In 1604, French colonists established the first permanent European settlement north of Florida at Port Royal, founding what would become known as Acadia. The British Empire obtained control of the region between 1713 and 1760, and established the new capital at Halifax in 1749. Nova Scotia was one of the founding four provinces to join Confederation with Canada in 1867.

The territory now known as Nova Scotia included several regions of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'gma'gi, which covered all of the Maritimes, as well as parts of Maine, the Gaspé, and Newfoundland. Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi'kmaq people when the first European colonists arrived.

Nova Scotia, Latin for New Scotland, is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in the Maritimes, and its capital, Halifax, is the economic and cultural centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada, with a population of just under a million, Nova Scotians (or, less formally, Bluenosers) makes it the fourth least populous province of the country.

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org/