Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a Canadian province that borders the United States to the south. English is the primary language of the province.

Located in the western part of the country, it is a boreal and prairie province with a population of 1,098,352, making it the 6th most populous Canadian province. Grassland covers its southern plains, and to the north are the rugged rock of the Canadian Shield plateau, coniferous forests, rivers and lakes.

Saskatchewan has an area of 651,900 square km, and 10% of this total area is fresh water. It is one of two landlocked Canadian provinces and the only one that lacks natural borders. Rather than natural features such as lakes, rivers, or mountain ranges, the province’s boundaries are essentially determined by lines of longitude and latitude.

Saskatchewan contains 16 cities, two major cities are Saskatoon and Regina, the provincial capital, is home to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, with exhibits on natural history and the people of Canada’s First Nations.

Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.

Climate

Saskatchewan is a landlocked province with large distances to moderating bodies of waters. As a result, its climate is extremely continental, rendering severe winters throughout the province. Southern areas have very warm or hot summers. In winter, temperatures below −45 °C (−49 °F) are possible even in the south during extreme cold snaps.

Saskatchewan receives more hours of sunshine than any other Canadian province. The province lies far from any significant body of water, corresponding to its humid continental climate in the central. Summers can get very hot, sometimes above 38 °C (100 °F) during the day, and with humidity decreasing from northeast to southwest. Warm southern winds blow from the plains and intermontane regions of the Western United States during much of July and August, very cool or hot but changeable air masses often occur during spring and in September. Winters are usually bitterly cold, with frequent Arctic air descending from the north, with high temperatures not breaking −17 °C (1 °F) for weeks at a time.

Parks

There are two national parks located in the province Grasslands National Park, Prince Albert National Park. There are also four National Historic Sites including Fort Walsh National Historic Site, Batoche National Historic Site, Fort Battleford National Historic Site and Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site.