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Saskatchewan Provincial Overview

Saskatchewan's Location

Located in the middle of the western prairie provinces of Canada, Saskatchewan is bordered by Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and the United States (see Provincial Map). The province is almost rectangular in shape and has an area of 651,900 square kilometres. Half of the province is covered with forests, one third of cultivated farmland and one eighth is covered with water.

The Province's two largest cities are: Regina and Saskatoon, for which we provide neighbourhood details.

Saskatchewan's History

The first European explorers and fur traders, who represented the Hudson's Bay Company, came to Saskatchewan in the late 1600s. They found established settlements of Aboriginal people, including Chipewyan Indians in the north, the nomadic Blackfoot roaming the eastern plains, Assiniboine in the west, and the Cree, who resided in the north as well as on the plains. The Government of Canada purchased the Territories in 1870 for its agricultural potential and to build its population. The Métis, people of mixed French and Aboriginal descent, settled here early migrated westward from Manitoba. Saskatchewan entered Confederation as a province in 1905, and Regina was chosen the provincial capital.

Saskatchewan is also proud to be the cradle of Canada's Universal Health Care system, and Canada's Old Age Security system.

Saskatchewan's Economy

Saskatchewan's People

Saskatchewan's population stands at about one million. It's Canada's only province where a minority of the population is from British or French background. The majority comes from a variety of ethnic groups: German, Ukrainian, Scandinavian, Amerindian, Dutch, Polish and Russian, plus many non-European origins. Saskatoon and Regina are the major urban centers in Saskatchewan.