About Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three prairie provinces. It has an area of 651,900 km² and a population of 985,386.

Most of its population lives in the southern half of the Province. The largest city is Saskatoon with a population of 235,800 (July 1, 2005), followed by the province's capital, Regina (population: 199,000, July 1, 2005).

Quick Facts

Geography

Saskatchewan has the distinction of being the only Canadian province for which no borders correspond to physical geographic features. It is also one of only two provinces that are completely land-locked.

Population

Graph of the Population of Saskatchewan from 1901 to 2006

Economy

Saskatchewan's economy is associated with agriculture; however, increasing diversification has meant that now agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting together make up only 6.8% of the province's GDP.

Saskatchewan grows 45% of Canada's grain. Wheat is the most familiar crop, and perhaps the one stereotypically associated with the province, but other grains like canola, flax, rye, oats, peas, lentils, canary seed, and barley are also produced.

Beef cattle production in the province is only exceeded by Alberta.

Mining is also a major industry in the province, with Saskatchewan being the world leader in potash exports.

In the northern part of the province, forestry is significant.

History

Prior to European settlement, Saskatchewan was populated by various indigenous peoples of North America including members of the Athabaskan, Algonquian, Cree and Sioux tribes.

The first European to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who traveled up the Saskatchewan River in hopes of trading fur with the province's indigenous peoples.

The first permanent European settlement was a Hudson's Bay Company post at Cumberland House founded by Samuel Hearne in 1774.

Saskatchewan became a province on September 1, 1905.