Prince Edward National Park is on the north shore of the island, a tiny crescent set in sparkling waters on Canada's massive tapestry. its 1609 kilometres (1000 miles) of pink sandy beaches frame the red sandy loam. This rich earth ensures the success of the patchwork of farms. The Indians called the island Abegweit, meaning "cradled in the waves", and it is thought that they cultivated the land for untold summers before their world was shattered. On his first voyage in 1534, Jacques Cartier described the island as "the fairest one could possibly see" and ". . . full of pease, white and red gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries and wild wheat like rye, which looks as if it had been sowed and cultivated".
 

Massive rocks and a prim but sturdy lighthouse near Woods Island in the south-east of Prince Edward Island watch over the land when the sea threatens. Two ferries crossed  Northumberland Strait, one between Woods Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia, and the other between Borden and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick -- comforting links with the mainland. The Confederation Bridge, opened on May 31, 1997 joins Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick. At 12 .9 kilometre long, it is the longest bridge over ice covered waters in the world.
 
 

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