Cape Breton is an island of Canada separated from Nova Scotia by the narrow Strait of Canso. Cape Breton covers an area of about 3120 square miles. It is of very irregular shape, the Bras d' Or, an almost landlocked arm of the sea (with most picturesque scenery), penetrating its interior in various directions, and dividing it into two peninsulas connected by an isthmus across which a canal has been cut. The surface is rather rugged, and only small portions are suited for agriculture; but it possesses much timber, valuable minerals (several coal-mines being worked), and the coast abounds in fish. Timber, fish, and coal were traditionally exported.
The island of Cape Breton belonged to France from 1632 to 1763, and Louisburg, its capital, was long an important military post. It was separate from Nova Scotia between 1784 and 1820. Research Cape Breton
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Abbreviations
Gazetteer
Research Cape Breton
