Manitoba - The Keystone Province Quiz

Answer: Muddy waters

The Cree name 'win-nipi' referred specifically to the large lake north of the city of Winnipeg that carries the same name. While the 'muddy waters' were those of the lake, it certainly still applies to the waters of Winnipeg's rivers.

Winnipeg was incorporated as a city in 1873. In 1971, a unicity amalgamation joined the (then) City of Winnipeg with the municipalities of Transcona, St. Boniface, St. Vital, West Kildonan, East Kildonan, Tuxedo, Old Kildonan, North Kildonan, Fort Garry, Charleswood, and the City of St. James.

Answer: Thames River

The two rivers that meet at The Forks are the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, while the Seine River runs through St. Vital and St. Boniface, Winnipeg's French quarter.

The Red River begins where the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail Rivers converge at the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, then flows north until it empties into Lake Winnipeg. It is about 885 kilometres long, with most of it (about 3/4) in the United States.

The Assiniboine River is a tributary of the Red that originates in Eastern Saskatchewan and runs 1,070 kilometres before finally reaching Winnipeg.

The Seine River is also a tributary of the Red, but a much shorter one that begins in Southeast Manitoba. It flows northwest through a number of francophone communities before meeting the Red in St. Boniface, just north of The Forks.

Answer: York Factory

Hayes River was an important river during the time of the Voyageurs and the fur trade. It was added to the Canadian Heritage River System in 2006.

York Factory was settled in 1684, and became the headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company Northern Department from 1821 to 1873. Its operation as a fur trade post lasted until 1957. It was named a National Heritage Site of Canada in 1936 and is operated by Parks Canada.

Answer: Lake Winnipeg

In order of size, the four Manitoba lakes listed as answer options are:

Lake Winnipeg - 24,514 kmē
Lake Winnipegosis - 5,403 kmē
Lake Manitoba - 4,706 kmē
Southern Indian Lake - 2,015 kmē

The southern end of Lake Winnipeg is approximately 55 km north of the City of Winnipeg, and it extends north for 416 km, at which point it drains into the Nelson River (which flows to Hudson Bay). At its widest point, Lake Winnipeg is approximately 100 km across.

Answer: False

That distinction actually goes to Rugby, North Dakota, USA.

The longitudinal centre of North America, running north through Rugby, would pass through Brandon, Manitoba's second-largest city.

The longitudinal centre of Canada lies just east of the City of Winnipeg (there is a sign on the Trans-Canada Highway).

The latitudinal centre of Canada is at 62 degrees 24 minutes North, putting it within the borders of the Territory of Nunavut.

Answer: The Cascade Mountains

The Manitoba Escarpment (and its extension into the USA - the Pembina Escarpment) was the western shore of Lake Agassiz - the great glacial lake that covered most of Manitoba (and parts of Northern Ontario, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Montana) at the end of the the last ice age (about 11,500 years ago).

The region extends for approximately 1225 km north to south within Manitoba.

The Cascade Mountains are found in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

Answer: Baldy Mountain

All of the given answer options are peaks in Manitoba. Baldy Mountain is in the Duck Mountains, northwest of the City of Dauphin. Hart Mountain is in the Porcupine Mountains near Swan River and the Saskatchewan border. It is Manitoba's second-tallest mountain at 789 m. Knob Hill comes in third at 774 m and is located near Virden.

At 709 m, Riding Mountain is actually only Manitoba's tenth-tallest mountain, but is perhaps the most well known, as it is also the name of Manitoba's only National Park.

Answer: It has Canada's only Arctic seaport.

Churchill has become a famous destination for tourists wanting to see Beluga whales calving in the summer, and Polar Bears in the autumn, when they come to the shore of Hudson Bay to hunt seals.

The first permanent settlement at the site of Churchill was established in 1717 by the Hudson's Bay Company, after a failed attempt 30 years previously. Even before that, in 1619, a Danish expedition wintered at the same location (only three of 64 survived the winter).

The Port of Churchill, with its location in the centre of Canada (albeit somewhat northerly), provides for a more accessible transportation point for the export of midcontinental resources (prairie grains and mining, for example).

Answer: False

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was the third governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, from 1685 to 1692. He was the inspiration for the naming of the Churchill River and the Churchill River Post (later the Town of Churchill).

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was born into the same family, a few generations down the list. His paternal grandfather was John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough.

Answer: 8th

Manitoba has an area of 647,797 kmē, which makes for about 6.5% of Canada's total area. In order, from largest to smallest, here are Canada's provinces and territories:

1. Nunavut - 2,093,190 kmē
2. Québec - 1,542,056 kmē
3. Northwest Territories - 1,346,106 kmē
4. Ontario - 1,076,395 kmē
5. British Columbia - 944,735 kmē
6. Alberta - 661,848 kmē
7. Saskatchewan - 651,036 kmē
8. Manitoba - 647,797 kmē
9. Yukon - 482,443 kmē
10. Newfoundland and Labrador - 405,212 kmē
11. New Brunswick - 72,908 kmē
12. Nova Scotia - 55,284 kmē
13. Prince Edward Island - 5,660 kmē