Cape Breton Island Map

Description: This map shows cities, towns, villages, county boundaries, rivers, lakes, Trans-Canada highway, roads, national parks, and trails on Cape Breton Island.

Description: This map shows cities, towns, villages, rivers, lakes, roads, ferries, airport, beaches, and trails on Cape Breton Island.

Description: This map shows cities, towns, villages, rivers, lakes, Trans-Canada highway, major roads, and secondary roads on Cape Breton Island.

Cape Breton Island is an island located on the Atlantic coast of North America in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island covers an area of 10,311 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 140,000 people according to the 2025. Cape Breton is separated from mainland Nova Scotia by the Strait of Canso but has been connected to the mainland since 1955 by the Canso Causeway, a 1,385-meter-long causeway that is considered the deepest in the world, with its base reaching 65 meters below the water surface.

The island is bordered by the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north and west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, and the Northumberland Strait to the west. Its highest point is White Hill Mountain, which rises to 532 meters above sea level. In the central part of the island lies Bras d'Or Lake, a saltwater lagoon covering between 932 and 1,099 square kilometers depending on tides, which effectively divides the island into two parts. The lake is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Sydney, located on the eastern coast, is the largest city on Cape Breton Island and serves as the main urban center. The island's economy historically relied on coal mining and steel production, though tourism has become increasingly important in recent decades. Cape Breton is home to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, established in 1936, which occupies approximately 948 square kilometers in the northern part of the island. The park features the Cape Breton Plateau, part of the Appalachian mountain range, with elevations ranging from 350 to 500 meters.

One of the island's most famous attractions is the Cabot Trail, a scenic highway approximately 298 kilometers long that loops around the northern cape and passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Completed in 1932, the trail was named after Italian explorer John Cabot, who reportedly visited the area in 1497. The route offers spectacular coastal views and is considered one of the most scenic drives in North America. The island is also home to the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, a partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress and seaport that was once the capital of Île Royale. Additionally, the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck commemorates the inventor's life and work, as Bell spent his later years on Cape Breton Island.