Caribou is a small rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia. Nearby geographic locations using the name include Caribou Harbour, a bay on which the community is situated, as well as the communities of Caribou Island, Central Caribou and Caribou River. Caribou became an important port after it was selected by the federal government in the late 1930s to be the Nova Scotia terminal for a seasonal ferry service to Wood Islands in eastern Prince Edward Island. The service, operated by Northumberland Ferries Limited since its inception in 1941, carries passenger, vehicle and truck traffic to Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island between May and December. Caribou also hosts a small passenger-only seasonal ferry service to Pictou Island, departing from the small craft fishing harbour adjacent to the NFL ferry terminal.
