Melville Island is a small peninsula in
Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the
Northwest Arm of
Halifax Harbour, west of
Deadman's Island. It is part of the
Halifax Regional Municipality. The land is rocky, with thin, acidic soil, but supports a limited woodland habitat. The site was discovered by Europeans in the 1600s, though it was likely earlier explored by
aboriginals. It was initially used for storehouses before being purchased by the British, who built a prisoner-of-war camp to hold captives from the
Napoleonic Wars and later the
War of 1812. The burial ground for the prisoners was on the adjacent Deadman's Island. Melville Island was used as a receiving depot for slaves escaping the United States, then as a quarantine hospital for immigrants arriving from Europe (particularly Ireland). It briefly served as a recruitment centre for the
British Foreign Legion during the
Crimean War and was then sold to the British for use as a military prison. The land was granted to the Canadian government in 1907, which used it to detain German and Austro-Hungarian nationals during the First World War. During the Second World War, prisoners were sent to
McNabs Island instead, and ammunition depots were kept on Melville Island. The peninsula now houses the clubhouse and marina of the
Armdale Yacht Club. Melville Island has been the subject of a number of cultural works, most of which concern its use as a prison. (more...)
A pair of Mallards, an easily recognized species of
dabbling duck that is found throughout the
temperate and
subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The male birds have a bright green head (during breeding season) and are grey on wings and belly, while the females are brown all over. Both sexes have blue
speculum feathers. Mallards live in
wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of almost all of the breeds of
domestic ducks.
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
4,018,504 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
Melville Island is a small peninsula in
Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the
Northwest Arm of
Halifax Harbour, west of
Deadman's Island. It is part of the
Halifax Regional Municipality. The land is rocky, with thin, acidic soil, but supports a limited woodland habitat. The site was discovered by Europeans in the 1600s, though it was likely earlier explored by
aboriginals. It was initially used for storehouses before being purchased by the British, who built a prisoner-of-war camp to hold captives from the
Napoleonic Wars and later the
War of 1812. The burial ground for the prisoners was on the adjacent Deadman's Island. Melville Island was used as a receiving depot for slaves escaping the United States, then as a quarantine hospital for immigrants arriving from Europe (particularly Ireland). It briefly served as a recruitment centre for the
British Foreign Legion during the
Crimean War and was then sold to the British for use as a military prison. The land was granted to the Canadian government in 1907, which used it to detain German and Austro-Hungarian nationals during the First World War. During the Second World War, prisoners were sent to
McNabs Island instead, and ammunition depots were kept on Melville Island. The peninsula now houses the clubhouse and marina of the
Armdale Yacht Club. Melville Island has been the subject of a number of cultural works, most of which concern its use as a prison. (more...)
A pair of Mallards, an easily recognized species of
dabbling duck that is found throughout the
temperate and
subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The male birds have a bright green head (during breeding season) and are grey on wings and belly, while the females are brown all over. Both sexes have blue
speculum feathers. Mallards live in
wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of almost all of the breeds of
domestic ducks.
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
4,018,504 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.