Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a land of resources,
wealth, and beauty. It’s name is derived
from a Cree word meaning "rapid
river". Land Saskatchewan is 651,900 sq. km.
in area, half of it is forests,
and one third of it is cultivated lands. In
southern Saskatchewan average
temperatures range from 0-65 degrees farenheight.
In Northern
Saskatchewan temperatures range from 23-57 degrees farenheight.
Grayling,
trout, pike, and pickeral are found in the northern lakes, while mule,
deer,
elk, moose, and long tail deer are found in the north. People
Saskatchewan
has a population of about one million people. It’s largest
cities are Moose
Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina, and Saskatoon. Saskatchewan
is the only province
that doesn’t have a majority of French or British
background. There are large
segements of Scandanavian, German, and Ukrainian.
Plus about 70,000 natives live
in the province. Saskatchewan’s largest
religious groups are the Lutheran, the
Anglican denominations, and the
Roman catholic. Government Saskatchewan’s
government consists of a lieutenant
govener (Sylvia O. Fedoruk), a premier (Roy
Romanow and New Democratic
party), a parliament (6 senate members, 10 new
democrats, and 4
conservatives), and a provincial legistator (64 members).
Saskatchewan
was admitted to the confederation on Sept.1, 1905 with Alberta, the
eighth
and ninth provinces. Saskatchewan politics were dominated by the
liberal
party from 1905 to 1944, when the CCF defeated them, they ruled until
1964, when
the liberals were returned to power. The new democratic party won,
the
Progressive Conservatives defeated CCF in 1982, but regained power in
1991.
History Tribes of Algonquin, Siouan, and Athapaskan were the first
known people
in Saskatchewan. Charles 11 gave Prince Rupert’s Land to the
Hudson Bay
Company in 1670. About 1690 the first European visitor came to
the area, his
name was Henery Kelsey. Homesteading was encouraged by the
transfer of Prince
Rupert’s Land and the completion of a rail link to
central Canada in the
1880s. Rapid growth associated with agricultual
settlement led to the creation
of Saskatchewan. In 1921 Saskatchewan’s
population was ranked just behind
Quebec and Ontario. The Saskatchewan
Wheat Pool, started in 1924, is still in
business and continues to dominate
farm marketing there. Natural Resources
Saskatchewan has many natural
resources. Petroleum and coal are being developed
rapidly, Saskatchewan’s
potash reserves are among the world’s largest. The
rivers have abundent
hydro-electric power, and the rich soils and northern
forests are major
resources for the province. The province has 14,000 oil wells
that produce
12% of Canada’s oil output. Saskatchewan mainly produces oil,
uranium,
potash, coal, and lumber.