Manitoba holds many types of terrain, from tundra to farmland. In Manitoba, the Great Plains join with the boreal forest in the northern part of the province. Much of the plains in the southern part of the province are used as farmland. In the north lies tundra, bordering the Hudson Bay.
Manitoba offers many opportunities for hiking, camping, and boating. Lakes cover twenty percent of the province, and by some estimations, it has roughly 100,000 lakes, according to Frommer's Canada.
Manitoba's winters are harsh, while summers are warm and sunny. It stays slightly cooler in the summer than in much of the U.S., letting visitors enjoy the sunshine without the sweltering temperatures. The northern part of Manitoba, which is more remote and is often best accessed by float plane, according to the Rough Guide to Canada, can be extremely cold, and the entire province receives a great deal of snow throughout the winter, which can last from October to March.
Manitoba boasts a number of national and provincial parks, including some unique destinations such as the Spirit Sands. The Spirit Sands, located in Spruce Woods Provincial Park, are a sweeping stretch of sand dunes lined by jack pines and other conifers, with blue-green ponds fed by underground springs nestled into the dunes at several spots. Visitors often feel as if they're transported to another country, as the Spirit Sands have no parallel in Canada.
Riding Mountain National Park, also in southern Manitoba, offers many recreational opportunities as well. Visitors will enjoy a spectacular view of the surrounding prairies. Other parks include Grand Beach Provincial Park at Lake Winnipeg, Moose Mountain Provincial Park in western Manitoba, Whiteshell Provincial Park in the eastern part of the province, and Duck Mountain Provincial Park (north of Riding Mountain), as well as Atikaki and Grass River provincial parks.
Riding Mountain and other national parks offer ample opportunities for wildlife observation. Manitoba has moose, coyotes, wolves, lynx, black bears, beavers, bison, caribou, deer and many other species of animals. Riding Mountain National Park and Grass River Provincial Park offer great wildlife viewing opportunities for many of these species. At the Hudson Bay, visitors may see polar bears, and sometimes even beluga whales in the mouth of the Churchill River.
Winnipeg is Manitoba's largest city, and with over 706,900 people, it holds two-thirds of the province's population. Because it lies at the geographical center of Canada, along the Trans-Canada highway (the major route across Canada), a large amount of traffic passes through it. It has a lively music and theater culture as well as a number of museums, such as the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature. This museum offers many fascinating exhibits that connect visitors to Manitoba's past. Brandon is the second largest city. The next largest cities include Portage la Prairie, Steinbach and Thompson, with populations of less than 15,000.
Manitoba's people come primarily from many European nations. First Nations peoples suffered as settlers began to claim the plains as farmland, forcing them to halt their traditional ways. However, their culture has experienced a revival in recent years. Many Métis (descendants of white settlers and First Nations people) also live in Manitoba. When the first settlers came to Manitoba, intermixing between white fur traders and Native Canadian women became widespread, and numerous citizens identify as Métis today.
