The capital and largest city of Manitoba, Winnipeg is located at the confluence of the RED RIVER and ASSINIBOINE RIVER, 100 km north of the Minnesota border.

Lying midway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it has been called "Bull's Eye of the Dominion," and situated where the Canadian SHIELD gives way to the prairie, "Gateway to the West."

Winnipeg is the Canadian city which receives the most winter sunshine, averaging 358.2 hours. The name derives from the Cree name for the lake 65 km north, Win-nipi, meaning "murky water."

Economy
Winnipeg dominates Manitoba's economy, containing 55% (1996c) of the provincial population and 65% of its labour force, producing most of its manufactured goods and accounting for more than two-thirds of its retail sales. It is still pre-eminently a transportation centre, with extensive rail and air links, the head offices of several major Canadian trucking firms and the Canadian Air Force headquarters, Air Command. However, the economy has diversified with strong manufacturing and export industries which protect it from boom-or-bust cycles and create a stable, albeit slower-growing economy.
Recently there has also been growth in MEDICAL RESEARCH, health care industries, TELECOMMUNICATIONS and information-processing companies. Still the headquarters for Canada's grain industry, it is home to the country's only commodity exchange (seeWINNIPEG COMMODITY EXCHANGE).
Winnipeg has also retained some of its prominence as a financial and insurance centre. All 3 levels of government are major employers but in recent years have reduced staff due to budget restraints.
The UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA (founded 1877), the UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG (founded 1871, as Manitoba College), St-Boniface College (founded 1818) and more recently Red River Community College, Concord College, Catherine Booth College and Providence College are located in Winnipeg.