Ocean coast at sunrise (North Cape Coastal Drive, Prince Edward Island, Canada)

Prince Edward Island is full of interesting people. The people who live here are mostly descended from Celtic peoples, the biggest of these groups being the Scots. This also includes the Irish and the Welsh, making nearly everyone on the island of Celtic ancestry. It is considered one of the most Celtic places outside of the British Isles.

The largest minority group on Prince Edward Island is made up of about a thousand or so First Nation peoples. For comparison, the white population is closer to 130,000 people. After the First Nation people the next largest minority is people of African ancestry, at around six hundred.

There is also a wide range of people who have come to live on Prince Edward Island from countries as diverse as Hungary and China. A lot of Canadians from other provinces have also chosen to make Prince Edward island their home.

Unlike say Quebec, Prince Edward Island has a large majority of English speakers. The second-closest language, French, is not very commonly spoken.  There are also several other languages spoken on Prince Edward Island such as Chinese, Mi’kmaq, Arabic, and Polish, but these are spoken by fairly small numbers, usually between 100 and 200 native speakers.

 

Small-Town Feel

Because Prince Edward Island is less urban than some other areas of Canada, this can make for less of the big-city cynicism you see in the bigger cities, and more of a small town kind of attitude.

There are only two cities on Prince Edward Island, Summerside and Charlottetown. There are some small towns and suburban areas, but the population is pretty small. This is one reason people enjoy coming to Prince Edward Island for vacation: it has quiet and undisturbed countryside, and a lower population density.

 

Economic Activity

Many people who live on Prince Edward Island are involved in one of the three main industries: fishing, agriculture, and tourism. Agriculture is the main industry.  There are no minerals to be mined here on Prince Edward Island, though there have been some recently discovered stores of gas.

Prince Edward Island is the biggest producer of potatoes in Canada, contributing one third of the country’s total potato crop. Potatoes are a big export for Prince Edward Island. It is often frozen fried potatoes or seed potatoes that get exported.

About seventy percent of the land is used for farms, though not all of this is for potatoes. Therefore, there are a lot of farmers on the island. The island’s agricultural economy is largely focused on frozen fried potatoes, frozen berries, and frozen green vegetables.

Fishing is also an important part of life here. Many peoples’ living depends on shellfish fishing, lobster fishing, and oyster fishing. Mussel farming also contributes to part of Prince Edward Island’s economy. Prince Edward Island’s location surrounded by the sea makes fishing an important part of life.

 

Environment

People who live on Prince Edward Island are fairly environmentally conscious. At one point, there was a ban on the use of cans for drinks, based on the principle that they were not reusable like bottles. This was motivated partly by a problem with littering on the island, though this was not the only motivation.

The ban hugely increased the use of glass bottles for drinks, and even nowadays a lot of places still use glass bottles, though the rule was repealed in 2008. The repeal was partially prompted by better recycling opportunities for the canned drinks.

 

Government

While Queen Elizabeth II is considered the official ruler of the province, her power is now fairly limited, like that of other European royals. Queen Elizabeth II is the queen of England as well as many other places, including all nine of the other provinces of Canada and quite a few commonwealth countries, such as Australia and New Zealand.

The government of Prince Edward Island is invested in protecting the province. There are strict rules regarding land ownership by people who don’t live there, to protect locals from having international companies take over large parts of the land.

 

Transportation

Prince Edward Island’s transportation has long revolved around its seaports. It used to be that ferries would connect islanders to the mainland, but nowadays it’s mostly by the Confederation Bridge or by planes. There are two airports on Prince Edward Island, and they provide a great connection with the mainland and the rest of North America.

The Confederation Bridge connects the island to the mainland and is almost 13kms long.  Finished in 1997, it now provides islanders a much more convenient way to access the mainland.

 

Education

Prince Edward Island only has one university, the University of Prince Edward Island. It’s the only school in the region for veterinary medicine. There is also a Bible college and a community college with a number of campuses.

As for the younger population, there are a lot of English-speaking schools and a few French-speaking schools throughout the area. Because so much of the young population is leaving, school attendance has been declining.

Lastly, there are several hospitals throughout the island, and like with the rest of Canada, healthcare is part of taxes and therefore there is no charge at the point of use.

The people of Prince Edward Island are lovely people. They love the lifestyle on their environmentally friendly island, with a lot of wild areas and good food. They will welcome almost anyone to their home, the island.