With population of a little over 140,000 people, PEI has the highest population density of all the Canadian provinces. More than half of the PEI population lives in the greater Charlottetown area. The population in PEI is divided between rural and urban communities. A lot of the population growth experienced in the province has been due to large scale immigration, through PEI's migration visa pathways, including the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program. The population growth has been centered in the capital; Charlottetown and Summerside.
The other major towns in PEI have less than 5,000 residents per town, including the towns of Alberton, Georgetown, Kensington, Montague, Souris, and Tignish.
The religious breakdown of the economy is as follows: Roman Catholics are the largest population, followed by United Church of Christ, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Baptists. The province also has small populations of Jewish and Muslim Communities.
The primary language spoken in PEI in English, with few speaking French as well. Bilingualism is highly encouraged in the province.
Although Prince Edward Island is home to a small population, it embodies a vibrant culture, where the locals are friendly, warm, and welcoming, and a significant artistic culture, inspired by the island's soft landscape, and fine arts including pottery, glass jewellery, contemporary woodwork, paintings, and wrought iron works.
The famous “ Anne of Green Gables” novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery is inspired by scenery, landscape and traditions of the island. Each year, residents of the island enact a play of the same name.
PEI offers a range of leisure activities, including beaches, golf courses, eco tourism adventures, as well as cultural events put together by the local communities, like live theatre performances at the Charlottetown Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. And the Victoria Playhouse, which stages more than 80 performances each year in the community hall at Victoria by the sea. The Confederation Centre of the Arts, is a multipurpose complex in Charlottetown comprising of an auditorium, art gallery, museum, children's theatre, studios, shops, and a public library.
Music is another significant part of life on PEI, where Celtic based music is rooted in the province's traditions and culture, as many residents have a Celtic ancestry, originally brought into the province from Scottish and Irish origins. The fiddle is one of the most important instruments in traditional music in the island. Well-known bands and award-winning fidlers in PEI is Richard Wood, J.J Chaisson, and Lennie Gallant.
Outside Charlottetown there is a vast number of art galleries, and small theatres, with annual multicultural festivals, including regional folk festivals, exhibitions, plowing matches, fiddling contests, and Highland Games.
The town of Summerside also has a reconstructed Acadian Village, a museum, and a cultural centre.
Popular sports in the province includes ice skating, ice hockey, golf, baseball, gootball, basketball, harness races, as well as Bob-sledding.
The climate of Prince Edward Island is a mild, Maritime/ Continental Climate, largely influenced by the warm waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence.
On average, the island experiences about 890 mm of rain, and about 290 cm of snow. During Winter the average temperature is -7 degrees Celsius, and average summer temperatures are around 19- 23 degrees Celsius. On occasion the summer temperatures could rise above 30 degrees Celsius.
Winters are usually moderately cold but gets milder as you move inland. Regular weather clashes occur, due to the cold Arctic air and mild Atlantic air. During Winter, PEI experiences several storms, accompanied by rain, and snow, with blizzards on occasion, originating from the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. In winter PEI receives an average rainfall of 290 cm, with temperatures of -3 to -11 degrees Celsius. Cold winds can sometimes make the weather during this period feel more like -25 degrees Celsius. The snow period begins in November and lasts until April.
In summer, the weather is usually moderately warm, and is the best time to enjoy swims and other water sports in the sea, with pleasant temperatures of 20-30 degrees Celsius.
Spring has cool weather (April - May), until the ice melts from Winter, sometimes fog appears during springtime. During May and June, spring flowers begin to emerge, and cover the landscape with bright green colours, and rolling fields.
Autumn is generally more pleasant and has average temperatures of 8 - 22 degrees Celsius, and breathtaking landscapes as the leaves change colours, with hues of red, orange, and yellow.
July and August are usually the driest months of the year, while December experiences the most amount of precipitation; rain and snow.
As a law, all Canadian Provinces and States need to provide publicly funded health care for residents and citizens of Canada. A majority of the basic healthcare services are offered at little or no cost.
The Healthcare plan in Price Edward Island covers doctor visits, physician services, dental services ( surgical teeth removal, root resection, etc), and more.
Public Health Insurance is available to International students who plan to live for six months or more in PEI. You are only eligible to apply for a health care card after residing in the province for a minimum of 3 months. Due to this reason, it is recommended that International students purchase health coverage from their education institution, or from a private health insurance provider, prior to beginning their studies in the province.
Post-secondary education in Price Edward Island, includes one University; The University of Prince Edward Island, which grants degrees, as well as two community colleges; Holland College, College de I'lle, and a few other private colleges.
Universities and Colleges
PEI is dependent on farming which is the backbone of the province's economy, mainly potatoes, as the province produces 25% of the country's total potatoes, which is the biggest source of income for the 2,000 farms in the province. Other prominent industries includes fisheries, agricultur,e tourism, aerospace, bio-science, IT, and renewable energy.
Due to the country's stunning landscapes, warm sandy beaches, and diverse recreation facilities, the number of visitors to the province keeps growing each year.
The manufacturing sector is made up of mostly food processing, and high technology; in fields such as medical, electronics, and agriculture.
Although fishing was a primary industry in the past, there has been a decline in recent years to the depleting fish stocks in the fresh water systems. Due to this, the unemployment rate in PEI has increased to 10%, which is the second highest uneployment rate in Canada. The government is making significant efforts to move people without jobs in the fishing industry to work in jobs in other growing industry sectors in the province.
The province's fertile soil, favours it for agriculture production, and its location to vast fresh water systems, and the seas make it a base for lobster, shellfish, cod, hake, flounder and redfish operations.
Despite success in these industries, the provincial economy has staggered behind the country averages for productivity, employment, and per capita income. Other reasons for the lag in economy can be attributed to limited human and natural resources, distance to large markets, high transportation costs, and the country's high electric power rates per capita.
