Bonavista Peninsula

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Bonavista Peninsula

Location of Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland

The Bonavista Peninsula is a large peninsula on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Economy
4 Communities
5 See also

[edit] 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 and Catalina 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, Route 233, Route 235, Route 237, Route 238, and many local roads. 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.

[edit] History

This peninsula contains some of the oldest settlements on the island of Newfoundland, particularly the towns of Bonavista and Trinity. English explorer John Cabot is reported to have landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497 claiming this part of the New World for the King of England.

[edit] 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.