The Halifax-Dartmouth metropolitan area of Nova Scotia is
the business, educational and cultural centre of Maritime
Canada. Here you'll find first-class accommodations, fine
dining, nightlife, art galleries, museums, universities and
all the action of big city life. But there are also beaches,
parks, walking trails, restored waterfronts and a small-town
atmosphere that make Halifax-Dartmouth the ideal
cosmopolitan experience. There's plenty of living history
here--from the firing of the noon gun at the Halifax Citadel
to the restored locks of the Shubenacadie Canal. Historic
churches, houses and fortifications make Halifax-Dartmouth
an explorer's delight. Go for a boat ride, a Motorcoach tour
or a rickshaw ride. Discover our sea-faring and military
past. Or simply spend the day watching the hustle and bustle
of the world's second-largest natural harbour.
The twin cities of Halifax and Dartmouth are strategically
placed on opposite sides of one of the world's finest
harbours. Shaped like a spoon, with the wide bowl of Bedford
Basin at its end, Halifax Harbour is 16 km in
length. Over the course of its history the harbour has been
a haven for explorers, sea traders, navy ships, ocean going
passenger liners, freighters and cargo container ships.
Bedford Basin, covering about 39 km, offers
sailing and boating opportunities for the communities of
Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville. Used as a
marshalling area for convoys in both World Wars, today it is
the site of many regattas and races. The Northwest Arm, home
of North America's oldest yacht club, provides a picturesque
coastline within the Halifax city limits, and Dartmouth
offers 23 lakes within its boundaries for recreation.
Two toll bridges, the Angus L. Macdonald and the A. Murray
MacKay, span the harbour, and a regular passenger ferry
service connects the two downtown areas.
Halifax, Canada's most historic city of British origin, was
founded in 1749 to establish British strength in the North
Atlantic, and the city retains both a British and a military
flavour. Modern office and apartment towers provide a
striking contrast to the many old stone and wooden buildings
that are part of its valued heritage.