Which Canadian province is located farthest to the east?
And the answer: Newfoundland and Labrador.
The easternmost province of Canada is Newfoundland and Labrador, which is the newest of Canada's 10 provinces, having joined the confederation in 1949. The province has two parts: Labrador is part of continental Canada, while Newfoundland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Newfoundland and Labrador offers some of the most scenic and breathtaking views in Canada. The province is relatively new to the nation, and served as an independent entity until 1907 (instead considered a dominion of the United Kingdom). During its period of colonial status, the region was known simply as "Newfoundland." In 2001, however, the name was officially changed to Newfoundland and Labrador to reflect the larger chunk of land on the continental mainland.
Fun fact: Newfoundland and Labrador has its own time zone! The region is 30 minutes ahead of Atlantic time, and 90 minutes ahead of Eastern time. This is due to the location of the island and the fact that it was a separate dominion when time zones were established. Newfoundland lies squarely in the eastern half of the Atlantic Time Zone, exactly three and a half hours from Greenwich. The official time zone is called "Newfoundland Time."
Newfoundland also represents the first place of contact from Europeans. Despite the popular belief that Christopher Columbus was the first European to reach North American soil (and despite the commonly accepted notion that he probably landed in the Caribbean anyway), it was actually the Vikings who were the first to make contact with North America. L’Anse aux Meadows, at the very northern tip of the island, was the location of a Viking colony that was discovered in 1960. It's now believed that the settlement was founded around 1,000 years ago.
Learn more about Newfoundland and Labrador below.
