Manitoba (English IPAEng: ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə; French /manitoba/) is a province of Canada, spanning 647,797 square kilometres (250,116  sq mi) of North America, and a population of 1,196,291 (2008 estimates).

Manitoba is located in Western Canada and borders the U.S. states of North Dakota and Minnesota to the south, Nunavut and Hudson Bay to the north, Saskatchewan to the west, and Ontario to the east.

In 1870 it became the first province created from the territories. Louis Riel named the new Province "Manitoba" which is related to the Algonquian word "Manitou", meaning 'spirit'. Manitoba, in the Red River Valley region, contained the first western colony and settlement of Canada. Manitoba is the only Canadian Province with an Arctic deep water sea port, located in Churchill, Manitoba, bordering Hudson Bay. Manitoba's sea port is the only link along the shortest shipping route between Asia and Europe.

Its capital and largest city is Winnipeg, with a population of 633,451. The Winnipeg Capital Regions total population as of the 2006 census was 730,305.Fact: date=September 2008 Other important cities are Brandon, Thompson, Portage la Prairie, Steinbach, Selkirk, and Winkler.

Geography

The province has a large coastline boardering Hudson Bay and contains the tenth-largest fresh-water lake in the world, Lake Winnipeg, along with two other large lakes: Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis. Manitoba's lakes cover approximately 14.5% or 94,241 km² of its surface area. Lake Winnipeg is the largest lake within the borders of southern Canada, and the east side has some of the last remote and intact watersheds left in the world. The large rivers that flow into the east side of Lake Winnipeg's basin are pristine, with no major developments along them. Many uninhabited islands can be found along the eastern shore of this lake. There are over 110,000 lakes spread throughout the province.

Important watercourses include the Red, Assiniboine, Nelson, Winnipeg, Hayes, Whiteshell and Churchill Rivers. Fishing along the Red River is an important part for tourism and the economy of Manitoba. Most of Manitoba's inhabited south lies within the prehistoric bed of Glacial Lake Agassiz, or the Red River Valley. The Red River Valley region is extremely flat because it was once the lake bottom of the ancient Lake Agassiz, which once covered the large area. However, there are many other hilly and rocky areas throughout province, along with many large sand ridges left behind by receding glaciers.

Baldy Mountain is the highest point at 832 m above sea level (2,727 ft) and the Hudson Bay coast is the lowest at sea level. Other upland areas include Riding Mountain, the Pembina Hills, Sandilands Provincial Forest, and the Canadian Shield regions. Much of the province's sparsely-inhabited north and east lie within the irregular granite landscape of the Canadian Shield, including Whiteshell Provincial Park, Atikaki Provincial Park, and Nopiming Provincial Park. Birds Hill Provincial Park was originally an island in Lake Agassiz after the melting of glaciers.