Wabana, town, southeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, lying just northwest of St. John’s, on Bell Island in Conception Bay. Located in the centre of one of the world’s richest deposits of red hematite iron ore, the town grew after the beginning of mining operations in 1895 and had a population of more than 8,000 in 1961. But because of marketing problems and the high phosphorus content of the ore, mining operations ceased entirely in 1966, resulting in economic depression and widespread emigration. Regular ferry service links the town with Portugal Cove on the Avalon Peninsula. Inc. 1950. Pop. (2006) 2,418; (2011) 2,346.