hunting. Golf, tennis, skiing, and ice hockey are also popular sports in the province.
Communications
In the late 1980s Nova Scotia had 16 commercial AM radio stations, 8
commercial FM stations, and 5 commercial television stations. The first radio station in
the province, CHNS in Halifax, began operation in 1922. CJCB-TV in Sydney, Nova
Scotia’s first commercial television station, went on the air in 1954. The Halifax Gazette,
the first newspaper published in Canada, was initially printed in Halifax in 1752. In the
early 1990s Nova Scotia had seven daily newspapers with a total daily circulation of
about 218,700. Influential newspapers included the Mail-Star of Halifax and the Cape
Breton Post of Sydney.
Tourism
Each year Nova Scotia attracts more than one million travelers; receipts from
tourism totaled almost Can.$800 million annually in the early 1990s. Tourists are lured
by the province’s lovely scenery (especially on Cape Breton Island) and its many
opportunities for outdoor-recreation activities. Popular tourist areas include Cape Breton
Highlands and Kejimkujik national parks, 14 national historic sites, and 122 provincial
parks, recreation areas, and wildlife preserves. Many people also visit Halifax.
Transportation
Most coastal areas of Nova Scotia are well served by transportation facilities, but
many places in the interior have poor transport connections. There are 25,740 km (15,994
mi) of roads and highways. The Trans-Canada Highway extends from the New
Brunswick border, near Amherst, to Sydney Mines, on Cape Breton Island, by way of the
Canso Causeway (completed 1955) between the island and the mainland. Nova Scotia is
also served by 705 km (438 mi) of mainline railroad track. Halifax is a major seaport
with modern facilities for handling containerized shipping. Ferries link the province with
New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Maine. Nova Scotia’s busiest
air terminal is Halifax International Airport.
Energy
Nova Scotia’s electricity generating capacity is about 2.2 million kw (about 2.1
percent of total Canadian capacity). The province annually produces about 9.4 billion
kwh, or some 1.9 percent of the country’s total electricity. Hydroelectric facilities
represent about one-sixth of the capacity, with the rest largely accounted for by thermal
installations burning refined petroleum or coal.