Think of Saskatchewan and you inevitably conjure images of sprawling prairie and sun-soaked fields of grain. But there is much more to Saskatchewan.

As the only Canadian province with entirely man-made borders, Saskatchewan cuts an almost perfect keystone shape from the heart of North America. Saskatchewan is bounded by Alberta (to the west) and Manitoba (to the east). North Dakota and Montana share the southern border while Nunavut covers the north.

Southern Saskatchewan is classic prairie flatland, particularly around Regina. With no natural obstacles, roads on the bald prairie are neatly surveyed in a criss-cross of straight lines that subdivide the land into squares of one square mile each-what farmers call a section. You can drive straight as an arrow for hours without glimpsing a hill. The pancake-flat land is a sea of wheat, barley, flax and canola, interrupted by islands of planted trees surrounding farmhouses and barns. Prairie people call it Big Sky Country because the endless horizon and the dry, haze-free air make prairie skies seem bigger and bluer, clouds whiter and sunsets redder. As you travel north, the prairie gives way to forest and scores of lakes (over 10,000). About half of Saskatchewan is covered by forest.

Saskatchewan has dry, extremely cold winters and short, mild summers. Temperatures average between 25 degrees Celsius in summer and -25 degrees in winter.

Saskatchewan is Canada's breadbasket, but oil, petroleum and mining (primarily potash, uranium and coal) are also big contributors to the economy. Saskatchewan produces most of Canada's wheat and a good chunk of the nation's oil.

Saskatchewan is the only Canadian province where the bulk of the population is not of British or French background. Many are of Ukrainian, German, Scandinavian, Dutch or Polish descent, and there is a substantial population of First Nations peoples.

The capital, Regina, boasts the national training school for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. One of the world's largest urban parks lies at the centre of the city, next to the legislature. The city's attractions include Casino Regina (in a restored 1930s art-deco train station), the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Kramer IMAX theatre.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan's largest city, has its own symphony orchestra. Other popular venues are an annual Shakespeare festival, the Mendel Art Gallery and Civic Conservatory, and the Western Development museum, with its mockup of the main street of a pioneer town.

Elsewhere around the province, summer activities include authentic First Nations powwows, rodeos, festivals and more golf courses per capita than anywhere in the world. Winter offers plenty of fun ice-skating and cross-country skiing - you can even watch a dog sled race. The Prairies, especially Saskatchewan, are mad for curling. It is a place where even the smallest villages are likely to boast a hockey arena and a curling rink.