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Saskatchewan

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Saskatchewan is a large province in western Canada.

Saskatchewan Topographic
Saskatchewan Topographic

It is one of only two landlocked provinces in the country. This means it has no ocean borders. To the west, it sits next to Alberta. To the north, it borders the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Manitoba is to the east. The United States borders the south. The states of Montana and North Dakota are neighbors.

Saskatchewan Köppen
Saskatchewan Köppen

The land has two very different parts. The southern half is filled with wide prairies. These are open grasslands where many people live. The northern half is mostly a thick boreal forest. There are also many lakes and rivers here. In fact, nearly 10% of the land is fresh water.

Highest point in Saskatchewan, looking south, 2025 01
Highest point in Saskatchewan, looking south, 2025 01

You can find huge sand dunes in the north. There are also sand dunes called the Great Sand Hills in the south. The highest point is 1,392 metres up in the Cypress Hills.

Indigenous peoples have lived in this land for thousands of years. Groups like the Cree, Saulteaux, and Sioux have deep roots here.

Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the western plains
Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the western plains

Europeans first explored the area in 1690. Henry Kelsey was the first known European to enter. Later, people began to settle in the area in 1774. Saskatchewan became its own province in 1905. It was carved out of the much larger North-West Territories.

Saskatchewan is a very sunny place. It receives more sunshine than any other province in Canada. The weather can be quite extreme. Summers can get very hot, sometimes above 40 degrees Celsius. Winters are often bitterly cold with Arctic air.

Saskatchewan Köppen
Saskatchewan Köppen

The province is also very active for tornadoes. It averages about 12 to 18 tornadoes every year. Some of these can be very violent. In 2012, the province saw 33 tornadoes.

Many people live in the southern part of the province. Most people live in the two largest cities. These are Regina, the capital, and Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan Legislative Building Front
Saskatchewan Legislative Building Front

Other cities include Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. The economy relies on farming, mining, and energy.

PotashCorporationOfSaskatchewanPatienceLakeMine
PotashCorporationOfSaskatchewanPatienceLakeMine

Many people also speak English as their first language. The name Saskatchewan comes from the Saskatchewan River. In the Cree language, the river means "swift flowing river."

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🖼️ Images & Media (20)
File:Saskatchewan Topographic.png
Saskatchewan Topographic.png
File:Highest point in Saskatchewan, looking south, 2025 01.jpg
Highest point in Saskatchewan, looking...
File:Saskatchewan Köppen.svg
Saskatchewan Köppen.svg
File:Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the western plains.jpg
Henry Kelsey sees the buffalo on the...
File:Battle of Batoche Print by Seargent Grundy.jpg
Battle of Batoche Print by Seargent Grundy.jpg
File:Ad to attract Immigrants to wheat belt in 1898.jpg
Ad to attract Immigrants to wheat belt in 1898.jpg
File:Banquet celebrating new province of Saskatchewan.jpg
Banquet celebrating new province of...
File:Maury Geography 073A Saskatchewan.jpg
Maury Geography 073A Saskatchewan.jpg
File:Hawker-Eaton-InternmentCamp.jpg
Hawker-Eaton-InternmentCamp.jpg
File:Queen and burmese.jpg
Queen and burmese.jpg
File:Canada Saskatchewan Density 2016.png
Canada Saskatchewan Density 2016.png
File:PotashCorporationOfSaskatchewanPatienceLakeMine.jpg
PotashCorporationOfSaskatchewanPatienceLak...

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