PLACENTIA

town, southeastern Newfoundland, Canada. It lies along the Avalon Peninsula and the east shore of Placentia Bay. Basque fishermen arrived in the 16th century and probably named the site for Plasencia, Spain. In 1662 the French permanently settled the place as Plaisance, which they strongly fortified for use as a base for attacks against the British-held St. John's, 67 miles (108 km) to the northeast. The old fortifications overlooking the town have been preserved as Castle Hill National Historic Park. Plaisance served as capital of the various French settlements in Terre-Neuve (Newfoundland) until the beginning of the British period (1713). Renamed Placentia, it was administered from Nova Scotia (171329) and after the fall of Quebec (1759) became the site of a British naval station. In 1941 the Atlantic Charter was signed by the U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and the British prime minister Winston Churchill aboard warships anchored in Placentia Bay. The town's economy is based on fishing and tourism. Inc. 1945. Pop. (1991) 1,954.