's

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