Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province by both land area (approximately 5,660 square kilometres) and population (approximately 170,000 people). The island's small scale creates unique governance circumstances, with particularly direct relationships between citizens and government, relatively few municipalities, and limited economies of scale for service delivery. PEI has just one municipality with city status (Charlottetown). The small population means provincial services are more comparable in scale to municipal services elsewhere. Despite its size, PEI holds symbolic importance as the 'Birthplace of Confederation' where initial discussions leading to Canada's creation occurred in 1864.