St. Boniface Museum

Climate: extremes of temperature, very cold winters and fairly hot summers. In winter masses of cold, dry Arctic and polar maritime air move southwards. In summer, tropical maritime air masses, mild and humid. In northern Manitoba: sub-Arctic conditions.

Terrain: 4 geographical regions: Hudson's Bay lowlands: flat sedimentary rock. Low Pre-Cambrian plateaux: barren, rocky terrain, unsuitable for farming, but good for hydro-electric plants, fresh-water fishing, mining and forestry. Lac Agassiz lowlands and low western plateaux: these constitute the majority of arable land in Manitoba.

Agriculture: pasture and hay.

Natural resources: nickel, copper, zinc, gold, crude oil, cement, stone (for construction), sand, gravel, peat and quartz, wood, fish (yellow pike, coreganeous, perch and black pike), hydroelectric power.

Vegetation:

to the south: prairies and aspen trees;
central area: mixed forest;
to the north: boreal forest;
vicinity of Hudson's Bay: tundra.
Elm, ash, maple: along river banks.
Oak: dry places.
The prairie gives way to broad-leaved forest in the north.
Boreal forest, white and black spruce, grey pine, larch: northern half.