Placentia, town, southeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It lies along the Avalon Peninsula and the east shore of Placentia Bay, 67 miles (108 km) southwest of St. John’s.
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. 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 (1713–29) and, in the 1760s, after the fall of Quebec, became the site of a British naval station.
In 1941 the Atlantic Charter was signed by U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard warships anchored in Placentia Bay. Argentia, an unincorporated community just north of Placentia on the bay, was developed into a major U.S. military base during World War II (1939–45). The base closed in 1994, the same year that several nearby communities (including Argentia) were amalgamated into Placentia.
The town’s economy traditionally was based on fishing and tourism, but, with the redevelopment of the former Argentia base, it has diversified to include services and some manufacturing. Placentia is connected to the Trans-Canada Highway and hence to St. John’s and other cities on Newfoundland. Seasonal ferry service is provided from the Argentia port to Nova Scotia. Inc. 1945. Pop. (2006) 3,898; (2011) 3,643.