The Bonavista Peninsula is a large peninsula on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It consists of 50 incorporated towns/unincorporated communities which have a population of 12,176 as of the 2016 Canadian Census. Bonavista is the largest population centre on the peninsula.[1]
The peninsula runs 85 km northeast from a 19 km wide isthmus and measures between 15–40 km in width. It separates Bonavista Bay in the north from Trinity Bay to the south.
The highways servicing the Bonavista Peninsula are Route 230 - Discovery Trail & Route 235 - Cabot Highway. Local roads include Route 232, Route 233, Route 234, Route 236, Route 237, Route 238 & Route 239. The Newfoundland Railway also had a branch built from Clarenville to Bonavista, later called the Bonavista Subdivision by CN Rail's Terra Transport division. It was abandoned in 1984, four years before the railway's mainline was abandoned across the island.
This peninsula contains some of the oldest settlements on the island of Newfoundland, particularly the towns of Bonavista and Trinity. Italian explorer John Cabot is reported to have landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497 claiming this part of the New World for the King of England.[2][3]
The communities and towns on the Bonavista Peninsula are in a slow decline as the importance of the fishing industry decreases. Geographically isolated from major population centres, the provincial government has been attempting to diversify the local economy; most notably in tourism where the region has spectacular landscapes adjacent to the ocean.
^"Bonavista". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation of Canada. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
^Whiffen, Bruce, Prime Berth: An Account of Bonavista's Early Years. Harry Cuff Publications Limited, St John's, A1C 2H2. 1993. ISBN0-921191-82-0. page 4: "There are no contemporary documents to directly support this story."
