1. Newfoundland had early contact with Beothuk Aboriginal groups, Norse explorers between 1000-1400 AD, and later European fishermen and whalers who exploited the rich fishing waters. 2. Newfoundland became an object of competition between France and England starting in the 16th century as both sought to control the lucrative cod fishery. It was a British colony from after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, except for the French Shore on the eastern coast. 3. Newfoundland did not become part of Canada until 1949 and had its own separate system of governance from Britain for most of its history, gaining responsible government in 1855.