Grand Manan

Cliffs at Southwest Head

The Swallow Tail lighthouse greets visitors as they arrive by ferry.

Grand Manan Island (also simply Grand Manan) is a Canadian island, and the largest in the Bay of Fundy. It is also the primary island in the Grand Manan Archipelago, sitting at the boundary between the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. Grand Manan is jurisdictionally part of Charlotte County in the province of New Brunswick.

Grand Manan measures 34 kilometres (16 miles) long and has a maximum width of 18 km (11 miles) with an area of 137 km² (53 miles²). The closest point of mainland North America to Grand Manan is in Washington County, Maine, near the town of Lubec - the easternmost point of the continental United States, where the distance to the island measures 15 km (9 miles) across the Grand Manan Channel.

Used exclusively by the Passamaquoddy Nation prior to European discovery, the island was first actively settled by Europeans in the late 18th century with the arrival of Loyalist refugees from the American Revolutionary War. Grand Manan was initially included as part of the British colony of Nova Scotia until it was included in the new colony of New Brunswick, created in 1784. Grand Manan was also claimed by the United States until 1817 when this claim was dropped in exchange for Britain dropping its sovereignty claims over Moose, Frederick and Dudley islands in nearby Cobscook Bay.

Grand Manan's economy is entirely dependent upon fishing/aquaculture and tourism. The principal settlements are North Head, Woodwards Cove, Grand Harbour, and Seal Cove. Coastal Transport operates a daily ferry service between North Head and the mainland port of Blacks Harbour, as well as between Ingalls Head on Grand Manan and nearby White Head Island.

White Head Island, Gull Rock and Machias Seal Island and North Rock are part of the larger Grand Manan archipelago; the latter two islands located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan Island. Both Machias Seal Island and North Rock are claimed by Canada and form the most southerly part of the province. Machias Seal Island also houses the province's last remaining manned lightstation which has been in continuous operation since 1832. The Canadian Wildlife Service also operates the bird sanctuary here, home to many Gannet and Terns during the breeding months.

External links

• New Brunswick Lighthouses
• Grand Manan Tourism Association