What is St. John's?
Answer
The capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the Avalon Peninsula, and one of the oldest cities in North America.
Explanation
St. John's is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador and the largest city in the province, with a population of about 110,000 in the city and about 215,000 in the Census Metropolitan Area. The city is on the Avalon Peninsula on the eastern shore of Newfoundland, and is among the oldest cities in North America. St. John's has been the provincial capital since the colony was formed and remained the capital after Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation on March 31, 1949.
The harbour and townsite were known to European fishermen from the late 1400s. John Cabot's 1497 voyage on behalf of King Henry VII of England may have made landfall near St. John's (though Cape Bonavista in Newfoundland and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia also claim the landfall). Sir Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland for England in St. John's Harbour on August 5, 1583, the first English overseas colony. By the early 1600s the harbour was a major fishing station, and permanent settlement (despite British Navigation Acts attempting to prevent it) grew through the 1600s.
St. John's is sometimes called the oldest English-founded city in North America, though Quebec City (founded 1608 by Champlain) is the oldest permanently settled European city in Canada. The Battery and Signal Hill flank the harbour entrance. Cabot Tower on Signal Hill commemorates John Cabot's voyage and was where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless transmission on December 12, 1901. Cape Spear south of St. John's is the easternmost point in North America (excluding Greenland) at longitude 52.62 west.
The city's economy was built on the Atlantic cod fishery for 400 years until the federal cod moratorium of July 2, 1992 ended the commercial fishery for northern cod. Offshore oil and gas (Hibernia, Hebron, White Rose, and Terra Nova fields) provides the modern economic base, with platforms staged from St. John's. Memorial University of Newfoundland (founded 1925, university status 1949) is the city's largest employer and one of Canada's largest universities by enrolment. The city's distinctive jellybean row houses (vividly painted Victorian rowhouses) and George Street pub row have become national tourist landmarks. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is one of three Canadian provincial police forces (alongside the OPP and the Surete du Quebec).
Why this matters for your test
St. John's is one of the oldest cities in North America and the easternmost provincial capital. Recognising the 1583 English claim by Sir Humphrey Gilbert and the 1992 cod moratorium gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: City of St. John's; Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
