Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a Canadian province coextensive with the island of the same name. It is part of the Maritimes and is one of the Atlantic Provinces. It is the nation's smallest province in terms of land area. PEI joined Canada on July 1, 1873.
Known as the "Garden of the Gulf", the Island is located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence north of Nova Scotia and east of New Brunswick, with which it forms the Northumberland Strait.
The population of PEI, as of 2006, is 138,519. It is the smallest province in Canada and the fourth-smallest provincial/territorial jurisdiction.
The capital and largest city of PEI is Charlottetown, known as the Birthplace of Confederation because it played host to the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, which was the first meeting in the process leading to the eventual creation of Canada in 1867. Other major communities on the Island include Summerside, Stratford, Cornwall, Montague, Cavendish, Borden-Carleton, Tignish, and Kensington.
The current Premier of the province is Hon. Robert Ghiz, Liberal. The current Lieutenant Governor is Hon. H. Frank Lewis.
The island's namesake is Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), the father of Queen Victoria.
