Many people are aware of the 100 Wild Islands on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore and more people are hearing about them daily. The 100 Wild Islands were made popular by the Nova Scotia Nature Trust’s conservation campaign. What most people are probably not aware of is that there are actually way more than 100 islands in the full archipelago! A study completed through the Wild Islands Tourism Advancement Partnership (WITAP) last year found that there are actually 758 islands between Musquodoboit Harbour and Sherbrooke, a span of 100 kilometres (62 miles) as the crow flies.
This is many more islands than even the WITAP team initially expected. But most of these ‘islands’ are just rocks sticking out of the water, right? Think again. All 758 islands are larger than 1/10th of an acre. This is larger than many city building lots. The study’s data produces the charts depicted here. In fact, 341 islands are larger than an acre, 25 islands are large than 100 acres, and two islands are larger than 1000 acres in size!
For size reference and comparison,
- Citadel Hill Nation Historic Site in Halifax is approximately 50 acres
- Point Pleasant Park in Halifax is 195 acres
- McNabs Island in Halifax Harbour is 980 acres
And for the national and international folks,
- High Park in Toronto is 398 acres
- New York Central Park is 843 acres
- Hyde Park in London, England is 350 acres
- Europa Theme Park in Germany is 235 acres.
The total land area of the 758 island archipelago is larger than all of the above combined. Four times larger to be exact. Almost 13 000 acres. That’s wild!
The below image highlights the density and distribution of these islands. The red dots indicate the largest 25 islands. The star indicates where Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean is located. Using the GPS locations of the islands and our campground, we were able to determine that there are 21 islands within a two kilometre radius of Murphy’s, 92 islands within a five kilometre radius and 185 islands within ten kilometres. It’s no wonder kayaking here is so enjoyable!
Kayaking Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore
Halifax Regional Council votes to give $300,000 to 100 Wild Islands Campaign
Radio Interview with Frank Cameron (Seaside FM 105.9, April 28, 2016)
Margaret Atwood invites you to be a ‘Friend of the Wild’
CBC article, “The secret Caribbean vistas right off Nova Scotia’s coast”