MANITOBA 



3627 



MANITOBA 



great lake that in some past geological age cov- 

 ered all this region, and which geologists call 

 Lake Agassiz. This region is level and is a 

 continuation of the great valley of the Red 

 River of the North, which has its origin in Min- 

 nesota. West of 

 this valley the 

 surface consists of 

 rolling prairie 

 that increases 

 slightly in eleva- 

 tion as it ap- 

 proaches the 

 western boundary 

 where the higher 



elevations 



LOCATION MAP 

 Showing, also, the size of 

 are Manitoba as compared with 



known as the Rid- the whole Dominion - 

 ing and Duck mountains. This ridge has an 

 elevation of about 500 feet where it enters the 

 province from North Dakota. 



Lakes and Rivers. Manitoba has three large 

 lakes and many small ones. Lake^ Winnipeg, 

 situated in the east-central part of the old prov- 

 ince, is the largest. Next in size is Lake Win- 

 nipegosis, 150 miles long and 2,086 square miles 

 in area. Lake Manitoba, south of Lake Win- 

 nipegosis, is 135 miles long and has an area of 

 1,817 square miles. These lakes lie west of 

 Lake Winnipeg. The shores are low, and the 

 waters are murky, owing to the silt discharged 

 by the inflowing streams. The smaller lakes 

 are scattered over the province. 



The drainage of the province is towards the 

 northeast, into Hudson Bay. The most impor- 

 tant stream is the Red River of the North, 

 which crosses the international boundary on a 

 line separating Minnesota from North Dakota 

 and flows into Lake Winnipeg. The Assini- 

 boine, its chief tributary, traverses the province 

 from west to east and joins the Red River near 

 Winnipeg. The greatest river flowing eastward 

 from the Rocky Mountains the Saskatchewan 

 falls into Lake Winnipeg on its western side, 

 in Manitoba. Winnipeg River, the outlet of the 

 Lake of the Woods (which see), flows into Lake 

 Winnipeg and drains the southeastern part of 

 the province. The Nelson River drains Lake 

 Winnipeg into Hudson Bay. Other important 

 streams flowing into this body of water are the 

 Hayes in the eastern part of the province and 

 the Churchill in the northern part. Many of 

 the smaller streams furnish water power which 

 is available for operating mills and electric 

 plants. 



Climate. The winters are long and cold, the 

 thermometer sometimes registering 40 or 45 



below zero, but the atmosphere is dry and clear, 

 and the severity of the temperature is not no- 

 ticed as much as it is in a more humid atmos- 

 phere. The summers are short, but many warm 

 days are experienced. The high latitude gives 

 this region many hours of sunlight, and vegeta- 

 tion grows with wonderful rapidity. The mean 

 annual temperature is 33 F., with extremes of 

 40 to 50 below zero to 95 above. The 

 change from winter to spring and summer is 

 very rapid, and frequently an April that is win- 

 try at the beginning ends with conditions ap- 

 proaching summer. The mean annual rainfall 

 is 17.43 inches, but three-fourths of it occurs 

 during the growing sea'son, so there is ample 

 moisture for agriculture. The ground is usually 

 covered with snow from December to March. 

 Plants and Animals. The eastern and north- 

 ern parts of the province contain forests of 



MANITOBA 



OUTLINE MAP OF MANITOBA 



Showing the boundaries of the province, naviga- 

 ble rivers, lakes, principal cities, and the highest 

 point of land. 



spruce, jack pine and tamarack, but in the 

 southern and central prairie regions trees are 

 found only along the banks of streams or around 

 lakes. In the western part of the province, 

 however, belts of timber land varying from a 



