MANITOBA - Man.
-Manitoba is one of the three prairie provinces in Canada.
-It is located in the center of Canada.
-Ontario is to the east and Saskatchewan to the west.
-Nunavut is north and the United States is south.
-"Manitoba" is a Cree name meaning "the place where the spirit (manitou) speaks."
-capital city - Winnipeg.
-second-largest city - Brandon.
-flower-Prairie Crocus , tree-White Spruce, bird-Great Gray Owl
-motto-"Glorious and Free"
THE PEOPLE
-Manitoba is the home of over a million people.(1,177.600 in 2005)
-Winnipeg is the largest city. About 706,900 people live there.
-Manitoba is home to many Metis and native peoples.
-People came to Manitoba from Britain, Europe, Europe, East and Southeast Asia.
-Some large ethic groups : Ukranian, Mennonite and Icelandic.
HISTORY
-The first people to live in Manitoba: Assiniboine, Cree, Saulteaux, Chepewyan, Ojibwa.
-They followed herds of bison and caribou.
-Early explorers arrived through Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.
-Hudson's Bay Company (created in 1670) set up fur-trading posts along the rivers.
-The first French settlement was Fort Rouge.
-The first British settlement was Red River.
-Louis Riel (1844-1885) was an influential Metis leader.
-Riel and his people were concerned about the settlers taking over their land.
-He is often called the Father of Manitoba.
-Manitoba became Canada's fifth province in 1870.
-The railway brought thousands of settlers from eastern Canada and from all over the world.
LAND and WATER
-Manitoba is known as the land of 100,000 lakes.
-Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba are three large lakes.
-The three largest rivers are the Churchill River, Nelson River, and Hayes River.
-The three rivers flow into Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.
-Forests (pine, hemlock and birch) cover northern Manitoba.
RESOURCES/INDUSTRIES
-Manitoba lies in the area of Canada known as the Canadian Shield.
-Minerals and metals are found in the Canadian Shield.(nickel, gold, copper, zinc, cobalt, gypsum)
-Manitoba has petroleum (used to make gasoline).
-One-fourth of land is covered with forest.
-Hydro-electric power is an important industry.
-Manitoba sells hydro-electric power to other provinces and to the US.
-There are different types of farming in southern Manitoba:
One-third of the farmland is used for growing wheat.
Mills make wheat into flour.
The wheat is sold to other countries.
Farmers also grow barley, oats, sunflowers, flax and canola.
These crops are made into cereal and oil products.
Dairy farms produce milk, cheese, yogurt and cream.
There are also livestock farms.
-Industries include manufacturing (farm equipment, buses, fashion, furniture), food processing, aerospace and transportation.
PLACES and PEOPLE
-The Royal Canadian Mint ( where coins are made ) is in Winnipeg.
-The Viking at Gimli - a giant statue honoring the ancestors of the Icelandic people.
-Churchill in northern Manitoba is "the polar bear capital of the world". Polar bears make their dens near the town.