Halifax is the capital city of Nova Scotia, Canada, and a busy port on the southern part of the province's eastern shore. It has one of the biggest and deepest natural harbours along the eastern seaboard of North America. Known as both a garrison town and Canada's naval base, this lively and sophisticated port is the oldest British town on the Canadian mainland, as well as the home of Canada's first representative government, first Protestant church, and first newspaper. The city is most famous as the home of the Bluenose Schooner, the 19th-century privateer's dream machine. In the Historic Properties section, warehouses that once stored siezed cargo from all over the world are now the city's trendiest shops and restaurants.