An island forming the northeast part of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was under French sovereignty from 1632 to 1763. During the long period that Nova Scotia was part of Pangaea, sediments deposited in the Carboniferous Sea eventually covered most or all of the Highlands Region and the adjoining Plateau-Taiga Region. Only occasional remnants of these strata are now found on the highland plateau, such as the late Carboniferous block of Canso sandstone that can be seen near the western entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park. During the late Carboniferous, the highland block appears to have moved vertically upwards and deformed the Carboniferous strata. In places, these Carboniferous rocks are domed upward at the margins of the Highlands.
The Cape Breton Plateau is part of the worn down Appalachian mountain chain which stretches from Georgia to Newfoundland. Cape Breton Island is divided into four counties: Cape Breton, Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria.
Cape Breton Island's first residents were likely Maritime Archaic Indians, ancestors of the Mi'kmaq Nation, who later inhabited the island at the time of European discovery. Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) reportedly visited the island in 1497 to become the first Renaissance European explorer to visit present-day Canada. However, historians are unclear as to whether Cabot first visited Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. This discovery is commemorated by Cape Breton's Cabot Trail-located in the province of Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island. The route is approximately 300 km (185 mi.) long and completes a loop around the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, passing along and through the scenic Cape Breton Highlands and is an extension of the Appalachian mountain chain. The Highlands comprise the northern portions of Inverness and Victoria counties. The Highlands are surrounded by water with the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Cabot Strait to the north and east, the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the north and west, and Bras d'Or Lake to the south.
The plateau consists of numerous broad, gently rolling hills bisected with deep valleys and steep-walled river canyons. The southern and western edges of the plateau give way to broad valleys with soils resulting from glaciation, providing some of Cape Breton's best agricultural lands. Most of the interior and southern edges of the plateau are covered with damp, cool deciduous forests which makes for spectacular colours during autumn foliage. Southward facing slopes above 300 metres in elevation generally only support Balsam Fir, as a result of the short growing season and harsh winter climate. The northern and western edges of the plateau, particularly at high elevations, resemble arctic tundra. The west coast of the Highlands meets the Gulf of St. Lawrence in steep cliffs whereas the east coast borders the Atlantic Ocean with a gently sloping coastal plain, low headlands, and several beaches.
The northern section of the Cabot Trail passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The western and eastern sections follow the rugged coastline, providing spectacular views of the ocean. The southwestern section passes through the Margaree River valley before passing along Bras d'Or Lake. The waters of Bras d'Or Lake are connected to the Atlantic Ocean by two natural outlets in its northeastern extremities, with the smaller "Little Bras d'Or" in the south and the "Great Bras d'Or" in the north. These outlets encircle Bouladerie Island, which is also the largest island in Cape Breton. An artificial connection to the Atlantic is also available at the southwestern extremity of Bras d'Or Lake in the historic St. Peters Canal located in the village of St. Peter's.
St. Peter's is one of North America's oldest European settlements, tracing its history to the 1630s when a small fortified settlement named "Saint Pierre" was built by merchants from La Rochelle, France on the isthmus. In 1650, La Rochelle merchant Nicholas Denys took possession of Saint Pierre and encouraged the fur trade with local members of the Mi'kmaq Nation who used the isthmus as a canoe portage route between the Atlantic Ocean and Bras d'Or Lake. In addition to establishing a fur trading post, Denys later used the isthmus as a "haulover road" for portaging small sailing ships from Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic and vice versa. France lost possession of present-day peninsular (main land) Nova Scotia to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. France began moving some Acadian colonists to Ile Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) to populate this remaining outpost of Acadia. Port Toulouse was created near the 17th century location of the fortified community of Saint Pierre as a logistics base and supply centre for Fortress Louisbourg. To protect Port Toulouse, France built another fortification on the shore. The forts at Port Toulouse and Saint Pierre and settlements in the area were destroyed by the British in 1758 following the fall of Fortress Louisbourg and the rest of Acadia became a British colony.