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  Big Tancook Island Big Tancook Island, Nova Scotia | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mahone Bay |
| Coordinates | 44°27′25″N 64°09′58″W / 44.457°N 64.166°W |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| County | Lunenburg County |
| Demographics | |
| Population | ~200 (summer) ~150 (winter) |
Big Tancook Island is the largest of many islands in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.[1] It measures approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) (north to south) by 1.6 km (1.0 mi) forming roughly a "C" shape. Its area is 550 acres (2.2 km2) and has a rocky shoreline with open fields and softwood forest dotted by ponds, residential properties and fish stores. It is separated from nearby Little Tancook Island to the east by a 1 km (0.6 mi) wide strait called "The Chops". Big Tancook Island is approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) from Sandy Cove Point on the Aspotogan Peninsula - the nearest point on the mainland. Wildlife populations are limited to deer, muskrats, snakes, and pheasants, and a great variety of birds.
The community of Big Tancook is the only one located on Big Tancook Island. It has a population of about 200 in summer and 150 in winter. It is home to one of the last remaining one-room schoolhouses in Canada: Big Tancook Island Elementary School, which also serves Little Tancook Island. High school students must be transported to the mainland town of Chester, Nova Scotia.
The island was once a summer fishing ground for Indigenous peoples. The word "Tancook" is an anglicized Mi'kmaq term that translates into "facing the open sea." The island was later settled by German immigrants.[1]
The residents primarily make their living through lobster fishing, or the ferry service. Several small professional and artistic businesses operate on and from the island.
- ^ a b O'Leary, Wayne M. (1994). Tancook Schooners: An Island and Its Boats. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-7735-6462-6.