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Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia. Halifax has one of the world's largest harbors. The harbor serves as Canada's main naval base and is the country's busiest east coast port. It remains open in winter when ice closes most other eastern Canadian ports. In 1996, the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the town of Bedford, and the rest of Halifax County were combined to form the Halifax Regional Municipality, with a single regional government.
History
British settlers founded the town of Halifax in 1749. Britain built a military base there because of its growing struggle with France for control of North America. France had forces stationed at nearby Louisbourg. Halifax was named for George Dunk, the Earl of Halifax, who headed the government board that supervised the colony. Halifax is one of Canada's most historic locations. Canada's first representative government, the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, was established in Halifax in 1758. The first Protestant church in Canada was built there in 1749, and Canada's first newspaper appeared there in 1752.
In 1917, during World War I, a French ammunition ship exploded in the city's harbor. This disaster killed about 2,000 people and wrecked much of Halifax.
During World War II (1939-1945), Halifax became the chief North American base for Allied ships carrying food and war supplies to Europe.
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| The Halifax Regional Municipality covers 2,120 square miles (5,491 square kilometers) surrounding Halifax Harbour. It includes the communities of Halifax, Dartmouth, and Bedford, as well as the area surrounding those communities. The community of Dartmouth lies north of the harbor. Most of the community of Halifax is on a peninsula between the harbor and an inlet called the North West Arm. Bedford is at the western end of the harbor. Two ferries and two suspension bridges across the harbor link the communities of Halifax, Dartmouth, and Bedford.
Province House, Canada's oldest parliament building, stands in the downtown area of the community of Halifax. This building, the home of the Nova Scotia legislature, was completed in 1818. The Citadel, a stone fortress built in 1828, overlooks the downtown area from a hilltop. York Redoubt, a defense post on the North West Arm, dates from 1793. The Prince of Wales Martello Tower, a fortification built in 1796, stands in Point Pleasant Park.
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