Introduction to Geography of Manitoba
Manitoba,one of the Prairie Provinces of Canada. It is bounded on the north by Nunavut, on the east by Hudson Bay and Ontario, on the south by the states of Minnesota and North Dakota, and on the west by Saskatchewan. Its northwest corner touches the southeast corner of the Northwest Territories.
Manitoba provincial bird - Great grey owlManitoba in briefGeneral informationEntered the Dominion: July 15, 1870, the fifth province.Provincial abbreviation: MB (postal).Provincial capital: Winnipeg, the province's capital since it entered the Dominion in 1870.Provincial motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Glorious and Free).Symbols of ManitobaProvincial flag and coat of arms: Manitoba's provincial flag, adopted in 1966, bears the British Union Flag in the upper-left corner and a shield on a red background. The shield has a red cross of St. George above a buffalo. The buffalo symbolizes the animal's importance in Manitoba's early history, and the cross represents Manitoba's bond with England. Manitoba's coat of arms, adopted in 1992, shows a unicorn from the United Kingdom's coat of arms. The horse symbolizes Manitoba's early history. The beaver, Canada's national animal, represents Manitoba's historic fur trade.Floral emblem: Pasqueflower or prairie crocus.Land and climateArea: 250,947 mi2 (649,950 km2), including 39,224 mi2 (101,590 km2) of inland water.Elevation: Highest--Baldy Mountain, 2,727 ft (831 m) above sea level. Lowest--sea level, along Hudson Bay.Coastline: 400 mi (645 km).Record high temperature: 112 °F (44 °C) at St. Albans, near Wawanesa, on July 11, 1936, and at Emerson on July 12, 1936.Record low temperature: –63 °F (–53 °C) at Norway House on Jan. 9, 1899.Average July temperature: 66 °F (19 °C).Average January temperature: –4 °F (–20 °C).Average yearly precipitation: 20 in (50 cm).PeoplePopulation: 1,148,401 (2006 census).Rank among the provinces: 5th.Density: 5 persons per mi2 (2 per km2), provinces average 13 per mi2 (5 per km2).Distribution: 71 percent urban, 29 percent rural.Largest cities and towns: Winnipeg (633,451); Brandon (41,511); Thompson (13,446); Portage la Prairie (12,728); Steinbach (11,066); Selkirk (9,515).EconomyChief productsAgriculture: beef cattle, canola, hogs, milk, oats, potatoes, wheat.Manufacturing: clothing, food products, machinery, primary metal products, transportation equipment, wood products.Mining: copper, nickel, petroleum, zinc.GovernmentProvincial governmentPremier: term of up to 5 years.Legislative Assembly: 57 members, terms of up to 5 years.Federal governmentMembers of the House of Commons: 14.Senators: 6.Sources of informationTourism: Travel Manitoba, 7th Floor-155 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3H8. Travel Manitoba's Web site at http://www.travelmanitoba.com also provides tourist information.History: Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism, Main Floor, 213 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1N3. The department's Web site at http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/ is also a useful resource.Physical Geography
Manitoba is one of the Prairie Provinces of Canada.LandManitoba lies within three major physiographic regions of North America: the Canadian Shield, the Interior Plains, and the Hudson Bay Lowland.
Much of the province, except in the northeast and the south and southwest, lies in the Canadian Shield. It is mainly an area of ancient crystalline rock whose surface features were formed by glaciers. The advancing and retreating ice eroded the rock, deposited debris, and created a vast number of lakes. Muskegs (bogs) are widespread. Large tracts are covered with dense coniferous forests. Throughout the area, population is sparse.
The south-central and southwestern parts of Manitoba lie within the Interior Plains. This is the settled part of the province; it is a fertile agricultural region, much like the northern prairie and plains states of the United States. Although occasionally rolling, the terrain is predominantly flat.
Most of the region was part of the lake bed of glacial Lake Agassiz, which during the Ice Age covered an area larger than that of the present Great Lakes. The only land that rose above the lake was in a section of relatively high prairies and hills west of a sharp escarpment running southeastward from the Saskatchewan River. There, amid rolling prairies, rises Baldy Mountain, Manitoba's highest point (2,729 feet [832 m]). Only slightly lower are the Porcupine Hills and Riding Mountain, site of Riding Mountain National Park.
The Hudson Bay Lowland is largely a semi-barren, uninhabited, and poorly drained tundra region fringing Hudson Bay in the northeast. Most of it is only slightly above sea level. Most of the surface in the north is underlain by permanently frozen ground called permafrost.
Water. Manitoba's principal lakes—Winnipeg, Winnipegosis, and Manitoba—are remnants of old Lake Agassiz. Lake Winnipeg is larger than Lake Ontario and is almost as large as Lake Erie. Of similar origin are nearby Cedar and Moose lakes. Thousands of other lakes, large and small, dot the Canadian Shield. Most are irregular in shape, and many interconnect to form chains. Parts of Reindeer Lake and Lake of the Woods are also within the province.
Two large rivers, the Churchill and the Nelson, drain most of Manitoba. Both flow northeastward to Hudson Bay. The Nelson is the more important system, for it flows from Lake Winnipeg, which receives such major rivers as the Assiniboine, Red, and Winnipeg. Other large rivers include the Seal in the north and the Hayes in the east. Hydroelectric stations on Manitoba's rivers provide more than 90 per cent of the province's electrical power.
Climate. Because of its northerly latitude and central location in North America, Manitoba has a cold climate that varies from continental in the south to subpolar in the center and north. Winters are bitterly cold and increase in length and severity from south to north. Average January temperatures range from about 0° to -20° F. (-17.8° to -28.9° C). Temperatures of -40° F. (-40° C.) and lower have been recorded throughout the province.
Summers are short and vary from warm to hot. July temperatures of more than 100° F. (37.8° C.) occur, but they average between 55° F. (12.8° C.) in the north and 70° F. (21.1° C.) in the south. The growing season is normally two to four months.
Annual precipitation is meager throughout Manitoba, varying from about 20 inches (508 mm) in the southeast to less than 14 inches (356 mm) in the north. The bulk of it comes as rain during the summer. Snow covers the ground all winter. Some of it is brought by occasional severe blizzards.
Manitoba floral emblem - pasqueflowerInteresting facts about ManitobaTwo of the world's best collections of Inuit (Eskimo) art are located in Manitoba. One is at the Eskimo Museum in Churchill, which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. The other, housed at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, contains about 6,000 examples.Manitoba's seaport, at Churchill, is the only seaport in the Prairie Provinces.Thousands of garter snakes emerge from hibernation in limestone pits near Narcisse each spring. After mating, they disperse for the summer and return to the pits in autumn.One of the world's largest denning areas for polar bears lies south of Churchill. The town, sometimes called the Polar Bear Capital of the World, is the most accessible and habitable area in the world lying within reach of an area where polar bears live. Each fall, polar bears converge on Churchill, waiting for ice to form on Hudson Bay so they can hunt for seals. Polar bears often wander close to town, where they search for food in garbage dumps.Manitoba's provincial tree is the white spruce.Economy
Manitoba's economy is based mainly on services, manufacturing, and agriculture. Services, especially banking, insurance, and the trading of commodities, account for the largest share of the gross provincial product.
Manufacturing. Processed foods and beverages usually account for the largest value of all manufactured goods. Machinery making, metal fabricating, and the manufacturing of transportation equipment, clothing, and electrical, chemical, and printed products are also important. The manufacturing of electronic equipment is one of the fastest-growing parts of the economy. Most manufacturing is concentrated in and around Winnipeg.
Agriculture is well developed in Manitoba. Large, highly mechanized farms account for most of the production. Crops have long been the principal source of farm income. Most of the cultivated land lies in the southwest, where wheat is the chief crop, followed by oats and barley. Among the Canadian provinces only Saskatchewan and Alberta exceed Manitoba in grain production. Other crops include alfalfa, barley, canola, dry beans, flaxseed, oats, peas, potatoes, rye, and sunflower seeds. Beef cattle and hogs are the principal livestock raised. Dairying is important southeast of Winnipeg.
MiningMining production in Manitoba consists largely of metals and comes mainly from mines in the north. Of greatest total value are nickel, copper, zinc, and gold. Important nonmetallic minerals include petroleum and sand and gravel.
Lumbering and Fishing. Forests occupy about 60 per cent of Manitoba's land area. White and black spruce, jack pine, aspen, balsam poplar, tamarack, and white birch are among the trees commonly found. About 40 per cent of the forested land is suitable for commercial use. Softwoods, for the pulp and paper industry, make up most of the timber cut.
More than a dozen varieties of fish are caught commercially. Most of the catch, which consists largely of whitefish, pike, and perch, comes from Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winnipegosis and is exported fresh to the United States. Sportfishing attracts large numbers of anglers to the province and contributes substantially to the economy.
Transportation. Manitoba's transportation system serves mainly the developed, southern part of the province and focuses on Winnipeg. Most of the railway service is provided by Canada's two transcontinental systems. Most of the trackage branches out of Winnipeg. Southern Manitoba has an extensive system of good intercity roads and highways. The most important route is the east-west Trans-Canada Highway. Air transportation is well developed and serves otherwise inaccessible areas in the north. There is an international airport at Winnipeg.
The People
PopulationMore than 40 per cent of the people in Manitoba are of British descent. Of the many other ethnic groups in Manitoba, the largest are German, Ukrainian, and French. More than 50,000 Indians live in Manitoba, most of them on reserves.
Annual events in ManitobaFebruary-AprilFestival du Voyageur in Winnipeg (February); Trappers' Festival in The Pas (February); Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon (March-April).June-OctoberManitoba Summer Fair in Brandon (June); Winnipeg International Children's Festival (June); Flin Flon Trout Festival (June-July); Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition in Morris (July); Selkirk Highland Gathering (July); Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede in Austin (July); Folklorama in Winnipeg (August); Icelandic Festival in Gimli (August); Oktoberfest in Winnipeg (September); Fun and Fiddle Festival in Miami (October).Religion and EducationThe principal religious denominations are the United Church of Canada, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church of Canada.
Education is the responsibility of the provincial department of education, which is headed by the minister of education. School attendance is compulsory from age 7 to age 16. The first school in what is now Manitoba was established in 1815.
The University of Manitoba, at Winnipeg, is a provincial institution, founded in 1877. Colleges affiliated with the university are St. John's, St. Paul's, and St. Andrew's, all in Winnipeg, and St. Boniface's, in St. Boniface. Other universities in Manitoba include Brandon University in Brandon; and the University of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg.
Universities and colleges in ManitobaManitoba has five degree-granting universities and colleges that are members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, listed below.NameMailing addressBrandon University BrandonManitoba, University of WinnipegSt. Boniface, University College of St. BonifaceWinnipeg, University of WinnipegGovernment
The Manitoba Legislative Building is in Winnipeg, the capital since Manitoba entered the Dominion in 1870.The lieutenant governor, who represents the Crown, has little actual power. He is appointed by the federal government, usually for five years. Laws are made by the Legislative Assembly of 57 members. Elections for the assembly must be held at least once every five years. The leader of the party in power serves as premier, and selects the executive council, or cabinet, from among supporters in the assembly.
Justices of the Court of Appeal and Court of Queen's Bench are appointed by the governor general in council. Other courts include a provincial court and regional courts. Local governmental units include cities, towns, rural municipalities, and, in the less densely populated areas, local government districts. Manitoba is represented in the federal Parliament by 6 appointed senators and 14 elected members of the House of Commons.