New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces, and the only constitutionally bilingual province (French and English) in the country. Its capital is Fredericton. The provincial Department of Finance estimates that the province's population in 2006 was 749,168, of which a majority is English-speaking, but a large minority (35%, chiefly of Acadian origin) is French-speaking. New immigrants founded the Atlantic Ballet of Canada based in Moncton, featuring Russian-trained dancers.
New Brunswick is bounded on the north by Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula and Chaleur Bay. Along the east coast, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Northumberland Strait are found. In the south-east corner of the province, the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto connects New Brunswick to the Nova Scotia peninsula. The south of the province is bounded by the Bay of Fundy. On the west, the province borders the American state of Maine.
New Brunswick lies entirely within the Appalachian Mountain range. The eastern and central part of the province consists of the New Brunswick Lowland. The Caledonia Highlands and St. Croix Highlands extend along the Bay of Fundy coast, reaching elevations of 300 metres.
The northwestern part of the province is comprised of the remote and more rugged Miramichi Highlands, as well as the Chaleur Uplands and the Notre Dame Mountains with a maximum elevation at Mount Carleton of 820 metres. The total land and water area is 72, 908 kms², 80% of which is forested. The major urban centres lie in the south of the province.
