As famous for crystal-clear lakes and infinite forests as for its prairie farmland, Manitoba is a nature lover's paradise.
Dubbed the Keystone province for its central economic and geographic location, Manitoba marks the halfway point between Canada's Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coasts. It is bordered by Ontario to the east, Saskatchewan to the west, Nunavut Territory to the north and the American states North Dakota and Minnesota to the south. A swath of Hudson Bay coastline makes up a large chunk of Manitoba's northeast border.
Much of Manitoba is covered by lakes and rivers, a point not lost on anglers who troll the province's waterways for pickerel, pike, bass, trout, sauger and whitefish. Lake Winnipeg, occupying much of south-central Manitoba, is the 13th largest freshwater lake in the world - larger than Lake Ontario. Manitoba has North America's largest freshwater fishery, largely due to the whitefish fishery on Lake Winnipeg. A large resort area lies on the lake's south shore near Winnipeg, and fly-in fishing camps in the province's northern wilderness are popular with American tourists.
Most Manitobans live in the prairie south, but the Precambrian Shield accounts for the bulk of Manitoba's geography. About three fifths of the province sits on this rocky, glacier-scraped terrain. The north is largely unpopulated, except for scattered native reserves and mining towns such as Flin Flon, Thompson and Lynn Lake. Coniferous forests cover much of this land except in the far northern regions, where trees give way to tundra and permafrost.
Agriculture is a key industry in Manitoba. Manufacturing, forestry and mining are also significant contributors to the diverse economic base.
Once home to a major fur trade, Manitoba's forests still support rare species such as Arctic fox, marten, wolf, otter and lynx. Deer, moose, elk, black bears, beaver, raccoons, red fox and coyotes are plentiful. Not surprisingly, Manitoba attracts hunters from around the globe. There are more than 100 licensed lodge and outfitter operations in the province. But the bison, which once thundered across the prairie in countless thousands, now are confined to small, controlled herds. Still, they survive proudly on the provincial flag and seal as Manitoba's official emblem.
Polar bears can be seen in Churchill - an isolated town on Hudson Bay that is a summertime seaport for Prairie wheat exports. The only way to get to Churchill is by train or airplane. Even so, the town is renowned as the most easily accessible spot in Canada for viewing polar bears. Bear-proof vehicles drive them to face-to-face meetings with the world's largest bears. The northern lights are also a popular draw to Churchill, although they can be witnessed in other parts of Manitoba and Canada. Beluga whales swim in the often icy waters of Hudson Bay.
Manitoba shares with Saskatchewan the bittersweet Prairie climate of dry air, frigid winters and short but glorious summers. The average July temperature in Winnipeg (in the south) is a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius, while Churchhill, cooled by the sea and its subarctic location, averages only 12 degrees. The winters are cold regardless of location. Winnipeg averages -17 degrees Celsius in January; Churchill a bone-chilling -26.
Manitobans are primarily of British descent, but there also substantial populations of First Nations people and a mosaic of ethnic groups stemming from the early 20th Century when Canada peopled the Prairies by advertising them abroad as The Last, Best West. There are large populations of German, French-Canadian, Ukrainian and Polish people. Manitoba has one of the largest Mennonite populations in the world, mostly in farm communities south and east of Winnipeg.
More than half of Manitobans live in the capital, Winnipeg. Home to Canada's only commodities exchange, Winnipeg is the center of the national grain trade and one of the country's major industrial, communications, commercial, financial, and insurance centres. Attractions include the internationally renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (of the Canadian Football League) and the Winnipeg Zoo.
The International Peace Garden, 2,340 acres of stunning flower gardens and pathways on the Manitoba/North Dakota border, is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Spirit Woods Provincial Park is home to a miniature desert, the Spirit Sands, a 25 square kilometer patch of sand dunes, cacti and desert creatures like the northern prairie skink. Riding Mountain National Park shelters one of the last buffalo herds.