The Bonavista Peninsula is a large peninsula on the east coast of the island of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It consists of 50 incorporated towns/unincorporated communities which have a population of 12,176 as of the 2016 Canadian Census. Bonavista is the largest population centre on the peninsula. The peninsula runs 85 km northeast from a 19 km wide isthmus and measures between 15–40 km in width. It separates Bonavista Bay in the north from Trinity Bay to the south.

Geography

Starting at the Trinity Bay side it commences at the northeastern part of the bay at Shoal Harbour, immediately north of Clarenville. Continuing east the peninsula's south shore includes the communities of

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the ...

and Catalina, with Port Rexton in Robinhood Bay between them, ending at its easternmost tip at Cape Bonavista. The north shore of the peninsula includes the communities of Bonavista, Summerville and Musgravetown to Port Blandford. The highways servicing the Bonavista Peninsula are Route 230 - Discovery Trail & Route 235 - Cabot Highway. Local roads include Route 232, Route 233, Route 234, Route 236, Route 237, Route 238 & Route 239. The Newfoundland Railway also had a branch built from Clarenville to Bonavista, later called the Bonavista Subdivision by CN Rail's Terra Transport division. It was abandoned in 1984, four years before the railway's mainline was abandoned across the island.

History

This peninsula contains some of the oldest settlements on the island of

, particularly the towns of Bonavista and Trinity. Italian explorer

John Cabot John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal North ...

is reported to have landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497 claiming this part of the New World for the King of England.Whiffen, Bruce, ''Prime Berth: An Account of Bonavista's Early Years''. Harry Cuff Publications Limited, St John's, A1C 2H2. 1993. . page 4: "There are no contemporary documents to directly support this story."

Economy

The communities and towns on the Bonavista Peninsula are in a slow decline as the importance of the fishing industry decreases. Geographically isolated from major population centres, the provincial government has been attempting to diversify the local economy; most notably in tourism where the region is blessed with spectacular landscapes adjacent to the ocean.

Incorporated Towns

The following is a list of the 9 incorporated towns on the Bonavista Peninsula by population in the 2021 Canadian Census. * Bonavista - 3,190 * Trinity Bay North - 1,649 *George's Brook-Milton - 719 * Musgravetown - 561 * Port Rexton - 361 * Elliston - 315 *

- 76 *

King's Cove King's Cove is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The post office was established in 1851. Its founder was James Aylward from Keels, who was born in Ireland in county Cork in 1690. His direct descendants still live in ...

- 75 * Keels - 46

Communities

The following is a list of the 41 unincorporated communities on the Bonavista Peninsula by population in the 2021 Canadian Census. *Bloomfield - 431 *Bunyan's Cove - 330 *Canning's Cove - 157 *Dunfield - 120 *Burgoynes Cove - 114 *Newman's Cove - 111 *Spillars Cove - 80 *Trinity East - 79 *Upper Amherst Cove - 58 *Duntara - 36 *Birchy Cove - 25 *Middle Amherst Cove *Lower Amherst Cove *Hodderville *Knight's Cove *Stock Cove *Open Hall *Red Cliffe *Tickle Cove *Plate Cove East *Plate Cove West *Summerville *Princeton *Southern Bay *Charleston *Sweet Bay *English Harbour *Champney's *Champney's West *Trouty *Old Bonaventure *New Bonaventure *Lethbridge *Portland *Jamestown *Winter Brook *Brooklyn *Morleys Siding *Harcourt *Monroe *Waterville

References