<P> Prince Edward Island ( PEI or P.E.I. ; French : Île - du - Prince - Édouard ) is a province of Canada consisting of the island of the same name , and several much smaller islands . Prince Edward Island is one of the three Maritime Provinces and is the smallest province in both land area and population . It is part of the traditional lands of the Mi'kmaq , and became a British colony in the 1700s and was federated into Canada as a province in 1873 . Its capital is Charlottetown . According to the 2016 census , the province of Prince Edward Island has 142,907 residents . </P>
what 's the population of prince edward island
142,907 residents