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Avalon Peninsula, 9220 km2, is a spreading peninsula thrust out into the rich fishing grounds of the north Atlantic, forming the southeast corner of insular Newfoundland. The orientation of the land tends to be northeast, following folds in the peninsula's Precambrian, Cambrian and Ordovician structures. The Isthmus of Avalon, less than 5 km at its narrowest, joins the peninsula to the rest of the island. From Grates Point in the north to Cape Freels-Cape Pine in the south, the peninsula stretches 180 km and spans nearly 100 km east to west.
The peninsula is, and has been since the settling of the island, its most populous region. By the early 1800s it was home to more than three-quarters of the colony's population and today about one-half of Newfoundlanders live here, nearly three-quarters in the ST JOHN'S metropolitan area. The peninsula's rugged coastline was the earliest settled in the province and its 4 major bays, TRINITY, CONCEPTION, ST. MARY'S and PLACENTIA, were among the earliest fished. Newfoundland's first formal colony was begun at CUPIDS, Conception Bay, in 1610, followed by several other chartered "plantations" around the Avalon. Sir George CALVERT was granted a portion of the peninsula 1623 and lived there 1627-29, with his headquarters at FERRYLAND on the "Southern Shore." It was his holding, called Avalon after the legendary site where Christianity was introduced to England, for which the peninsula was named. During the 1600s and 1700s the peninsula saw conflicts between the French and English with France establishing PLACENTIA on the southwest coast as its capital in the 1660s. Today, in addition to being the principal commercial and administrative region of the province, the peninsula is the location of many historic sites - including the national historic sites of CAPE SPEAR and SIGNAL HILL - 3 national historic parks, several provincial parks, a nature park near Salmonier, a spectacular seabird sanctuary at CAPE ST MARY'S, 4 other ecological reserves and a 1070 km2 wilderness reserve in its southeast quadrant
 Avalon Peninsula, Satellite ImageThe Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland's most populous region, thrusts out into the rich fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. St John's is visible in the upper right tip (courtesy Canada Centre for Remote Sensing).
 Cape St Mary'sThe cape and adjacent Rock Island have been a protected sanctuary for seabirds in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1964 (photo by J.A. Kraulis/Masterfile).
Author
ROBERT D. PITT
Suggested Reading
W. Gordon Handcock, Soe Longe as There Comes Noe Women: Origins of English Settlement in Newfoundland (2003); J.J. Manion, ed, The Peopling of Newfoundland (1977).
Links to Other Sites
Baccalieu Trail Archeology
Explore the history and heritage of the Baccalieu Trail Region, a collection of coastal communities along Conception Bay and the south side of Trinity Bay on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula.
Tour Canada from Space
This website features an interactive map linked to spetacular images of various Canadian locations taken by Canadian research satellites. From Natural Resources Canada.
Colony of Avalon
Devoted to the history of the 17th–century Colony of Avalon. Includes references to Sir David Kirke, the first governor of Newfoundland. Part of the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website.
Castle Hill National Historic Site of Canada
This Parks Canada site is dedicated to the Castle Hill National Historic Site in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Includes an interesting commentary about the Treaty of Utrecht and British and French territorial disputes in North America.
Placentia
The website for the Town of Placentia, the former French capital of Newfoundland.
Baccalieu: Crossroads For Cultures
This site is devoted to the colourful history of the Baccalieu Trail region of Newfoundland and Labrador. Focuses on the Beothuk people, early European settlements, and the pirates who plundered local communities. Check out the glossary, online timeline, historic documents, maps, learning activities and much more.
East Coast Trail
This website provides a guide to the various sections of the East Coast Trail, located in the scenic Avalon Peninsula region of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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