The Avalon Peninsula may occupy a mere 8% of Newfoundland's total land area, but more than half of the Newfies reside here.
And almost all of them live in and around the capital St Johns.
The remaining residents cluster in small fishing villages
along the coast and that leaves plenty of room for the resident moose and reindeer to roam freely.
The rich fishing grounds
attracted many Europeans who showed up here from the early 1500's onwards, but permanent settlements started in the
17th century.
The first half of the 18th century saw much fighting between French and English troops but in the end the English
prevailed.
To get a good impression of Avalon you should spend several days here because there is a lot to see:
St
Johns and its surroundings have a winning mix of historic sites and fantastic landscapes .
The rugged shoreline
is dotted with historic and pittoresque fishing villages like Petty Harbour.
For hikers there are lots of trails
to enjoy the scenery like at La Manche. Many of these trails form part of the 300 km long East Coast Trail.
Salmonier
Park is an animal rehab center aka zoo where you can local species in a natural habitat.
If you crave birds, lots of birds, head
strait for the Cape St Mary's Ecological Reserve.
