St. John's is one of the oldest settlements in North America. On August 5, 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the region for England. The settlement changed hands several times between France and England, until becoming permanently British in 1762 and serving as a naval base during the American Revolutionary War and in the War of 1812. It was at St. John's that Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message, and it was from there that the first nonstop transatlantic flight was made in 1919. During the Second World War the harbour was used by ships of the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy involved in convoy protection. It was also the site of a large US Army base called "Fort Peperrel". This base was established as part of the "Lend-lease" agreement between the U.K. and U.S.A.
St. John's is the site of the Newfoundland Museum, and of Memorial University.
Not to be confused with Saint John, New Brunswick. The name is possessive because it is short for St. John's Harbour.
According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:
North: Torbay, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove | |||||
West: Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, Paradise, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South |
St. John's |
East: Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, | |||
South: Division No. 1, Subd. D, Bay Bulls |
See also: Canada, List of Canadian provinces and territories, List of cities in Canada, List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador