The Land
Located in the prairie region of Canada, Saskatchewan is
bordered by Manitoba, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and the
United States, and is the only Canadian province with entirely
man-made boundaries. The province is rectangular in shape and is
651 900 km2 in area. Half of it consists of
forests, one-third of cultivated lands, and one-eighth is covered
with water.
The northern zone rests on a formation of Precambrian rock
characteristic of the Canadian Shield. As a result, there are
numerous (over 100 000) lakes, rivers, bogs and rocky
outcroppings.
The southern part of the province is relatively flat, with
occasional valleys created by erosion from the glacial era. This
prairie zone is where most of the people live.
Camel caravans might not seem out of place in certain parts of
Saskatchewan. Athabasca Provincial Park has sand dunes 30 metres
high and semi-arid vegetation. Nowhere else in the world are dunes
found this far north.
The name Saskatchewan comes from the Cree word "kisiskatchewanisipi,"
which means "swift-flowing river." The province has four
major rivers: the Assiniboine, the North Saskatchewan, the South
Saskatchewan and the Churchill.
The whole province enjoys a hot, dry summer but the town of
Estevan is the undisputed "sunshine capital" of Canada,
enjoying 2 540 hours of sunshine per year.
The History
The first European explorers and trappers to visit Saskatchewan
found established settlements of Aboriginal people. The Chipewyan
Indians lived in the north; the Assiniboine inhabited the eastern
plains, while the nomadic Blackfoot roamed the west. The territory
of the Cree, who were long-time residents of the north, also
extended southward to the plains.
The earliest explorer was Henry Kelsey, a Hudson's Bay Company
agent, who in about 1690 followed the Saskatchewan River to the
southern plains of Saskatchewan. On the heels of the trappers came
fur-trading companies and trading posts, which became the
foundation of many present-day settlements.
For 200 years, the Hudson's Bay Company owned and administered
the vast Northwest Territories. Realizing their agricultural
potential and the opportunities for colonization, the Government
of Canada acquired the Territories in 1870. After the Dominion
Lands Act of 1872, which encouraged homesteaders, and another
Act to stimulate immigration, the new railway began bringing
settlers in to farm these rich lands.
In 1905, Saskatchewan separated from the Northwest Territories
and was established as a province. Regina became the provincial
capital. The years following were years of prosperity, until the
1929 economic crash, combined with a decade of drought and bad
harvests, brought the lean years of the Great Depression to the
province.
In 1944, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) became
the first socialist government elected in North America. Its
leader, Tommy Douglas, led the fight for public hospitalization
and medicare, earning Saskatchewan the reputation as the
"social laboratory of North America."
The recovery of the 1940s and 1950s saw the economy, once
dependent solely on agriculture, become more diversified with the
development of oil, uranium, potash, coal and other minerals.
The People
The Métis, people of mixed European and Aboriginal descent,
were among the first settlers, many of them having migrated from
Manitoba. With land available at token prices, agriculture
gradually replaced the fur trade. A major wave of immigration
began in 1899 and continued until 1929.
Today, Saskatchewan's population stands at approximately 1 024 000.
Saskatchewan is Canada's only province where the majority of the
population is of neither British nor French background. The
population has a variety of ethnic inheritances - German,
Ukrainian, Scandinavian, Amerindian, Dutch, Polish and Russian, as
well as British, French and many other non-European origins.
Regina and Saskatoon are the two main cities and together have
more than one-third of the total population. Named in recognition
of Queen Victoria (Victoria Regina), the capital is the site of
Wascana Centre, one of the world's largest urban parks. Saskatoon,
which has a larger population, is bisected by the South
Saskatchewan River.
The Economy
Saskatchewan has changed greatly since it became a province in
1905. Back then, agriculture was the only industry, and it centred
on wheat farming. Today, Saskatchewan produces over 54 percent of
the wheat grown in Canada. Other crops include canola, rye, oats,
barley and flaxseed. Saskatchewan is also a major producer of
cattle and hogs. The average Saskatchewan farm is about 420
hectares in size.
Northern Saskatchewan's 350 000 km2 of forests
are the province's most important renewable natural resource.
Softwoods (coniferous trees) are the focal point of forestry
development.
Saskatchewan is also a province rich in minerals. Potash,
uranium, coal, oil and natural gas are the leading mineral
resources. Saskatchewan's almost 19 000 active oil wells
produce about 20 percent of Canada's total oil output. In
addition, with an estimated two-thirds of the world's reserves,
Saskatchewan is the leading exporter of potash.
Research and development is a growing business in Saskatchewan,
as attested to by the inauguration of Saskatoon's Innovation
Centre and more recently, the construction of the Canadian Light
Source synchrotron, one of only a few such facilities in the
world. The province's technological potential in agriculture,
space technology and biotechnology is now recognized
internationally.
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