View source for Canadian Prairies

{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2022}}
{{redirect|The Prairies|other uses|Prairie (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Region of Western Canada}}
{{Infobox landform
| name = Canadian Prairies
| other_name = Prairies canadiennes ([[Canadian French|French]]) 
| type = [[Ecoregion]]
| photo = Sifton (Manitoba).jpg
| photo_caption = Farm on the prairies near [[Hartney|Hartney, Manitoba]]
| photo_width = 240
| location = [[Alberta]], [[Saskatchewan]], [[Manitoba]] in [[Canada]]
| highest_elevation = {{cvt|3747|m}}
| area = {{cvt|1,960,681|km2}}<ref name=area/>
| map_image = Prairie provinces in Canada.svg
| map_caption = Map of the Prairie Provinces
}}

The '''Canadian Prairies''' (usually referred to as simply '''the Prairies''' in Canada) is a region in [[Western Canada]]. It includes the Canadian portion of the [[Great Plains]] and the '''Prairie provinces''', namely [[Alberta]], [[Saskatchewan]], and [[Manitoba]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=McGinn |first1=Sean |title=Weather and Climate Patterns in Canada's Prairies |date=2010 |volume=1 |pages=105–119 |doi=10.3752/9780968932148 |url=http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/english/grasslandsbook/Chapter5_ACG.pdf |isbn=9780968932148 |editor1-last=Shorthouse |editor1-first=Joseph |editor2-last=Floate |editor2-first=Kevin }}</ref> These provinces are partially covered by [[grassland]]s, [[plain]]s, and [[Upland and lowland#Lowland|lowlands]], mostly in the southern regions. The northernmost reaches of the Canadian Prairies are less dense in population, marked by [[forest]]s and more variable [[topography]].<ref name=guide>{{cite web |last1=McCullough  |first1=J.J. |author-link=J.J. McCullough |title=The Prairies |url=http://www.thecanadaguide.com/places/the-prairies/ |website=The Canada Guide |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref> If the region is defined to include areas only covered by [[prairie]] land, the corresponding region is known as the [[Interior Plains]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Prairies Ecozone |url=http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/index.html |website=www.ecozones.ca}}</ref> Physical or ecological aspects of the Canadian Prairies extend to northeastern [[British Columbia]], but that area is not included in political use of the term.<ref name=atlas>{{cite web |title=Facts About the Canadian Prairie Provinces |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/important-facts-associated-with-the-canadian-prairies-or-the-prairie-provinces-of-canada.html |website=WorldAtlas |last=Chepkemoi |first=Joyce |date=25 April 2017 |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref>

The prairies in Canada are a [[biome]] of [[Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands|temperate grassland]] and [[shrubland]] within the prairie [[ecoregion]] of Canada that consists of [[Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands|northern mixed grasslands]] in Alberta, Saskatchewan, [[southern Manitoba]], as well as [[Northern Shortgrass Prairie|northern short grasslands]] in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quiring |first1=S. M |last2=Papakryiakou |first2=T. N. |title=An evaluation of agricultural drought indices for the Canadian prairies |journal=Agricultural and Forest Meteorology |date=2003 |volume=118 |issue=1–2 |pages=49–62|doi=10.1016/S0168-1923(03)00072-8 |bibcode=2003AgFM..118...49Q }}</ref> The [[Prairies Ecozone]] of Canada includes the [[Northern Tallgrass Prairie|northern tall grasslands]] in southern Manitoba and [[Aspen parkland]], which covers [[central Alberta]], central Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prairies Ecozone |url=http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/index.html |website=Ecological Framework of Canada |publisher=Government of Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602234643/http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/index.html |archive-date=2 June 2016}}</ref> The Prairie starts from north of [[Edmonton]] and it covers the three provinces in a southward-slanting line east to the Manitoba–[[Minnesota]] border.<ref name=wide>{{cite web |title=Wide open spaces, but for how long? |url=http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/wildlife-nature/?path=english/ecozones/prairie |website=The Royal Canadian Geographical Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403174135/http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/wildlife-nature/?path=english%2Fecozones%2Fprairie |archive-date=3 April 2016 |date=16 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Alberta has the most land classified as prairie, while Manitoba has the least, as the [[taiga|boreal forest]] begins more southerly in Manitoba than in Alberta.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quiring |first1=S. M |last2=Papakryiakou |first2=T. N. |title=An evaluation of agricultural drought indices for the Canadian prairies |journal=Agricultural and Forest Meteorology |date=2003 |volume=118 |issue=1–2 |pages=49–62|doi=10.1016/S0168-1923(03)00072-8 |bibcode=2003AgFM..118...49Q}}</ref>

== Main climates ==
The core [[climate]] of the Canadian prairie region is defined as a [[semi-arid climate]] and is often based upon the [[Köppen climate classification]] system.<ref name=powell>{{cite journal |last1=Powell |first1=J.M |title=Climate Classifications of the Prairie Provinces of Canada |journal=Northern Forest Research Centre |date=1978 |url=http://www.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/bookstore_pdfs/23391.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329170152/http://www.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/bookstore_pdfs/23391.pdf |archive-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref> This type of classification encompasses five main climate types, with several categoric subtypes based on the precipitation pattern of the region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Köppen climate classification |url=http://hanschen.org/koppen/#classification |website=hanschen.org|date=13 January 2024 }}</ref> The majority of the prairie provinces experience snowy, fully humid [[continental climate]]s with cool summers (known as [[Köppen climate classification#Group D: Continental climates|Group D]]), and [[subarctic climate]], also known as class Dfc on the Köppen climate scale.<ref name=powell /> The southernmost regions of the prairies tend to experience fully [[humid continental climate]]s with warm summers, Dfb.<ref name=powell /> A trifling section surrounding the Alberta-Saskatchewan border has been classified as Bsk, [[Semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climates|cold semi-arid climates]].<ref name=powell />

Precipitation events in the Canadian prairies are very important to study as these locations make up 80% of the country's [[Agriculture#Production|agricultural production]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Agriculture and Food {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/agriculture-and-food |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> On average, {{cvt|454|mm|0}} of precipitation falls on the prairies each year.<ref name=mcginn5>{{cite book |last1=McGinn |first1=Sean |title=Weather and Climate Patterns of Canada's Prairies |journal=Anthropods of Canadian Grasslands |date=2010 |volume=1 |doi=10.3752/9780968932148.ch5 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Out of the three prairie provinces, Saskatchewan obtains the least amount of precipitation annually ({{cvt|395|mm|0|disp=sqbr}}), with [[Manitoba]] receiving the most at {{cvt|486|mm|0}}. Most rainfall typically happens in the summer months such as June and July.<ref name=mcginn5 /> With the high humidity of the prairies, [[tornado]]es are likely to occur—marking central [[Saskatchewan]], [[Alberta]] and [[southern Manitoba]] as high probability areas.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Vincent Y. S. |last2=Arhonditsis |first2=George B. |last3=Sills |first3=David M. L. |last4=Auld |first4=Heather |last5=Shephard |first5=Mark W. |last6=Gough |first6=William A. |last7=Klaassen |first7=Joan |s2cid=3545698 |title=Probability of Tornado Occurrence across Canada |journal=Journal of Climate |date=19 July 2013 |volume=26 |issue=23 |pages=9415–9428 |doi=10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00093.1 |issn=0894-8755|bibcode=2013JCli...26.9415C |doi-access=free }}</ref> Approximately 72% of tornadoes in Canada are seen across the prairies<ref>{{cite web |last1=Durage |first1=Samantha |last2=Wirasinghe |first2=S.C |last3=Ruwanpura |first3=Janaka |title=Mitigation of the impact of tornadoes in the Canadian Prairies |url=https://www.crhnet.ca/sites/default/files/library/Samanthi%20-%20CRHNet%202015%20Symposium.pdf |website=Canadian Risk and Hazards Network |publisher=University of Calgary}}</ref> due to the capability of summer thunderstorm precipitation to mechanically mix with the air adjacent to the relatively flat surface of the region.<ref name=mcginn5 />

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:75%; font-size:100%;"
|+Average climates for selected cities in the Canadian Prairies (Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020)
|-
!City
!Province
!July
!January
!Annual precipitation
!Plant [[hardiness zone]]<br>(1981-2010)<ref name="Canada's Plant Hardiness">{{cite web|title=Canada's Plant Hardiness|url=http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en&prov=Alberta&val=A|website=Canada's Plant Hardiness|publisher=Natural Resources Canada|access-date=5 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305181823/http://www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en&prov=Alberta&val=A|archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref>
!Average growing season<br />(in days) {{notelist|Based on averages from Environment and Climate Change Canada 1981-2010 data}}

|-
| [[Lethbridge]]<ref name="ccnlethbridge">{{cite web | url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=AB&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=294000000&dispBack=0 | title = Lethbridge  | work = Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 | publisher = [[Environment and Climate Change Canada]] | access-date = 11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Alberta|AB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|26| / |11|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|0| / |-12|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|373|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|4b ||align=center|118

|-
| [[Calgary]]<ref name="ccncalgary">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=AB&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=273000000&dispBack=0 |title=Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data Calgary International Airport |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center|[[Alberta|AB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|24| / |10|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-2| / |-14|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|445|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|4a ||align=center|119

|-
| [[Medicine Hat]]<ref name="ccnmedicine">{{cite web|url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnName_1991&txtStationName_1991=MEDICINE+HAT&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=296000000&dispBack=1 |title=Medicine Hat |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 Medicine Hat |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Alberta|AB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|28| / |13|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-3| / |-14|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|331|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|4b ||align=center|135

|-
| [[Edmonton]]<ref name="ccnedmonton">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=AB&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=452000000&dispBack=0 |title=Edmonton (City) |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref>  ||align=center| [[Alberta|AB]] ||align=center|  {{cvt|24| / |13|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-6| / |-15|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|423|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|4a ||align=center|141

|-
| [[Grande Prairie]]<ref name="ccngrande">{{cite web | url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=AB&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=290000000&dispBack=0 | title = Grande Prairie |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Alberta|AB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|23| / |10|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-8| / |-19|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|435|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|3b ||align=center|111

|-
| [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]]<ref name="ccnregina">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnName_1991&txtStationName_1991=Regina&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=262000000&dispBack=1 |title=Regina (Airport) |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Saskatchewan|SK]] ||align=center| {{cvt|26| / |12|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-9| / |-20|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|390|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|3b ||align=center|114

|-
| [[Saskatoon]]<ref name="ccnsaskatoon">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=SK&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=265000000&dispBack=0 |title=Saskatoon Diefenbaker (Airport) |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Saskatchewan|SK]] ||align=center| {{cvt|25| / |12|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-10| / |-21|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|357|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|3b ||align=center|117

|-
| [[Prince Albert, Saskatchewan|Prince Albert]]<ref name="ccnprince">{{cite web|url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnName_1991&txtStationName_1991=prince+albert&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=261000000&dispBack=1 |title=Prince Albert |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Saskatchewan|SK]] ||align=center| {{cvt|24| / |12|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-12| / |-23|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|432|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|3a ||align=center|113

|-
| [[Brandon, Manitoba|Brandon]]<ref name="ccnbrandon">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnName_1991&txtStationName_1991=Brandon&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=219000000&dispBack=1 |title=Brandon |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Manitoba|MB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|25| / |12|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-11| / |-22|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|489|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|3b ||align=center|122

|-
| [[Winnipeg]]<ref name="ccnwinnipeg">{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=MB&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=242000000&dispBack=0 |title=Winnipeg Richardson (Airport) |work=Canadian Climate Normals 1991−2020 |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |access-date=11 March 2025 |date = 1 October 2024}}</ref> ||align=center| [[Manitoba|MB]] ||align=center| {{cvt|26| / |13|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|-11| / |-21|C|disp=br()}} ||align=center| {{cvt|519|mm|0|disp=br()}} ||align=center|4a ||align=center|122
|}

== Physical geography ==
{{See also|Geography of Canada}}
Although the Prairie Provinces region is named for the prairies located within Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the physical geography of the three provinces is quite diverse, consisting of portions of the [[Canadian Shield]], the [[North American Cordillera|Western Cordillera]] and the [[Geography of Canada#Canadian Interior Plains|Canadian Interior Plains]].<ref name=baldwin>{{cite book |last1=Baldwin |first1=D. J. |last2=Desloges |first2=J. R. |last3=Band |first3=L. E. |chapter-url=https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/12524/1/9780774807494.pdf |chapter=Physical geography of Ontario. |publisher=[[UBC Press]] |date=2000 |title=Ecology of a managed terrestrial landscape: patterns and processes of forest landscapes in Ontario |pages=12–29}}</ref> The plains comprise both prairies and [[Mid-Canada Boreal Plains Forests|boreal plains forests]] while, with the exception of [[Tundra#Arctic|freshwater]] along the [[Hudson Bay]], the shield is predominantly forested.<ref name=baldwin />

[[file:Gimli Manitoba Canada Panorama.jpg|thumb|1000px|center|[[Gimli, Manitoba]], is on [[Lake Winnipeg]], a very large fresh water lake in the eastern prairies.
|alt=Panorama of city with mixture of five- to ten-storey buildings]]

=== Prairies ===
Three main grassland types occur in the Canadian prairies: [[tallgrass prairie]], [[mixed grass prairie]], and [[Festuca|fescue]] prairie (or using the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] terminology, [[Northern Tallgrass Prairie|northern tall grasslands]], [[Canadian Aspen Forests and Parklands|northern mixed grasslands]], and [[Northern Shortgrass Prairie|northern short grasslands]]).<ref name=regress>{{cite journal|last1=Williams |first1=G. D. V. |last2=Joynt |first2=M. I. |last3=McCormick |first3=P. A. |title=Regression analyses of Canadian prairie crop-district cereal yields, 1961–1972, in relation to weather, soil, and trend. |journal=Canadian Journal of Soil Science |date=1975 |volume=55 |number=1 |pages=43–53|doi=10.4141/cjss75-007 |bibcode=1975CaJSS..55...43W }}</ref> Each has a unique geographic distribution and characteristic mix of plant species. All but a fraction of 1% of the tallgrass prairie has been converted to [[Agricultural land|cropland]].<ref name=gauthier>{{cite journal |last1=Gauthier |first1=David A. |last2=Wiken |first2=Ed B. |journal=Environmental Monitoring and Assessment |date=2003 |volume=88 |issue=1/3 |pages=343–364 |title=Monitoring the Conservation of Grassland Habitats, Prairie Ecozone, Canada |doi=10.1023/A:1025585527169|pmid=14570422 |bibcode=2003EMnAs..88..343G |s2cid=23604851 }}</ref> What remains occurs on the {{cvt|6000|km2}} plain centred in the [[Red River Valley]] in Manitoba. Mixed prairie is more common and is part of the dry interior plains that extend from Canada south to the U.S. state of [[Texas]].

[[File:Northern short grasslands map.svg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|The [[northern short grasslands]] (WWF terminology) shown here on a map of North America in green, is a type of true prairie (grassland) that occurs in the southern parts of the Prairie Provinces.]]
{{main|Prairies Ecozone}}

More than half of the remaining native grassland in the Canadian prairies is mixed. Though widespread in southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, because of extensive cattle grazing, it is estimated that only 24% of the original mixed prairie grassland remains.<ref name=gauthier /> Fescue prairie occurs in the moister regions, occupying the northern extent of the prairies in central and southwestern Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/whp/prgrass/df03s56.en.html |title=Prairie Grasslands and Parkland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527125033/http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/whp/prgrass/df03s56.en.html |archive-date=2010-05-27}}</ref>
[[File:Palliser's Triangle map.png|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Palliser's Triangle]], delineating prairie soil types in the Prairie provinces]]

The southwestern Canadian prairies, supporting brown and [[Chernozem|black soil]] types, are [[Semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] and highly prone to frequent and severe droughts.<ref name=gregorich>{{cite journal |last1=Gregorich |first1=E.G. |last2=Anderson |first2=D.W. |title=Effects of cultivation and erosion on soils of four toposequences in the Canadian prairies |journal=Geoderma |date=December 1985 |volume=36 |issue=3–4 |pages=343–354 |doi=10.1016/0016-7061(85)90012-6|bibcode=1985Geode..36..343G }}</ref>

The zones around the cities of [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]] and immediately east of [[Calgary]] are also very dry. Most heavy precipitation quickly dissipates by the time it passes [[Cheadle, Alberta|Cheadle]] on its way heading east.<ref name=gregorich /> In an average year, southern Saskatchewan receives between {{cvt|30|-|51|cm}} of precipitation, with the majority falling between April and June. Frost from October to April (and sometimes even early May) limits the growing season for certain crops.<ref name=regress />

The eastern section of the Canadian prairies in Manitoba is well watered with several large lakes such as [[Lake Winnipeg]] and several large rivers. The area also gets reasonable amounts of precipitation. The middle sections of Alberta and Saskatchewan are also wetter than the south and have better farmland, despite having a shorter frost-free season.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=M G |s2cid=44048546 |title=Landscape Ecology: The Effect of Pattern on Process |journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |date=November 1989 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=171–197 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.20.110189.001131|bibcode=1989AnRES..20..171T }}</ref> The areas around [[Edmonton]] and [[Saskatoon]] are especially notable as good farmland. Both lie in the northern area of the Palliser's Triangle, and are within [[aspen parkland]] a transitional prairie ecozone.<ref name="EFoC">{{cite web|title=Prairies Ecozone|url=http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/index.html|website=Ecological Framework of Canada|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=23 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602234643/http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/Prairies/index.html|archive-date=2 June 2016}}</ref><ref name=wide />

Further north, the area becomes too cold for most agriculture besides [[wild rice]] operations and sheep raising, and it is dominated by [[Taiga|boreal forest]]. The [[Peace River Country|Peace Region]] in northwestern Alberta is an exception, however.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Price |first1=David T. |last2=Alfaro |first2=R.I. |last3=Brown |first3=K.J. |last4=Flannigan |first4=M.D. |last5=Fleming |first5=R.A. |last6=Hogg |first6=E.H. |last7=Girardin |first7=M.P. |last8=Lakusta |first8=T. |last9=Johnston |first9=M. |last10=McKenney |first10=D.W. |last11=Pedlar |first11=J.H. |last12=Stratton |first12=T. |last13=Sturrock |first13=R.N. |last14=Thompson |first14=I.D. |last15=Trofymow |first15=J.A. |last16=Venier |first16=L.A. |title=Anticipating the consequences of climate change for Canada's boreal forest ecosystems |journal=Environmental Reviews |date=1 December 2013 |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=322–365 |doi=10.1139/er-2013-0042 |issn=1181-8700|doi-access= |bibcode=2013EnvRv..21..322P }}</ref> It lies north of the [[55th parallel north|55th parallel]] and is warm and dry enough to support extensive farming. [[Aspen parkland]] covers the area; The long daylight hours in this region during the summer are an asset despite having an even shorter growing season than central Alberta. In fact, agriculture plays a major economic role in the Peace Region. {{cvt|16|km2}}

== Demographics ==
[[File:Largest Panethnic Groups in the Prairies, 2021 Census.jpg|thumb|Largest panethnic groups in the Prairies by percentage of total population by census division, 2021 census]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ [[Census geographic units of Canada#Census metropolitan areas|Census metropolitan areas]] in the Canadian Prairies<ref name="2021 Census">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Population and dwelling counts: Census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and census subdivisions (municipalities)1|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000301|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209181811/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000301|archive-date=2022-02-09|access-date=2023-06-07|website=Statistics Canada}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2"|Rank !! rowspan="2"|Census metropolitan area !! rowspan="2"|Province !! colspan="4"|Population  !! colspan="2"|Area (land)
|-
!(2021) !!(2016) !! Change !! Density !! km2 !! sq mi 
|- 
| style="text-align: center;" | 1 || [[Calgary Metropolitan Region|Calgary]] || [[Alberta]] || {{change|invert=on|1481806|1392609}} || align=right|{{Pop density|1481806|5098.68|prec=1}} || {{cvt|5098.68|km2|disp=table}} 
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 2 || [[Edmonton Metropolitan Region|Edmonton]] || [[Alberta]] || {{change|invert=on|1418118|1321441}} || align=right|{{Pop density|1418118|9416.19|prec=1}} || {{cvt|9416.19|km2|disp=table}} 
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 3 || [[Winnipeg Metropolitan Region|Winnipeg]] || [[Manitoba]] || {{change|invert=on|834678|783099}} || align=right|{{Pop density|834678|5285.46|prec=1}} || {{cvt|5285.46|km2|disp=table}} 
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 4 || [[Saskatoon metropolitan area|Saskatoon]] || [[Saskatchewan]] || {{change|invert=on|317480|295095}} || align=right|{{Pop density|317480|5864.48|prec=1}} || {{cvt|5864.48|km2|disp=table}} 
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 5 || [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]] || [[Saskatchewan]] || {{change|invert=on|249217|236695}} || align=right|{{Pop density|249217|4323.66|prec=1}} || {{cvt|4323.66|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 6 || [[Lethbridge]] || [[Alberta]] || {{change|invert=on|123847|117394}} || align=right|{{Pop density|123847|2958.96|prec=1}} || {{cvt|2958.96|km2|disp=table}}
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | 7 || [[Red Deer, Alberta|Red Deer]] || [[Alberta]] || {{change|invert=on|100844|100418}} || align=right|{{Pop density|100844|104.34|prec=1}} || {{cvt|104.34|km2|disp=table}}
|}

In the [[2021 Canadian census]], the Canadian prairie provinces had a population of 6,737,293 consisting of 4,262,635 in Alberta, 1,342,153 in Manitoba, and 1,132,505 in Saskatchewan, up 4.6% from 6,443,892 in 2016.<ref name=StatCan2021>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Saskatchewan%20&DGUIDlist=2021A000248,2021A000246,2021A000247&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table - Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan |publisher=[[Statistics Canada]] |date=2 August 2024 |access-date=12 March 2024 }}</ref> The three provinces have a combined area of {{cvt|1,960,681|km2}} ({{cvt|1,787,543|km2}} land and {{cvt|173,138|km}} freshwater) consisting of {{cvt|661,848|km2}} in Alberta, {{cvt|647,797|km2}} in Manitoba, and {{cvt|651,036|km2}} in Saskatchewan.<ref name=area>{{cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-402-x/2010000/chap/geo/tbl/tbl07-eng.htm |title=Table 15.7 Land and freshwater area, by province and territory |access-date=12 March 2025 |date=7 October 2016 |publisher=Statistics Canada}}</ref>

=== Growth ===
Some of the prairie region of Canada has seen rapid growth from a boom in [[Petroleum|oil production]] since the mid-20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061203.watlanticc1203/BNStory/Business/home |title=Atlantic unemployment tonic: oil sands |website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020064948/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061203.watlanticc1203/BNStory/Business/home |archive-date=2008-10-20}}</ref>

According to StatsCanada, the prairie provinces had a population of 6,443,892 in 2016. In 2021, the population had grown by 4.6% to 6,737,293<ref name=StatCan2021/>

== Economy ==
[[File:Theawesomequappellevalleykjfmartin.jpg|thumb|A [[Rapeseed oil|canola]] field in the [[Qu'Appelle River|Qu'Appelle Valley]] in southern Saskatchewan.]]
In the mid 20th century, the economy of the prairies exploded, due to the oil boom, and introduced a growth of jobs. The primary industries are agriculture and services.<ref name=guide /> [[Agriculture]] consisting of livestock (cattle and sheep), cultivating crops (oats, canola, wheat, barley), and [[Petroleum industry in Canada|production of oil]].<ref name=atlas /> Due to the production of oil, the service industry expanded in order to provide for the employees of the oil companies extracting the oil. In the 1950s-1970s, the explosion of [[Extraction of petroleum|oil production]] increased the worth of Alberta, allowing it to become the "nation's richest province" and Canada one of the top petroleum exporters in the world.<ref name=atlas /> Edmonton and Calgary drew in a larger population with the increase in jobs in the energy industry, causing the jobs supporting this industry to grow as well. It was through the steady economic growth that followed this explosion that the prairies region began to switch from an agriculture-based job sector to one with services included.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Friesen |first1=G |title=The Canadian prairies: A history |date=1987 |publisher=University of Toronto Press}}</ref>

In 2014, the global market for oil fell and led to a recession, impacting the economy dramatically. Alberta still has an [[Economy of Alberta|oil-dominant economy]] even as the traditional oil wells dry up; there are [[oil sands]] further north (i.e. the [[Athabasca oil sands]] near [[Fort McMurray]]) that continue to provide jobs to extract, drill and refine the oil.<ref name="atlas" /> Saskatchewan, in particular, in the early 20th century grew economically due to the Canadian agricultural boom and produce large crops of wheat.<ref name="guide" /> It is said to have a "one-crop economy" due to such dependency on this crop alone, but after 1945 the economy took another turn with technological advancements that allowed for the discovery of uranium, oil, and potash.<ref name="guide" />

== Culture and politics ==

The Prairies are distinguished from the rest of Canada by cultural and political traits. The oldest influence on Prairie culture are the [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]], who have inhabited this region for millennia. This region has the highest proportion of [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous people in Canada]], outside of the [[Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories|three territories]]. The first Europeans to see the Prairies were [[fur trade]]rs and explorers from [[eastern Canada]] (mainly present-day [[Quebec]]) and Great Britain via [[Hudson Bay]]. They gave rise to the [[Métis]], who were [[working class]] "children of the fur trade."<ref name=atlas /> 

During their settlement by Europeans, the prairies were settled in distinct ethnic [[block settlement]]s giving  areas distinctively [[British Canadians|British]], [[Ukrainian Canadians|Ukrainian]], [[German Canadians|German]], [[French Canadians|French]], or [[Nordic and Scandinavian Canadians|Scandinavian Canadian]] cultures. Farm family operations predominate, where families supplement their cash income with home-grown farm produce. Grain crops are the main cash crop, but mixed farming had natural advantages in the wooded areas of the [[Aspen parkland|parkland]] and [[Taiga|boreal]] forest to the north. Local conditions attracted particular ethnicities. Those of Ukrainians and [[Polish Canadians|Polish]] heritage were drawn to the parkland of east north-central Alberta.

[[File:Badlands Alberta.JPG|thumb|The Alberta [[badlands]]]]
Southern Alberta is renowned for its [[cowboy culture]], which developed when real [[Ranch#The Open Range|open range ranching]] was practiced in the 1880s.<ref name=atlas /> Canada's first rodeo, the [[Raymond Stampede]], was established in 1902. These influences are also evident in the [[music of Canada's Prairie Provinces]]. This can be attributed partially to the massive influx of American settlers who began to migrate to Alberta (and to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan) in the late 1880s because of the lack of available land in the United States.

The Prairie Provinces have given rise to the "prairie protest" movements. Radical solutions are sometimes considered sound in the more open western culture. Organized farmer groups and politicized labour groups were a feature of the inter-war years. The [[One Big Union (Canada)|One Big Union]] was founded on the Prairies; the [[Winnipeg general strike]] (1919) was the biggest [[general strike]] in Canadian history. The [[United Farmers of Alberta]] was the longest-lasting post-WWI farmer government in Canada. Monetary reform ([[Canadian social credit movement|Social Credit]]) elected its first government in the world, the [[Alberta Social Credit Party]], in the [[1935 Alberta general election]]. The [[Reform Party of Canada]] (1987 to 2000), founded by [[Preston Manning]], had its strongest support among Prairie voters. 

These political movements (both of the left and right) tend to feed off of well established feelings of [[Western alienation]], and each one represents a distinct challenge to the perceived [[Central Canada|Central Canadian]] elite.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peterson |first1=Larry |title=Revolutionary Socialism and Industrial Unrest in the Era of the Winnipeg General Strike: The Origins of Communist Labour Unionism in Europe and North America |journal=Labour / Le Travail |date=1 January 1984 |volume=13 |pages=115–131 |doi=10.2307/25140403 |jstor=25140403 |s2cid=73518869 |url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/LLT/article/view/2604 |issn=1911-4842|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The Prairies continue to have a wide range of political representation. While the [[Conservative Party of Canada]] has widespread support throughout the region at both federal and provincial levels, the [[New Democratic Party]] holds seats at the provincial level in all three provinces, and takes turns with Conservatives or another right-wing party at provincial government. The NDP holds [[List of House members of the 43rd Parliament of Canada|seats at the federal level]] in Alberta and Manitoba. The [[Liberal Party of Canada]] often holds seats in Alberta and Manitoba; it presently holds four federal seats in Winnipeg, while the [[Manitoba Liberal Party]] holds one seat in Manitoba.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Geography|Canada}}
*[[Dominion Land Survey]]
*[[High Plains (United States)]]
*[[List of regions of Canada]]
*[[Llano Estacado]]
*[[Natural Resources Acts]]
*[[Shortgrass prairie]]
*[[Ecozones of Canada]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
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== Further reading ==
{{see also|Bibliography of Saskatchewan history|Bibliography of Alberta history|History of Manitoba}}
* [http://www.albertasource.ca/aoe/ui/index.aspx ''Alberta Encyclopedia'' Online (2005)]
* Archer, John H. ''Saskatchewan: A History'' (1980)
* Barnhart, Gordon L., ed. ''Saskatchewan Premiers of the Twentieth Century''. (2004). 418 pp.
* Bennett, John W. and Seena B. Kohl. ''Settling the Canadian-American West, 1890–1915: Pioneer Adaptation and Community Building. An Anthropological History''. (1995). 311 pp. [https://www.questia.com/library/book/settling-the-canadian-american-west-1890-1915-pioneer-adaptation-and-community-building-an-anthropological-history-by-john-w-bennett-seena-b-kohl.jsp online edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818064015/https://www.questia.com/library/book/settling-the-canadian-american-west-1890-1915-pioneer-adaptation-and-community-building-an-anthropological-history-by-john-w-bennett-seena-b-kohl.jsp |date=2011-08-18 }}
* Danysk, Cecilia. ''Hired Hands: Labour and the Development of Prairie Agriculture, 1880–1930''. (1995). 231 pp.
* Emery, George. ''The Methodist Church on the Prairies, 1896–1914''. McGill-Queen's U. Press, 2001. 259 pp.
* [http://esask.uregina.ca/about_encyclopedia.html ''The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan: A Living Legacy''. U. of Regina Canadian Plains Research Center, 2005. online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131200848/http://esask.uregina.ca/about_encyclopedia.html |date=2017-01-31 }} 1071 pp in print edition
* Fairbanks, C. and S.B. Sundberg. ''Farm Women on the Prairie Frontier''. (1983)
* {{citation |last=Friesen |first=Gerald |year=1987 |title=The Canadian prairies: a history |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SIMHAcD8LNkC |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-6648-0}}
* Hodgson, Heather, ed. ''Saskatchewan Writers: Lives Past and Present''. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, 2004. 247 pp.
* Jones, David C. ''Empire of Dust: Settling and Abandoning the Prairie Dry Belt''. (1987) 316 pp.
* Keahey, Deborah. ''Making It Home: Place in Canadian Prairie Literature''. (1998). 178 pp.
* [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00085006.2018.1446242 Kononenko, Natalie "Vernacular religion on the prairies: negotiating a place for the unquiet dead,"] Canadian Slavonic Papers 60, no. 1-2 (2018)
* Langford, N. "Childbirth on the Canadian Prairies 1880-1930." ''Journal of Historical Sociology,'' 1995. Vol. 8, No. 3, pp.&nbsp;278–302.
* Langford, Nanci Louise. "First Generation and Lasting Impressions: The Gendered Identities of Prairie Homestead Women." PhD dissertation U. of Alberta 1994. 229 pp. DAI 1995 56(4): 1544-A. DANN95214 Fulltext: [[ProQuest Dissertations & Theses]]
* Laycock, David. ''Populism and Democratic Thought in the Canadian Prairies, 1910 to 1945''. (1990). 369 pp.
* Lorenz, Stacy L. "'A Lively Interest on the Prairies': Western Canada, the Mass Media, and a 'World of Sport' 1870-1939." ''Journal of Sport History'' 27.2 (2000): 195–227. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43609563 online]
* Melnyk, George. ''The Literary History of Alberta, Vol. 1: From Writing-on-Stone to World War Two''. U. of Alberta Press, 1998. 240 pp.
* Morton, Arthur S. and Chester Martin, ''History of prairie settlement'' (1938) 511pp
* Morton, W. L. ''Manitoba, a History'' University of Toronto Press, 1957 [https://web.archive.org/web/20090907141130/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=72555100 online edition]
* Norrie, K. H. "The Rate of Settlement of the Canadian Prairies, 1870–1911", ''Journal of Economic History'', Vol. 35, No. 2 (Jun., 1975), pp.&nbsp;410–427 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/2119414 in JSTOR]; statistical models
* Palmer, Howard. ''The Settlement of the West'' (1977) [https://www.questia.com/read/105450556?title=The%20Settlement%20of%20the%20West online edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818064030/https://www.questia.com/read/105450556?title=The%20Settlement%20of%20the%20West |date=2011-08-18 }}
* Pitsula, James M. "Disparate Duo" ''Beaver'' 2005 85(4): 14–24, a comparison of Saskatchewan and Alberta, Fulltext in [[EBSCO Information Services|EBSCO]]
* Rollings-Magnusson, Sandra. "Canada's Most Wanted: Pioneer Women on the Western Prairies". ''Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology'' 2000 37(2): 223–238. {{ISSN|0008-4948}} Fulltext: [[EBSCO Information Services|Ebsco]]
* Swyripa, Frances. ''Storied Landscapes: Ethno-Religious Identity and the Canadian Prairies'' (University of Manitoba Press, 2010) 296 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|978-0-88755-720-0}}.
* Thompson, John Herd. ''Forging the Prairie West'' (1998).
* Wardhaugh, Robert A. ''Mackenzie King and the Prairie West'' (2000). 328 pp.
* Waiser, Bill, and John Perret. ''Saskatchewan: A New History'' (2005).

=== Historiography ===
* Francis, R. Douglas. "In search of a prairie myth: A survey of the intellectual and cultural historiography of prairie Canada." ''Journal of Canadian Studies'' 24#3 (1989): 44+ [https://www.proquest.com/openview/8fefdad10ae31e52ec7ed6f1f2d69485/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818991 online]
* {{citation |last=Ingles |first=Ernie B |year=2009 |title=Peel's Bibliography of the Canadian Prairies to 1953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XIqasapzMP8C&q=Canadian%20Prairies&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-4825-7}}
* Wardhaugh, Robert A., ed. ''Toward Defining the Prairies: Region, Culture, and History''. (2001). 234 pp.
* {{citation |last1=Wardhaugh |first1=Robert |first2=Alison |last2=Calder |year=2005 |title=History, literature, and the writing of the Canadian Prairies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CANH1WxF-dYC&q=Canadian%20Prairies&pg=PP1 |publisher=University of Manitoba Press |isbn=978-0-88755-682-1}} 310 pp.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Prairies}}
[[Category:Canadian Prairies| ]]
[[Category:Great Plains]]
[[Category:Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]
[[Category:Grasslands of Canada]]
[[Category:Regions of Canada|Prairies]]
[[Category:Prairies]]
[[Category:Geography of Alberta]]
[[Category:Geography of Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:Geography of Manitoba]]