Flag of SaskatchewanMap of regions of Saskatchewan, used onWikivoyage.
The regional designations vary widely within theCanadian province ofSaskatchewan. With a total land area of 651,036 square kilometres (251,366 sq mi), Saskatchewan is crossed by major rivers such as theChurchill and theSaskatchewan, and exists mostly within theHudson Bay drainage area. Its borders were set at its entry intoConfederation in 1905, and Saskatchewan is one of only twolandlocked provinces (the other isAlberta) and the only province whose borders are not based on natural features.
As the fifth largest provinceby area (and sixth largestby population), Saskatchewan has been divided up into unofficial and official regions in many ways. In addition, it is part of larger national regions.
The province is regularly divided into three regions of Northern, Central, and Southern Saskatchewan, the latter two of which include the subregions of East-Central, Southeast, Southwestern, and West-Central Saskatchewan.[1][2][3] Along with these regions, the terms Northwestern and Northeastern Saskatchewan may be used to refer to the furthest north reaches of Central Saskatchewan; or, less often, they may be used to divide Northern Saskatchewan into two.
Northern Saskatchewan, the northern half of the province, mostly uninhabited, with its southern boundary often defined nearPrince Albert and the start of theboreal forest.
Central Saskatchewan, the part of the province located between Northern and Southern Saskatchewan, includingSaskatoon and the most densely populated parts of the province, with its northern boundary often defined at theboreal forest tree line and its southern boundary atLake Diefenbaker and theQu'Appelle Valley.
Southeast Saskatchewan, the southeastern corner of the province, centred aroundEstevan andWeyburn and often including theRegina andQu'Appelle Valley areas.
Parts of Saskatchewan have been given formal and informal names, including:
Garlic Belt (or Perogy Belt), across Central Saskatchewan, especially around theCanora andYorkton areas, and part of the larger region that spreads from CentralAlberta to SouthernManitoba, nicknamed for its abundance ofpeople of Ukrainian descent.[4][5]
Ghost Town Trail, region of largely abandoned communities spanning across the southern part of the province and centred aroundHighway 13.[6]
Medicine Line, along the border between Canada and the United States (from theLake of the Woods to the continental divide), named so byNative Americans because of its ability to prevent U.S. soldiers from crossing it.[7]
Until 2017, the province was divided into 13 health regions.[9] As of December 4, 2017, it is considered defunct, as all health regions in Saskatchewan have been replaced by theSaskatchewan Health Authority.[10]
Athabasca Health Authority, in the far north of the province, includingStony Rapids.
Cypress Regional Health Authority, centred aroundSwift Current and including the southwestern corner of the province.
Five Hills Regional Health Authority, centred aroundMoose Jaw and including theBig Muddy Badlands to the U.S. border.
Heartland Regional Health Authority, in the west-central part of the province.
Keewatin Yatthé Regional Health Authority, in the western half of Northern Saskatchewan, includingBuffalo Narrows andLa Loche.
Saskatchewan’s public library system includes three municipal library systems, seven regional library systems, one northern library federation, and a provincial library.[11]
Chinook Regional Library, serving the southwestern part of the province, includingSwift Current.
City of Prince Albert Public Library Board, serving the city ofPrince Albert.
Lakeland Regional Library, servingthe Battlefords and surrounding areas.
DirectWest, a division ofSaskTel, distributes ten telephone directories throughout the province in ten different regions—one each forRegina andSaskatoon, and eight more based generally on proximity to major centres.
Estevan/Weyburn and District, serving the southeast part of the province.
Melville/Yorkton and District, serving the east-central part of the province.
Moose Jaw and District, serving the south-central part of the province.
North Battleford and District, serving the west-central and northwest parts of the province.
Prince Albert and District, serving the north-central and northeast parts of the province.
The province is divided into nine districts for sport, culture, and recreation purposes, each of which are headed by a volunteer, non-profit organization.[13] Two of the districts (Regina andSaskatoon) represent the provinces main urban centres, while the other seven districts represent a mix of urban and rural areas. These districts are used, for example, as the teams for theSaskatchewan Games.[14]
Statistics Canada has divided Saskatchewan into 18census divisions for statistical purposes; although, they do not reflect the organization of local government nor any common regions in the province.[16]
Statistics Canada has divided Saskatchewan into 6 economic regions, meant to reflect the province’s hubs of economic activity and their surrounding areas.[17]
Saskatchewan is home to four of Canada’s 15 ecozones, as defined by the 2017 Ecological Land Classification.[23] These ecozones are further divided into numerous ecoprovinces, ecoregions, and ecodistricts.[23]
Being in the centre of North America, Saskatchewan is far removed from the moderating effects of any large body of water and therefore has a temperatecontinental climate,Köppen climate classification types BSk, Dfb and Dfc.[24]
^Barry, Bill (2001).Ukrainian people places: The Ukrainians, Germans, Mennonites, Hutterites and Doukhobors and the names they brought to Saskatchewan.
^Bachusky, Johnnie (2011). Lesley Reynolds (ed.).Ghost Town Stories of the Red Coat Trail: From Renegade to Ruin on the Canadian Prairies. Heritage House.ISBN978-1-926936-20-8.OCLC798827407.
^Rees, Tony (2007).Arc of the Medicine Line-Mapping the World's Longest Undefended Border Across the Western Plains. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 5.ISBN978-0-8032-1791-1.
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