Bonavista: Located on the very northern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula. As mentioned previously it is thought that Cabot, upon landing at Bonavista, in 1497, shouted out, in his mother tongue, Italian "O buon vista" - "O happy sight" - and that the name "stuck".

Others, however, have suggested that it was named in 1500 by the Portuguese explorer turn of the 18th Century Gaspar Corte-Real, after "Boa Vista" one of the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa.

However, looking at the town's emblem, from the town's website which theory the town recognizes: town on the island, with 18 houses. St. John's had forty-five... Through the 1700s and 1800s Bonavista continued to maintain a position of significance.... For a century it was the most northern community in Newfoundland.

According to Wikipedia contributors, the topology of the area had an effect on the eventual size of the town, as "unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5 km 31.5 km2 (12.2 sq mi)".

While still considered to be a "large" town by Newfoundland standards, like most communities in the province, the population is gradually decreasing. According to the 2016 Census there were 3,448 residents in Bonavista, a 3.9% decrease from the 3,589 there in 2011.

However, that contrasts sharply from the peak years of 1891-1901, when according to Wikipedia contributors, the Bonavista Peninsula's population was in the neighborhood of 20,000, with most of the residents were centred in Bonavista.

Much of the increase was a result of the development of the Fishermen's Protective Union in the early 1900s and the creation of Port Union nearby.

The following description of Bonavista Bay comes from the ENL: This large bay, bounded on the east side by the Bonavista Peninsula and on the west by a wide blunt headland ending at Cape Freels, is entered between Cape Bonavista at the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula and Cape Freels about 69 km (37.5 nautical miles) to the north- northwest.

The mouth of the bay is extremely wide and exposed, particularly on the northwest coast at Cape Freels, but the bay extends into deep, sheltered sounds toward its head. Bonavista Bay is divided into two main arms.

The south arm is entered between Cape Bonavista and Cow Head and extends about 83 km (45 nautical mi) south west through Chandler Reach, Newman Sound and Clode Sound, as well as numerous smaller sounds and deep, sheltered bays.

The north arm of the Bay itself divides into arms or long bays called Bloody Bay and Freshwater Bay, each receding about 52 km (28 nautical mi). The northeast end of the promontory separating Newman Sound from Eastport Bay (Salvage Bay) is the dividing point between the two arms of Bonavista Bay....

The coastline of Bonavista Bay is commonly marked by cliffs ranging from 6 to 91 m (20 to 300 ft) high and, in the central and southern regions, is deeply indented by bays that were scoured out by glacial erosion.

The eastern coast of Bonavista Bay is composed of a rocky barren headland, with poor harbours around Cape Bonavista giving way to sloping marine terraces and high cliffs and headlands on the southwest coast whose names, Red Cliff and Keels, may reflect their geographic origins.

The southeastern coast is composed of deep bays - Southern Bay, Sweet Bay and Goose Bay and Clode Sound. The central and northern region of Bonavista Bay is characterized by deep channels and long reaches that extend several kilometres offshore.

As mentioned previously in the discussion of the exploits of John Cabot, it is thought by many that Bonavista Bay, Bonavista Peninsula and the town of Bonavista originated when John Cabot sighted the headlands in 1497 shouted out "O Buon Vista" referring to the "happy sight" that he was seeing.

As you will have read however, not agree with that theory. Major communities that are on the shores of Bonavista Bay (or some of the smaller bays "within the bay"), include New-Wes-Valley, Centreville, Hare Bay, Gambo, Glovertown, Musgravetown, and of course, the largest community Bonavista.


Cape Bonavista: Located on the eastern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, a significant landmark on the cape is the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, built in 1843.

It is open to the public and one can climb up the stone tower to see the seal oil-fueled light that was used in the 1800s. It is also an area where you often can see whales, icebergs and the iconic, puffin, as there is thriving colony located just off the mainland across the channel.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill