Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Regina, Saskatchewan

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Regina is the capital city of Saskatchewan in Canada.

Regina skyline (2021 December)
Regina skyline (2021 December)

It is the second-largest city in the province. Saskatoon is the only city in Saskatchewan that is larger. Regina serves as a main business center for the southern part of the province. The city sits on a very flat plain with few hills.

Regina, Streetscape
Regina, Streetscape

Most of the land around the city is open grassland. The city is surrounded by a place called the Rural Municipality of Sherwood No. 159. As of 2021, about 226,404 people lived in the city itself. The whole metropolitan area had 249,217 people.

Early planners worked hard to shape the land. There was a small stream called Wascana Creek on the plain.

Wascana Lake from the Legislative building in the 70s
Wascana Lake from the Legislative building in the 70s

People built a dam across this creek to make a lake. This lake is now part of a large area called Wascana Centre. This park is a central part of the city. It holds many important buildings and schools. You can find the University of Regina and the First Nations University of Canada there. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the MacKenzie Art Gallery are also in the park.

Regina Museum (natural history and indigenous persons)
Regina Museum (natural history and indigenous persons)

Long ago, the site had a different name. It was called Pile-of-Bones or Wascana. This name came from collections of bison bones found near the creek.

In 1882, the name was changed to Regina. This is the Latin word for "Queen." Princess Louise chose this name to honor her mother, Queen Victoria. She was the wife of the Governor General of Canada at that time. The city became the capital of the new province of Saskatchewan in 1905. The big Legislative Building was built shortly after that.

Regina has faced many difficult moments in its history. In 1912, a massive tornado called the Regina Cyclone hit the city.

Damage to buildings on Lorne St. after cyclone
Damage to buildings on Lorne St. after cyclone

This storm was the deadliest tornado in Canadian history. Later, in the 1930s, the city dealt with the Great Depression. A long drought made life hard for grain farmers on the prairies. This era also saw the Regina Riot in 1935. During these hard years, people in Regina became very active in politics. They worked on new ideas like the co-operative movement.

Today, Regina is a place of growth and learning. The city has many different neighborhoods to explore. Some areas like Lakeview and The Crescents are south of the downtown.

Warehouse District 2017
Warehouse District 2017

To the north, the old warehouse district is now a place for shopping. Many people also visit the city for its many museums and arts centers.

The Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, SK
The Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, SK

In 2007, the province saw strong economic growth again. This was due to high demand for minerals and farm goods. Regina remains a very important part of the Canadian West.

443 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (23)
File:CourtHouseLouisRielTrial.jpg
CourtHouseLouisRielTrial.jpg
File:Damage to buildings on Lorne St. after cyclone.jpg
Damage to buildings on Lorne St. after cyclone.jpg
File:Regina Met and Army & Navy 1965.jpg
Regina Met and Army & Navy 1965.jpg
File:Wascana Lake from the Legislative building in the 70s.jpg
Wascana Lake from the Legislative...
File:Regina skyline (2021 December).jpg
Regina skyline (2021 December).jpg
File:Warehouse District 2017.jpg
Warehouse District 2017.jpg
File:Regina, Streetscape.jpg
Regina, Streetscape.jpg
File:The Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, SK.jpg
The Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, SK.jpg
File:Old Post Office .jpg
Old Post Office .jpg
File:Buildings in Downtown Regina as seen from Victoria Park.jpg
Buildings in Downtown Regina as seen from...
File:Regina skyline from Wascana Park.jpg
Regina skyline from Wascana Park.jpg
File:Regina Museum (natural history and indigenous persons).jpg
Regina Museum (natural history and...

+ 11 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.