Saskatchewan

Area: 652,330 sq. km (251,799 sq. mi.)

Population: 1,024,000. Capital: Regina

Saskatchewan, "province of 100,000 lakes", has shared borders with Manitoba in the east, Alberta in the west and the two U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota in the south.

Two-thirds of the province belong to the Interior Plains of Canada, the remaining (northern) third being part of the Canadian Shield. As a result Saskatchewan reveals two very different topographical faces. The north, shaped long ago by glaciation, is a landscape of extensive bogs with literally thousands of lakes. In the south gently rising prairies of fertile brown and black earth merge into the hill country further west. The province's highest point (1392 m (4570 ft)) is found in the Cypress Hills, the lowest at Lake Athabasca (65 m (213 ft)). Half the province is wooded, a third is arable land, and one eighth (totalling 80,000 sq. km (30,880 sq. mi.)) is covered with freshwater. The vast majority of the almost 100,000 lakes, relics of Ice Age glaciation, are found in north Saskatchewan. Of the major river systems three, the Assiniboine, the North and South Saskatchewan and the Churchill, all flow into Hudson Bay; the Frenchman River (in the far south-west) flows into the Mississippi.

To the Cree Indians living on the Great Plains centuries ago the biggest of these waterways was "the river that flows swiftly" or "Saskatchewan". It was from this that the province later took its name.

Saskatchewan has a distinctly dry continental climate with temperatures that increase progressively from north to south. The long cold winter begins in October, average temperatures being below freezing point (January temperatures in the north range from about 220° to 225°C (24° to 213°F)). But the sun alleviates the cold even when the thermometer falls to 230°C (222°F), and the warm chinook wind can lift the temperature within hours by up to 25°C (77°F). The north averages 130 cm (51 in.) of snow, the south 76 cm (30 in.).

Spring generally arrives in April. In the very short but extremely hot summer temperatures of up to 38°C (100°F) can be reached, though from May through to August they most often hover between 20°C (68°F) and 35°C (95°F). Saskatchewan is Canada's sunniest province and Estevan the country's "Sunshine Capital" (averaging 2540 hours of sunshine a year). Nights are usually quite cool. Rain accompanied by violent thunderstorms is a quite frequent feature of the late afternoon or evening. Annual rainfall ranges between 250 and 600 mm (10 and 24 in.).

Influenced by the climate the vegetation also varies progressively from north to south. The sub-Arctic coniferous forests of north Saskatchewan give way to mixed coniferous forests (spruce, aspen, poplar and birch), these latter yielding in turn to the prairie grasslands of the south.

The history of the area now comprising Saskatchewan can be traced back at least 30,000 years, to the time when nomadic hunting tribes crossed from Asia into North America over the land bridge which then connected the two. These first inhabitants of North America migrated with the seasons, moving between the prairies and the forests and river valleys. They lived primarily by hunting buffalo. Few vestiges of their presence now remain though archaeological excavations near Saskatoon have revealed some evidence of Indian tribal culture from 8000 years ago.

Saskatchewan's more recent history reflects the complex interplay of differing ethnic groups. Its opening chapters were written centuries ago when the native Assiniboine, Blackfoot, Chipewyan and Cree Indians, living on the Great Plains, came into contact with the first European adventurers pushing west into the interior from the shores of Hudson Bay.

The earliest recorded arrival (1690) was that of Henry Kelsey, commissioned to reconnoitre the area on behalf of the British Hudson's Bay fur trading company. Soon other explorers followed, also making their way inland from Hudson Bay or from the Great Lakes, men such as La Vérendrye, Hearne and Pond, who helped map out Canada and in doing so opened the hinterland to the growing trade in furs. Rupert's Land, as it was then called, remained in the possession of the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years, before recognition of the vast mineral wealth led to its purchase by the Canadian government in 1870. This was followed by large-scale settlement of the prairies where plots of arable land were sold to pioneer farmers for just a registration fee.

In 1873 the Canadian government appointed a provisional administration for the region (renamed the Northwest Territories and incorporating the bulk of western Canada). Battleford became the territorial capital in 1876.

It was also at this time that the police force known today as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came into existence. It was formed in 1874 when 300 police recruits, charged with establishing the rule of law in the North-West, set out on an incredible 1300 km (800 mi.) trek from Fort Dufferin in Manitoba.In 1885 simmering unrest in the new frontier region boiled over into armed conflict between the Metis and the Canadian government. The root cause of the North West Rebellion (as the conflict became known) was the failure of the federal authorities to concern themselves with the problems of the frontier folk. Several clashes took place between government troops and the insurgents led by Louis Riel before the rebellion was finally quashed. Riel was found guilty of treason and hanged the same year.

The population of Saskatchewan and Alberta increased rapidly in the first decades of the 20th c. with the arrival, in wave after wave, of 700,000 new settlers. Attracted to the prairies by cheap land they quickly established agriculture as a major sector of the country's economy.

Saskatchewan only became a province in 1905 and has the reputation of being the most politically radical in the Canadian federation.

The 1930s were a turning-point for the economy. First came the stock market crash of 1929 and the worldwide Great Depression which followed. Then drought and failed harvests brought the country to the edge of ruin. Within a short time, however, Saskatchewan had recovered and today enjoys the benefits of a stable economy based on a wealth of natural resources.

In 1944 the people of the province elected the first socialist government in North America, keeping it in power until 1967. A series of measures were introduced to improve living conditions. These included the creation of state enterprises, modernization of schools and expansion of electricity supplies throughout the region.

Population

Many of the more than one million Saskatchewan's trace their roots back to Europe, to Russia, Scandinavia and the British Isles.

About 55 per cent of the population are urban dwellers, of whom a third live in Regina and Saskatoon. Most people are concentrated in the south of the province, 40 per cent of them in farming communities.

Saskatchewans have the highest life expectancy in Canada - 78.6 years for women, 71.1 years for men.

Economy

The Saskatchewan economy reflects the richness of its natural resources, particularly the mineral deposits, energy reserves (mineral oil, natural gas) and huge supplies of timber.

Between 1982 and 1987 skilful management of the economy saw Saskatchewan's GNP rise from $14.7 billion to $18.4 billion. 40 per cent of goods produced in the province are exported, three quarters of them beyond Canada. Almost half (45.2 per cent, mainly oil, potash and uranium) go to the USA.

The second most important market (24.7 per cent) is in Asia and the countries of the Pacific basin, which between them import $1.4 billion worth of produce, primarily cereals, potash and uranium. Exports to western Europe account for 8.8 per cent.

Saskatchewan is a major source of potash, oil, gold and uranium. It is the world's leading supplier of potash possessing almost two-thirds of the planet's known reserves. 25 per cent of world demand is met by ten mines.

The richest deposits of heavy oil in Canada are also found in the province, a total of 662.7 million barrels (1988). Production in 1987 was 76.2 million barrels.

Saskatchewan is the world's largest exporter of uranium, more than 300 million kg (661 million lb) of uranium bearing ore (about 80 per cent of the earth's total) having been discovered in the Athabasca basin. Annual production is presently running at 8.2 million kg (18 million lb).

In its first year the Star Lake mine, one of a number of gold mines opened in 1987, produced 1056 kg (2328 lb) of gold valued at $20 million.

Saskatchewan also exports increasingly large quantities of natural gas. Reserves are estimated at more than 69 billion cu.m.

Lignite deposits totaling 7.6 billion tonnes/tons supply almost 75 per cent of the province's electricity requirements.

Mining of all kinds contributes 9 per cent of the province's GNP.

Saskatchewan's largest renewable resource is its forests, barely half of which are exploited commercially. The most important woods are spruce, aspen, poplar and birch. In 1987/88 timber production was worth $258 million.

As a result of deliberate economic diversificiation into new technologies the province is today a world leader in the fields of bio-technology, fiber optics and satellite communications. SaskTel developed and installed the world's first commercial fiber optics telephone, television and data communications system (still one of the largest) and, with telecommunications playing an increasingly important role, runs a worldwide service network (video conferences, data and teleprinter communications, etc.)

Agriculture, cereal production in particular, continues to be a major source of income for Saskatchewan, possessing as it does 44 per cent (20 million hectares) of the federation's agricultural land. Canada's "bread basket" produces 60 per cent of the country's wheat and meets 12 per cent of total world demand.

Livestock represent another important branch of agriculture, with more than 25 per cent of the country's cattle and 20 per cent of its sheep, pigs and poultry being reared in the province.

The food processing industry also contributes substantially to the economy (meat and potato products, pasta, etc.)

Leisure

In its still largely unspoilt landscape Saskatchewan has a further resource, particularly attractive to anyone with a love of the great outdoors and the untouched, tranquil beauty of the land. While canoeing, angling and swimming can all be enjoyed on the numerous lakes, many visitors want nothing more than the opportunity to observe wild creatures in their natural environment. But for those keen to participate in any of the various sports and leisure activities excellent facilities are provided by the National and Provincial Parks (walkers' trails, swimming and a wide range of other pursuits).