fwo_629270 - NEWFOUNDLAND (NEW FOUNDLAND) - VICTORIA 2 Dollars 1882 Heaton

NEWFOUNDLAND (NEW FOUNDLAND) - VICTORIA

(20/06/1837-22/01/1901)

Newfoundland (Newfoundland) is an island discovered by John Cabot in 1497 and located at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The abundance of fish found on the coasts of the island attracted English, Portuguese, Basque and French fishermen in the 16th century. In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the island in the name of England, a possession which was disputed in the 17th century by the French. However, France recognizes the rights of England during the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 but retains fishing privileges. The colonization of the island is very slow, there are 20,000 inhabitants in 1800 and about 580,000 today. The island was endowed with representative institutions in 1812 and received a government in 1855. In 1869, it refused to enter Canada and became a dominion in 1917. Very affected by the crisis of 1929, the island appealed to assistance from the UK and Canada. An allied base during the Second World War, the island allied with Canada in 1949 and has since experienced accelerated development.