ABOUT NOVA SCOTIA
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, and one of the four provinces which form Atlantic Canada. Its provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada, with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton and another 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2011, the population was 921,727,[1] making Nova Scotia the second most-densely populated province in Canada with almost 20 inhabitants per square kilometre (52/sq mi).
​
Nova Scotia has long been a centre for artistic and cultural excellence. The capital, Halifax, hosts institutions such as Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University, Art Gallery of Nova
Scotia, Neptune Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre, Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, Ship's Company Theatre and the Symphony Nova Scotia. The province is home to avant-garde visual art and traditional crafting, writing and publishing and a film industry.
​​
Much of the historic public art sculptures in the province were made by the renowned New York sculptor J. Massey Rhind as well as Canadian sculptors Hamilton MacCarthy, George Hill, Emanuel Hahn and Louis-Philippe Hébert. Some of this public art was also created by internationally renowned Nova Scotian John Wilson (sculptor). Nova Scotian George Lang was a stone sculptor who also built many landmark buildings in the province, including the Welsford-Parker Monument.
​
Some of the province's greatest painters were William Valentine, Maria Morris, Jack L. Gray, Mabel Killiam Day, Ernest Lawson, Frances Bannerman, Alex Colville, Tom Forrestall and ship portrait artist John O'Brien. Some of most renowned artists whose works have been acquired by Nova Scotia are British artist Joshua Reynolds (collection of Art Gallery of Nova Scotia); William Gush and William J. Weaver (both have works in Province House); Robert Field (Government House), as well as leading American artists Benjamin West (self portrait in The Halifax Club), John Singleton Copley, Robert Feke, and Robert Field (the latter three have works in the Uniacke Estate).
​
Two famous Nova Scotian photographers are Wallace R. MacAskill and Sherman Hines.[56] Three of the most accomplished illustrators were George Wylie Hutchinson, Bob Chambers (cartoonist) and Donald A. Mackay.
Sport is an important part of Nova Scotia culture. There are numerous semi pro, university and amateur sports teams, for example, The Halifax Mooseheads, 2013 Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup Champions. & also the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, both of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Halifax Hurricanes of the National Basketball League of Canada is another team that calls Nova Scotia home, and were 2016 league champions.
​
The Nova Scotia Open is a professional golf tournament on the Web.com Tour since 2014.
​
The province has also produced numerous athletes such as Sidney Crosby (Hockey), Nathan Mackinnon (Hockey), Brad Marchand (Hockey), Colleen Jones (Curling), Al MacInnis (Hockey), TJ Grant (Mixed martial artist), Rocky Johnson (Wrestling, and father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) George Dixon (Boxer) and Kirk Johnson (Boxing). The achievements of Nova Scotian athletes are presented at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
The Minister of Education is responsible for the administration and delivery of education, as defined by the Education Act and other acts relating to colleges, universities and private schools. The powers of the Minister and the Department of Education are defined by the Ministerial regulations and constrained by the Governor-In-Council regulations.
Nova Scotia has more than 450 public schools for children. The public system offers primary to Grade 12. There are also private schools in the province. Public education is administered by seven regional school boards, responsible primarily for English instruction and French immersion, and also province-wide by the
Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, which administers French instruction to students for whom the primary language is French.
​
The Nova Scotia Community College system has 13 campuses around the province. The community college, with its focus on training and education, was established in 1988 by amalgamating the province's former vocational schools.
​
In addition to its community college system the province has 10 universities, including Dalhousie University, University of King's College, Saint Mary's University, Mount Saint Vincent University, NSCAD University, Acadia University, Université Sainte-Anne, Saint Francis Xavier University, Cape Breton University and the Atlantic School of Theology.
​
There are also more than 90 registered private commercial colleges in Nova Scotia.
​