"Glorious and Free"

Symbols & Emblems

• Manitoba is one of the three Prairie Provinces in Canada.
• It is located in the center of Canada.
  • East: Ontario
  • West: Saskatchewan
  • North Nunavut and Hudson Bay
  • South: United States
  • "Manitoba" may come from the Cree words "Manitou Bou" meaning "strait of the Great Spirit".
  • The name may also come from the Assiniboine words "Mini" and "Tobow" meaning "Lake of the Prairie".
  • About 60% of the people live in the capital city of Winnipeg and its suburbs.
  • The second largest city is Brandon.
  • Symbols:
    • Flower-Prairie Crocus
    • Tree-White Spruce
    • Bird-Great Gray Owl
    • Motto: "Glorious and Free"

• Manitoba is the home of 1.2 million people in 2010.
• Winnipeg is the largest city with about 684,000 people (2010).
• Manitoba is home to many Métis and native peoples.
• The native people include Assiniboine and Saulteaux, Northern, Woodland, and Swampy Cree; Chipewyan; and Inuit.
• Other ethnic backgrounds include Scottish, English, German, Ukrainian, French, Aboriginal, Dutch, and Poles.

• In the winter, there are often blizzards with strong winds and extreme cold temperatures.
• Polar air masses bring very cold air from the Arctic Ocean.
• Winnipeg has the coldest winters of any major city in Canada.

• The first people to live in Manitoba were the Assiniboine, Cree, Saulteaux, Chipewyan, and Ojibwa.
• They followed herds of bison and caribou.
• Early explorers arrived through Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.
• The Hudson's Bay Company, formed in 1670, set up fur trading posts along the rivers.
• The early European settlers were the British and French.
• The first British settlement was Red River.
• Louis Riel (1844-1885) was an influential Métis leader.
• Riel and his people were concerned about the settlers taking over their land.
• Manitoba became Canada's fifth province in 1870.
• Red River Cart trails were the first roads.
• The railway brought thousands of settlers from eastern Canada and from all over the world.
• Many settlers came from Ukraine and Iceland.

• Manitoba is known as the land of 100,000 lakes.
• Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba are three large lakes.
• Lake Winnipeg is the third largest lake in Canada.
• The Churchill River, Nelson River and Hayes River flow into Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.
• The Assiniboine, Souris, Winnipeg, and Red Rivers in southern Manitoba drain into Lake Winnipeg.
• Forests of pine, hemlock and birch cover northern Manitoba.
• The prairie region is in the southern part of the province.

• Mining: Manitoba lies in the area of Canada known as the Canadian Shield.
  • Minerals and metals, such as nickel, gold, copper, zinc, cobalt, gypsum are found in the Canadian Shield.
  • Manitoba is a world leader in the production of nickel.
  • Fishing: The large lakes are home to many species of fresh water

• Timber: 57% of Manitoba is covered by forest and wooded areas.
• Energy: Hydroelectric power is a very important industry.
  • Manitoba sells hydroelectric power to other provinces and to the United States.
  • Agriculture: There are different types of farms in southern Manitoba.
    • Farmland is used for growing wheat.
    • Farmers also grow canola, sunflowers, oats, rye, flax, buckwheat and field peas. These crops are made into cereal and oil products.
    • Dairy & Livestock: There are over 500 dairy farms.
      • There are also livestock farms.
      • Manufacturing: Farm equipment, buses, clothing, furniture, food processing, aerospace and transportation are other industries.

• The Royal Canadian Mint (where coins are made) is in Winnipeg.
• The Viking at Gimli is a giant statue honoring the ancestors of the Icelandic people.
• The town of Churchill in northern Manitoba is called "the polar bear capital of the world". Polar bears make their dens near the town.
• Wapusk National Park (Wapusk is a Cree word meaning "white bear") located in Northern Manitoba protects one of the world's largest known polar bear denning areas.
• Many festivals are held in Manitoba, including the Ukrainian Festival (Dauphin) and Icelandic Festival (Gimli).
  
  

• Gabrielle Roy (1909-1983) - novelist
• Margaret Laurence (1926-1987) – novelist
• Nellie McClung (1873-1951) - fought for the rights of women
• Jackson Beardy (1944-1984) - Cree artist
• Louis Riel (1844–85) - Founding Father of Manitoba and leader of the Métis rebellions of 1870 and 1885
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who - two Canadian rock bands from Winnipeg
• Fred Penner (1946 - ?) - musician, children's entertainer
  
  

MANITOBA FACTS.pdf

• Details
• Download
• 57 KB