The People

The Métis, people of mixed European and Aboriginal descent, were among the first settlers, many of them having migrated from Manitoba. With land available at token prices, agriculture gradually replaced the fur trade. A major wave of immigration began in 1899 and continued until 1929.

Today, Saskatchewan's population stands at approximately 1 024 000. Saskatchewan is Canada's only province where the majority of the population is of

neither British nor French background. The population has a variety of ethnic inheritances - German, Ukrainian, Scandinavian, Amerindian, Dutch, Polish and Russian, as well as British, French and many other non-European origins.

Regina and Saskatoon are the two main cities and together have more than one-third of the total population. Named in recognition of Queen Victoria (Victoria Regina), the capital is the site of Wascana Centre, one of the world's largest urban parks. Saskatoon, which has a larger population, is bisected by the South Saskatchewan River.