Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three prairie provinces. It joined Confederation on September 1, 1905.
Saskatchewan is (approximately) a quadrilateral bounded on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the American states of Montana and North Dakota. It is one of only two provinces that are completely land-locked.
The population of the province is 985,386 as of July 1, 2006. It is the sixth-largest province by population. Most Saskatchewanians live in the southern half of the province.
The largest city is Saskatoon, followed by the province's capital, Regina. Other major cities include Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current, North Battleford, Estevan, and Weyburn. Lloydminster is a very unique city that straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. It has a population of 23,635, of which 15,487 (65.5%) live in Alberta and 8,148 (34.5%) live in Saskatchewan.
The current Premier of Saskatchewan is Hon. Scott Moe, Saskatchewan Party. The current Lieutenant Governor is Hon. Bernadette McIntyre.
The province's name comes from the Saskatchewan River, whose name comes from its Cree designation: kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning "swift flowing river".
