The Plains Region

            The prairie region stretches from most of Alberta and B.C. to the southern parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. These plains are separated into three levels. The first of the three levels is the flattest and the third is the one that has the most hills. The temperatures can be extreme with cold winters and hot summers. Annual precipitation ranges from 300-500 mm. The plains were originally inhabited by the Plains Nations, which consisted of over 170 First Nations. Metis came to the area in the 1600’s. Settlers from the U.S., eastern Canada, central and eastern Europe flocked to the plains from 1890-1914 for the “Wheat Boom.” The population is very multicultural and most of the people live in towns or cities. Oats, barley, canola, corn and sunflowers are some of the main crops, but the most important one is wheat. Alberta supplies 40% of Canada’s beef. Our oil, potash and coal come from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

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