Physical Region

Climate

In Saskatchewan, the summer is short and warm. The temperature is about 16°C in the north and 19°C in the south. The winter is cold, and it is about –27 °C in the north to –13 °C in the south.

Besides, in most places in Saskatchewan, precipitation ranges from 35 to 49 centimeters. Snowfall in the province is always about 105 centimeters in the south and 250 centimeters in the north.

Landscape

Saskatchewan has four land regions. They are the Canadian Shield, the Manitoba Plain, the Saskatchewan Plain, and the Alberta Plain.

1. The Canadian Shield covers most of the northern of Saskatchewan, and it is a rough area which made up of ancient granites and other rocks. Most of the land is covered by pine and spruce forests. It has deposits of many minerals, such as copper, uranium, and zinc. The largest lakes in Saskatchewan is in this region as well.

2. The Manitoba Lowland is about 140 kilometers from the Manitoba border. It is not a good place for farming, because there are rocky soils and poor drainage. However, it has many lakes and river. There are also large areas of marshes and forests in this region.

3. The Saskatchewan Plain is almost the level land, and it has some low hills. There are forests in the north and there are grasslands in the south. It is almost treeless. This region has the main farming area in Saskatchewan.

4. The Alberta Plain is a rolling region and it has deep river valleys, but it is treeless. The highest point in the province is on the Cypress Hills. The region's northern strip connects with the commercial forest belt.

Major Mountains

There are few mountains in Saskatchewan. The highest point of Saskatchewan is 1392m, and it is in Cypress Hills. The cypress hills are in both southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta.

Major Bodies of Water

There are few major rivers and lakes in the southern Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan River is the most important river. Its water is from the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. The North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan rivers are the major branches. The Assiniboine River and its branches Qu'Appelle, and Souris disappear in the southeastern Saskatchewan. Old Wives and Quill lakes are the largest lakes in the south.

Northern Saskatchewan has a lot of lakes and rivers. The Churchill River system and the rivers flowing into Lake Athabasca go into the Northern Saskatchewan. In fact, a lot of northern rivers are lakes. Lake Athabasca is the largest lake in Saskatchewan. Reindeer, Wollaston, La Ronge, and Cree lakes are the other large lakes in this province.

Provincial Flag

Saskatchewan flag was adopted in September 1969, and its designer is an English man--Anthony Drake.

Green and gold are the provincial color. Green is on the upper half of the flag, and it is to represent the northern forest. The lower half is gold, and it is the symbol of the wheat fields. The provincial flower--western red lily is on the right side of the flag. The shield is on the left side. There are a red lion and three gold wheat sheaves, and it is the symbols for agriculture.

Provincial Flower

The provincial flower is called the wood lily or western red lily. It grows in the plain regions, and it is very common in the grass.

Population

There were 1,098,352 people in Saskatchewan in 2016. The population of the province increased by six percent compared with 1,033,381 people in 2011. Most people live in the southern part of Saskatchewan, and about two over three people live in towns and cities. About half of people in Saskatchewan live in Regina. Most people that live in Saskatchewan has some British ancestry. About 95% of people in Saskatchewan were born in Canada, and most of the other people were from the United states, United Kingdom, Germans, Ukrainians, French and other places in Asia and Europe. There are about 84,000 Fist Nations people in Saskatchewan and about 37,000 people have First Nations ancestry. Some of them are living on reserves, and the other are living in the province's northern and central regions.

Resources

Saskatchewan has a lot of natural resources, especially farmlands, forests, wild animals and mineral wealth. Its grain field is very productive, so people used to call it “World’s Bread Basket”. There are a lot of forests in Saskatchewan, and most of them are coniferous. In this way, Saskatchewan has enough timber and wood products.

Potash, bentonite, sodium sulfate, and salt are the mineral resources in Saskatchewan. The province also produces a lot of uranium, so it has lots of copper, zinc, lead, nickel, gold and iron. There are a lot of oil and gas in Saskatchewan as well.

Industries

Naturally occurring resources and their refined derivatives are about 95% of all the products in Saskatchewan. Farming is one of the most important sources of income. Mining is another important job, about 75% of the natural potash in the world is in Saskatchewan. The production of non-energy minerals in this province is rising in recent years, so there is plenty of copper, zinc, gold, silver, salt and sodium sulfate. Although the province's forestry industry is small, it also produces softwood, hardwood products, pulp, and paper.

There are also a lot of other essential industries in Saskatchewan, such as food processing, machinery, transportation, industrial equipment, and retail and professional services, etc.

Tourists Attractions

We can enjoy the beaches, forested highlands, lakes, river valleys and vast woodlands in Saskatchewan. We can do many activities in these places, such as bird watching, camping, canoeing, hiking, etc...

The best hunting and fishing activities of North America is in the North Saskatchewan. The sparkling lakes of the Qu'Appelle Valley in southern Saskatchewan are also very popular. We can row, fish, play golf, and swim. Various historic parks show Saskatchewan's colorful past. Rodeos and a variety of festivals can give us an unforgettable experience.

Saskatoon and Regina have most of the museums and galleries in the province. In addition, there are 34 provincial parks in Saskatchewan. The Canadian Prairie National Park in the southwest and the Prince Albert National Park in central Saskatchewan are two national parks. Cumberland House Provincial Historical Park and Fort Battleford National Historic Site are also a good choice.

Additional Information

Provincial Coat of Arms

In addition to the shield, there are also a lion and white-tailed deer with Native beadwork collars. Canadian maple leaf and the provincial flower are also on it. The beaver is the symbol of the North, the fur trade, and the Native people.

Provincial tree and bird

Saskatchewan's provincial tree is the white birch and provincial bird is the sharp-tailed grouse.

Animals

Caribou, black bear and grey wolf are large animals in Saskatchewan. There are also many white-tailed deer, pronghorns, squirrels, hamsters, and rabbits. Waterfowl are also rich, such as ducks and geese. There are all kinds of frogs and dragonflies. The grassland rattlesnake is a reptile in Saskatchewan. Fish include white pelicans, lake trout, bigeye fish, barracuda, and river otters.

First Nations People

First Nations people were the people who arrived Saskatchewan about 12,000 years ago. They lived in the northern woodlands and their main food was the caribou. When the animals migrated, they could get more food. As times went by, they developed a rich culture. Their daily lives were filled with spiritual meaning. They were very smart, so they were good at exchanging goods and ideas with others. They could understand the natural world and adapted easily as well.

Hand-Drawn Map

Pictures

Works Cited

Badertscher, Eric. “Saskatchewan, Canada.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2014. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=t6o&AN=94740494.

Beckett, Harry. “Signs and Symbols.” Journey Across Canada: Saskatchewan, Rourke Publishing, LLC., 1997, p. 20. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=p3h&AN=7601915&lang=en-ca&site=pov-can.

"Canoeing." World Book Student, World Book, 2018. Online photo, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/media/pc324291/type/photo. Accessed 1 Oct.. 2018.

“Designer of Saskatchewan Flag Adopted in 1969, Finally Sees It Fly in Person.” Canadian Press, The. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=MYO188682650216&site=ehost-live. Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.

"Dragonfly." World Book Student, World Book, 2018. Online media, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/media/lr000276/type/photo. Accessed 1 Oct.. 2018.

"Interior Plains of Canada." World Book Student, World Book, 2018. Online media, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/media/lr002522/type/photo. Accessed 1 Oct.. 2018.

"Saskatchewan bird, tree, and floral emblem." World Book Student, World Book, 2018. Online media, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/media/lr002813/type/photo. Accessed 1 Oct.. 2018.

“Saskatchewan.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2017, p. 1p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=funk&AN=SA046800&site=ehost-live.

"Saskatchewan." Gale Canada in Context, Gale, 2014. Canada In Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2181600403/CIC?u=43hwss&sid=CIC&xid=e3545f89. Accessed 27 Sept. 2018.

"The Flag of Saskatchewan." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Canadian Provinces, 5th ed., UXL, 2007. Canada In Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2210089191/CIC?u=43hwss&sid=CIC&xid=70a72b93. Accessed 27 Sept. 2018.

Waiser, Bill. "Saskatchewan." World Book Student, World Book, 2018, www.worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/article/home/ar491960. Accessed 1 Oct. 2018.