ABSTRACT
Acadian sites As a geopolitical entity, 'Acadia ' denotes a portion of north-eastern Canada and the USA tha t was nominally und er French control from its first settlement in 1604 until the Acadian Expulsion of 1755-1764. The fluid boundar ies of Acadia extended from the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec south-westerly to the eastern two-thirds ofthe coast of the state ofMaine in the USA, encompassing the Canadian maritime provin ces ofNova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The majority of this region was taken by Britain in 1710 and formally ceded to them in 1713 by the Trea ty of Utrecht . This left only Ile Royale (Cape Breton , Nova Scotia), lle St:Jean (prince Edward Island) and the Chignecto region of New Brun swick in French Acadian hands. By 1755, the entire region was controlled by the British, who forced most ethnic Acadians into hidin g or exported them to other French colonies, especially Louisiana. In subse quent yea rs, many return ed to French Canada, where their descendants still consider themselves to be 'Acadian'.
