Better Know a Province: Saskatchewan

Thinking about moving to the prairie province of Saskatchewan? Do you currently live there? Regardless of your situation, it's time to brush up on your knowledge of the landlocked province!

Saskatchewan is named after the Saskatchewan River, the kisiskāciwani-sīpiy ("swift flowing river") in the Cree language. Part of the Western provinces, Saskatchewan shares borders with the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.

Known for its severe winters throughout the region, southern areas of the province have either very warm or hot summers, and the area receives more hours of sunlight than any other region -- which explains why the hottest ever recorded temperature (49 degrees Celsius) took place in Saskatchewan.

In addition to this record, the province has the highest output of hockey players in Canada. To date, more than 490 NHL players have been born there.

Residents primarily live in the southern portion of the province and of the over 1 million residents, more than 250,000 reside in the largest city of Saskatoon and another 200,000 plus live in the capital of Regina.

Statistics

• Capital - Regina
• Largest city - Saskatoon
• Official languages - English and French
• Demonym - Saskatchewanian (official) and Saskatchewanite
• Time zone - Central: UTC−6 (year round in most areas)

Symbols of Saskatchewan

• Motto - Multis e gentibus vires (For many people, strength)
• Provincial symbol - Saskatchewan's Wheat Sheaf
• Bird- sharp-tailed grouse
• Tree - paper birch
• Mineral - potash
• Animal - white-tailed deer
• Flower - western red lily
• Grass - needle-and-thread grass
• Sport - curling