Bell Island (Newfoundland and Labrador)

This article is about the island located in Conception Bay. For the island located off the Great Northern Peninsula, see Bell Island (Grey Islands).

Bell Island
Aerial view of Bell Island
Bell Island is located in Newfoundland
Bell Island
Bell Island
Location of Bell Island in Newfoundland
Geography
LocationConception Bay, Newfoundland
Coordinates47°37′58″N 52°57′57″W / 47.63278°N 52.96583°W / 47.63278; -52.96583
Area34 km2 (13 sq mi)
Coastline27 km (16.8 mi)
Highest elevation148 m (486 ft)
Administration
Canada
ProvinceNewfoundland and Labrador
Demographics
Population2,079 (2021)[1][2]
Bell Island Lighthouse Edit this at Wikidata
Constructed1966 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionwooden tower
Height9 m (30 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapequadrangular tower atop a 1-storey fog signal building[3][4]
Markingswhite tower, grey metallic lantern
OperatorCanadian Coast Guard Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height53 m (174 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 6s Edit this on Wikidata

Bell Island is an island that is part of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada's easternmost province. With an area of 34 square kilometres (13 sq mi), it is by far the largest island in Conception Bay, a large bay in the southeast of the island of Newfoundland. The provincial capital of St. John's is less than 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the east.

The coastline of Bell Island consists almost entirely of cliffs that tower up to 45 metres (148 ft) above the surf and also has several special rock formations. The island is home to four settlements with a total of over 2,000 inhabitants. The vast majority of them live in the main settlement of Wabana,[5] which can be reached from Newfoundland via a ferry connection to Portugal Cove.[6][7] To the south are the hamlets of Lance Cove, Bickfordville and Freshwater.

From 1895 to 1966, large-scale iron ore mining took place on Bell Island. As a result, the relatively small island acquired great international economic importance as it quickly grew into one of the most important iron ore producers in the world. In addition, the ore mined in the mines of Bell Island was very important to the Allied war industry during World War II, which led to Nazi Germany attacking twice. At its peak, more than 12,000 people lived there.

Since the end of mining, the population has fallen dramatically and there has been a severe economic downturn. Due to the few remaining jobs, the majority of residents now commute daily via ferry to the St. John's Metropolitan Area. In recent years, the local economy has turned to tourism to a significant extent, with the natural beauty, mining history and shipwrecks being the main draws.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference C21W was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference C21SNO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southeastern Newfoundland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  4. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 110: Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016. p. {{{page}}}.
  5. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Newfoundland and Labrador". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Whiffen, Glenn (November 6, 2017). "Sending Legionnaire away not an option, Bell Island protesters say". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  7. ^ "N.L. ferries made 4,100 trips with no passengers last year". CBC. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2020-12-17.