# List of counties of Nova Scotia

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia has a historical system of 18 counties that originally had appointed court systems for local administration before the establishment of elected local governments in 1879. The historical counties continue as census divisions used by Statistics Canada in administering the Canadian census.

## History

Before the establishment of rural municipalities in the form of county municipalities and district municipalities in 1879, local government in the historical counties was administered by appointed courts of sessions including justices appointed by the Crown with support from local proprietors selected to grand juries. These courts of sessions met "in the counties to hear cases, make regulations, authorize assessments, and appoint local officers." On April 17, 1879, the original non-elected courts of sessions were abolished in favour of elected councils when The County Incorporation Act came into force, which stated
   The Inhabitants of every County and Sessional District in this Province ... shall be a body corporate under the name of the Municipality of the respective county or district, as the case may (be), ...
As a result, 12 county municipalities were established, while the remaining 6 counties, which were previously divided into districts for court sessional purposes, were established as district municipalities. Today, 9 of the original 12 remain incorporated as county municipalities, with 3 eventually becoming regional municipalities in 1995 and 1996, while Statistics Canada uses all 18 historical counties as census divisions for statistical purposes in the Canadian census. County municipalities and district municipalities provide local government to the residents of the historical counties living outside of incorporated towns and regional municipalities.

## List

| County | County seat | Established | Organization of county | Population (2016) | Population (2011) | Change | Land area (km²) | Population density |
| Annapolis | Annapolis Royal | 1759 | County municipality | 20,591 | 20,756 | −0.8% | 3,188.48 | 6.5/km$^2$ |
| Antigonish | Antigonish | 1785 | County municipality | 19,301 | 19,589 | −1.5% | 1,457.81 | 13.2/km$^2$ |
| Cape Breton$^a$ | Sydney | 1765 | Regional municipality | 98,722 | 101,619 | −2.9% | 2,470.60 | 40.0/km$^2$ |
| Colchester | Truro | 1835 | County municipality | 50,585 | 50,968 | −0.8% | 3,627.94 | 13.9/km$^2$ |
| Cumberland | Amherst | 1759 | County municipality | 30,005 | 31,353 | −4.3% | 4,272.65 | 7.0/km$^2$ |
| Digby | Digby | 1837 | District municipality | 17,323 | 18,036 | −4.0% | 2,515.23 | 6.9/km$^2$ |
| Guysborough | Guysborough | 1836 | District municipality | 7,625 | 8,143 | −6.4% | 4,044.23 | 1.9/km$^2$ |
| Halifax$^b$ | Halifax | 1759 | Regional municipality | 403,390 | 390,328 | +3.3% | 5,495.71 | 73.4/km$^2$ |
| Hants | Windsor | 1781 | District municipality | 42,558 | 42,304 | +0.6% | 3,051.73 | 13.9/km$^2$ |
| Inverness | Port Hood | 1835 | County municipality | 17,235 | 17,947 | −4.0% | 3,830.40 | 4.5/km$^2$ |
| Kings | Kentville | 1759 | County municipality | 60,600 | 60,589 | 0.0% | 2,126.11 | 28.5/km$^2$ |
| Lunenburg | Lunenburg | 1759 | District municipality | 47,126 | 47,313 | −0.4% | 2,909.90 | 16.2/km$^2$ |
| Pictou | Pictou | 1835 | County municipality | 43,748 | 45,643 | −4.2% | 2,845.62 | 15.4/km$^2$ |
| Queens$^c$ | Liverpool | 1762 | Regional municipality | 10,351 | 10,960 | −5.6% | 2,398.63 | 4.3/km$^2$ |
| Richmond | Arichat | 1835 | County municipality | 8,964 | 9,293 | −3.5% | 1,244.24 | 7.2/km$^2$ |
| Shelburne | Shelburne | 1784 | District municipality | 13,966 | 14,496 | −3.7% | 2,464.65 | 5.7/km$^2$ |
| Victoria | Baddeck | 1851 | County municipality | 7,089 | 7,115 | −0.4% | 2,870.85 | 2.5/km$^2$ |
| Yarmouth | Yarmouth | 1836 | District municipality | 24,419 | 25,275 | −3.4% | 2,124.64 | 11.5/km$^2$ |
| Total counties | — | — | — | 921,727 | 913,462 | +0.9% | 52,939.44 | 17.4/km$^2$ |
$^a$ county boundaries contiguous with those of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. $^b$ county boundaries contiguous with those of the Halifax Regional Municipality. $^c$ county boundaries contiguous with those of the Region of Queens Municipality.