Geography

Manitoba is the most eastern of the 3 Prairie Provinces. Comparatively level, Manitoba generally ranges from 490-ft./150 m to 980-ft./300 m above sea level. Baldy Mountain is Manitoba's highest point, at 2727 ft./831 m. Agricultural land lies in a triangle, bordering Saskatchewan and the U.S., cutting diagonally across lake Winnipeg.
The northern 3/5 of Manitoba is Precambrian Shield. In northernmost Manitoba lies tundra and permafrost (permanently frozen subsoil). All waters in Manitoba flow to Hudson Bay. Before settlement, a large area of southern Manitoba was flood plain or swamp. An extensive system of drainage ditches had to be constructed throughout south central Manitoba to make the region suitable for cultivation.

Area:	250,946-mi.²/ 649,950-km²
Land Surface:	211,721-mi.²/ 548,360-km²

Climate

Warm, sunny summers and cold bright winters characterize Manitoba's climate. Afternoon temperatures in July and August Average 25؛C with midwinter daytime readings almost always remain well below freezing. Wide variations from average values are common in all seasons.

Location	Average January Temperatures (celsius)	Average July Temperatures (celsius)
Brandon	-18.4؛C	18.7؛C
Thompson	-25.0؛C	15.7؛C
Churchill	-26.9؛C	11.8؛C

More than half of the annual precipitation falls in the summer months in the form of brief heavy showers. Most of southern Manitoba receives 110-140 cm of snow annually with the heaviest snow falls occurring in the northeast, in the Duck and Riding Mountains (160 cm).

Population

Manitoba enjoys a rich population mix, with people from every continent and virtually every country in the world providing a wide infusion of cultures and a broadened heritage. The Aboriginal population of Manitoba was joined by the Scottish Selkirk settlers in 1811, English and French Canadians after confederation in 1870, followed by Russian Mennonites, Icelanders, Ukrainians and Germans in subsequent years. Post W.W.II saw additional immigration from Europe and most recently from the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia.

Population (1996) of Canada: 28,846,761 / Manitoba (2003): 1,162,776 / Winnipeg(2002): 685,500

Manufacturing

In 2004, manufacturers posted record high shipments of $12.6 billion, up 10.1% compared to 2003, the second consecutive annual increase. Shipments rose 1.3% in 2003, following declines of 1.0% in 2002 and 0.6% in 2001.
At the close of 2004, factory payrolls stood at 66,100 employees, about 11% of the total employment for the province.
Although Selkirk settlers in the early 19th century supplied some of their needs through "fledgling" factories, the first large scale manufacturing operations in Manitoba developed around 1900, as meat packing plants, clothing factories, lumber mills, metal-working and machine shops were built, chiefly in Winnipeg, to supply demand from all over Western Canada. Today manufacturing in Manitoba is widely diversified. The most important industries are food, machinery, primary metal and metal fabricating, transportation equipment and clothing, which together produce about 2/3 of all manufacturing output in the last 10 years, Manitoba’s Manufacturing Industry has grown by 70%. Manitoba’s manufacturing shipments increased 10.1% in 2004, outpacing the Canadian average.

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Mfg Shipments ($millions)	$9,727	$10,373	$10,918	$11,439	$11,372	$11,263	$11,413	$12,605

Source: Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, February 2005

Agriculture

From the earliest days of settlement, agriculture has been one of Manitoba's most important industries and sources of income and employment. The Selkirk settlers from Scotland established the first major farming operations in 1812, and agriculture became firmly established as the Red River Settlement developed. Most of the pioneers who flocked to Manitoba between 1870 and 1900 were farmers or became farmers, and by 1900 they had developed the bulk of prime agricultural land in the province. Total land farmed in 1996 was 19.1 million acres.
Wheat continues to be the most important Manitoba crop, accounting for more than 40% of crop production value, followed by canola and flaxseed. Other major crops are barley, oats and rye. Despite the dominance of grain production, agriculture in Manitoba is more diversified than in other Prairie Provinces. Manitoba dominates Canadian production of flaxseed, sunflower seeds, buckwheat and field peas. Manitoba's farm cash receipts were estimated at $3.83 billion in 2002, an increase of 3.7 percent from $3.69 billion in 2001. Almost 49.4 percent of these receipts were derived from crop production, while 44.9 percent came from livestock production, including the production of honey, fur and P.M.U. The Manitoba livestock industry contributed $1.72 billion or 44.9 percent of total farm cash receipts in 2002.

Labour Force

(Thousands of Persons) - Seasonally Adjusted
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Labour Force (000's)	581	584	598	600	608

Unemployment Rate

Manitoba’s unemployment rate is consistently lower than the Canadian average

Unemployment Rate (%) - Seasonally Adjusted
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Manitoba	5%	5%	5%	5%	5%
Canada	7%	7%	8%	8%	7%