The Canadian Province of Manitoba is located within the countries prairie region. The province covers roughly 649,950 square kilometers or 250,900 square miles in total area. It has a mostly continental weather because of its flat topography. What's more, the province boasts over 110,000 lakes. The main economy staple is agriculture, concentrated mainly within the fertile southern and western regions of the province of Manitoba. Other major industries include: transportation, manufacturing, mining, forestry, energy and tourism. There is a growing aboriginal population within Manitoba along with a significant Franco-Manitoban minority. The largest ethnic group within the province of Manitoba is English Canadian.
Manitoba's largest city and capital is the City of Winnipeg. The city of Winnipeg is the 8th largest Census Metropolitan Area within the country, while being the home to more than sixty percent of the population of the province, according to statistics. Winnipeg is home to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Together with being the seat of the government, the city is likewise home to the Manitoba Court of Appeal which is the highest court in the jurisdiction. The majority of the cultural attractions, as well as all 4 of the professional sports teams and four of the province's five universities are located in Winnipeg.
The name Manitoba translates to "strait of the spirit" or "lake of the prairies". This name is thought to originate from the Ojibwe, Cree or Assiniboine language. In the 17th century, fur traders first arrived within the region. In 1870, following the Red River Rebellion, Manitoba became a province of Canada. The province of Manitoba was hit hard by the Great Depression and a general strike happened within Winnipeg in 1919. These events resulted in the creation of what would eventually be the New Democratic Party of Manitoba.
The economy within Manitoba is mainly based on natural resources. The economy of the province is strong and heavily based on agriculture, tourism, oil, mining, energy and forestry. Agriculture is one of the most essential industries and is situated mostly in the province's southern part. There is grain farming happening as far north as The Pas. Roughly 12% of farmland within the nation is located in Manitoba. The most common type of farming is cattle farming coming in at 34.6%, next is assorted grains at 19% and oilseed comes in at 7.9%.
Within the country, Manitoba is the largest producer of dry beans, sunflower seeds and one of the biggest producers of potatoes. Portage la Prairie has a major processing plant located within the centre of the town and is the home of Simplot Plants and McCain Foods, that produce much of the French Fries for McDonald's, Wendy's and a lot of other fast food restaurant chains. As well, one of the biggest oat mills in the world, known as Can-Oat Milling also has a plant within the municipality.
The province's largest companies include many government-funded institutions like for instance crown corporations and services, which comprises universities and hospitals and government jobs. The biggest private-sector companies within the province consist of Cargill Ltd, The Great-West Life Assurance Company and James Richardson and Sons Ltd. The province of Manitoba also has large manufacturing and tourism sectors. The wildlife attractions within Churchill's Arctic region are likewise a major tourist place. The town of Churchill is a world capital for polar bear watchers and beluga whale watchers. The province of Manitoba is the only province in the country that has an Arctic deep-water seaport. This seaport connects to the shortest shipping routes between Asia, Europe and North America.