The
Canadian province of New Brunswick, on the Atlantic coast, was created on 18
June 1784, formed from the partition of the old Sunbury County from the
remainder of Nova Scotia. This was a year after the end of the United States
Independence War. The province of New Brunswick borders Quebec to the north,
Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of
Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of
Maine to the west. The southeast
corner of the province is connected to Nova Scotia at the isthmus of Chignecto.
New Brunswick is one of the three Maritime provinces on Eastern Canada. French
and English are official languages. Fredericton is the provincial capital.
On January 1, 2023, local government of New Brunswick restructured the 340 entities throughout the province, which were replaced by 77 local governments and 12 rural districts. Ninety-two per cent of the land in the province, inhabited by about 35% of the population, is under provincial administration and has no local, elected representation. The 51% of the province that is Crown land is administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development.
The province lies within the Appalachian Mountain range. It is about 83% forested and its northern half is occupied by the Appalachians. New Brunswick has a humid continental climate, with slightly milder winters on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coastline. Elevated parts of the far north of the province have a subarctic climate.
