Kjipuktuk

Kjipuktuk, the Great Harbour, is a deep inlet on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. The Mi'kmaq lived around its sheltered coves long before the British founded Halifax here in 1749. Islands and narrow approaches protect the harbor, whose position made it a valuable base for ships crossing the North Atlantic.

The British established Halifax as a naval and military settlement to strengthen their position against French Louisbourg. Its arrival on Mi'kmaw lands created deep tensions. In August 1749 the Chignecto chief Joannes Pedousaghtigh and other delegates renewed an earlier treaty with British officials at the new town, although many Mi'kmaq leaders did not sign. The harbor became central to Britain's hold on the peninsula and to the contested relationships surrounding it.

The later city of Halifax lies here.