Halifax, Nova Scotia

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — This city bills itself as "Canada's ocean playground." It is virtually impossible to talk about the city without discussing its ties to the ocean. Its history, tourism, economy, weather and even the city's disasters can be linked to the Atlantic Ocean.

The capital of Nova Scotia province, Halifax, is the 13th largest city in Canada. British, French and Celtic influence all play a major role in formulating in the city's 370,000 population.

The metropolis was founded in 1749, and its sister city, Dartmouth, which helps make up the Halifax Regional Municipality, in 1750. Today, tourists can see signs throughout the city of the mix of Halifax's historic past combined with a growing number of structures designed to give Halifax a more modern feel.

Harbourwalk

Although Halifax is known as the "City of Trees," the heart of the metropolis is its waterfront. Tourists flock to the Halifax Harbourwalk to stroll past the many shops, restaurants and museums.

On the north end is Purdy's Wharf with its popular stores and eateries. Halifax has more pubs per capita than any other city in Canada, according to tourist officials.

Continuing south along the Harbourwalk, several restored ships are on display including Canada's first hydrographic vessel built in 1913, the CSS Acadia. Just a short distance from the Acadia is the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

One of the most popular exhibits in the museum is dedicated to the Titanic. When the ship sank in 1912, Halifax played a key role in the rescue and recovery effort. For many passengers, the city became their final resting place. The museum offers photographs and rare artifacts recovered from the ship, including the only known existing deck chair.

Other major exhibits focus on shipwrecks of the Atlantic and the Halifax Explosion of 1917. In December of that year, two ships collided in the harbor. One was carrying a full load of explosives including 400,000 pounds of TNT. The initial collision started a fire that prompted the crew to abandon ship.

With no one on board, the ship drifted toward Halifax where it collided with a pier. Shortly after the Halifax fire department arrived, the ship and all of its contents exploded into an enormous fireball. More than 1,900 people were immediately killed and more than 2,000 injured over a 325-acre area.

Until the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Halifax Explosion was the largest man-made explosion in history.