Saskatchewan

The name Saskatchewan is derived from the Cree word kisiskâciwanisîpikikimasiy meaning swift-flowing river. Saskatchewan is a province of Canada between Alberta and Manitoba. Mineral resources include world-class deposits of potash and uranium as evidenced by cities with names like Uranium City.

Saskatchewan's geography includes prairies, tree-covered plains, forests, and taiga. The climate is continental, characterized by large seasonal temperature ranges and low precipitation. European contact with Indian peoples occurred during the fur trade era, and increased when agricultural settlement began in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, that settlement history produced a largely agrarian population concentrated on farms and in communities across the prairie. In 2006, provincial Gross Domestic Product was over $36 billion. Saskatchewan has long relied on wheat as its primary agricultural export, but many farmers are increasing production of canola.

The 2006 population of Saskatchewan was 985,000 people. It's largest city is Saskatoon at 202,000, followed by Regina, the provincial capitol with 180,000 people. The cities then get much smaller with only two having more than 30,000 people; Prince Albert has 34,000 people while Moose Jaw has a population of 32,000.

External Links

• Tourism Saskatchewan