Annapolis Royal [[1]] , population 548 (Nova Scotia Statistical Review 2004 [[2]] ) was founded 1610, down the Annapolis River from the site of Port Royal, which was the first permanent European settlement in North America north of Florida. The community was named after Queen Anne and changed hands between England and France regularly throughout the 17th century and until 1750. Annapolis Royal was the capital of Nova Scotia until the founding of Halifax.

Today, Annapolis Royal is a compact, pleasant little town that depends on the tourist trade and local agriculture for its livelihood. The nearby reconstruction of Champlain's 1605 Habitation, the Fort Anne military museum and British military fortifications in the town, the historical buildings of the town and the nearby Annapolis Basin Tidal Power Project (the only operating tidal hydro-electric generating station in North America), attract tourists each year. Also nearby is the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre [[3]], an international training facility for peacekeeping troops.