Saskatchewan from north to south is marked by six recognizable bands of natural plant life, all running in a northwest-southeasterly direction and roughly following the pattern of soil zones. The northeastern corner of the province consists of subarctic woodland in which widely spaced black spruce and jack pine occur amid lichen ground cover. To the southwest of the subarctic woodland lies the northern boreal forest, also mostly black spruce and jack pine but much more densely packed. South of the shield margin, where soil cover is thicker, the predominantly coniferous northern boreal forest gives way to a mixed forest belt known as the southern boreal forest that includes stands of broad-leaved trees such as trembling aspen. Some parts of the southern boreal forest were cleared for farming (especially during the 1930s), but no agriculture occurs north of this zone. South of the southern boreal forest lies the aspen parkland, which represents a transition between the forest and grassland belts. This is the most densely settled zone in rural Saskatchewan, partly because many First Nations (Indian) Reserves are located there and partly because farms are generally smaller than those farther south. The two most southerly vegetation bands are composed of mixed prairie and dry mixed prairie, dominated by mid-height and short grasses. The relative abundance of short grasses increases as soil moisture decreases. The three most southerly zones produce a rich profusion of attractive wildflowers.

Many animal species—wolf, bison, grizzly bear, and black-footed ferret, to name a few—had been extirpated from the more-settled regions of the province by the early 20th century. Through conservation efforts some of those species have made a comeback. Cougars are seen occasionally along the river valleys. Wolves and black bears occur in northern Saskatchewan. Moose, deer, elk, and antelope are common regionally, although caribou numbers have declined. Coyotes, foxes, and lynx, together with the gophers (Richardson’s ground squirrel), rabbits, and other creatures they prey on, are abundant. Saskatchewan is on the main western flyway of waterfowl, songbirds, hawks, and owls, many of which nest in the province. North America’s first bird sanctuary was established on Last Mountain Lake, near Regina, in 1887. Regrettably, loss of habitat has meant the decline of many prairie species. The province’s extensive water resources maintain both commercial and game fish. Northern Saskatchewan particularly is a haven for the hunter and angler.

Pollution

The lack of heavy industry and of large metropolitan areas keeps Saskatchewan relatively free of the kinds of pollution associated with high population density and manufacturing, but the extensive agricultural development subjects it to the kinds connected with weed killers, insecticides, fertilizers, and livestock. Significant amounts of mercury have been found in fish and birds, and continuing research suggests that the amount of contamination in wildlife may be larger than had been apparent. The sources of the major rivers also subject Saskatchewan to upstream pollutants from areas over which it has no control. Development of oil (tar) sands in northeastern Alberta is of particular concern, contributing to the pollution of the Athabasca River, which drains into Lake Athabasca, and also to acid rain, formed from emissions released during processing of the oil sands, which poses a threat to Saskatchewan’s forests. Smoke from forest fires periodically casts a pall over thousands of square miles to the south. Frequent strong winds produce dust clouds.

Population composition

The population has changed markedly during the area’s history. It was originally exclusively American Indian (First Nations), to which French and British elements were added during the 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as a large population of Métis (people of mixed Indian and European ancestry, whom the Canadian government granted legal recognition as a native group at the beginning of the 21st century). Following construction of a transcontinental railway in the early 1880s, further settlement spread across the plains. In addition to British and eastern Canadian settlers, other Europeans—notably Germans, Austrians, Ukrainians, Scandinavians, Russians, and Poles—came to the area. Some were attracted by generous homestead grants; others came to escape religious and political persecution in their own countries. The period of heaviest immigration was in the early 20th century. The population rose from 91,279 in 1901 to 757,510 in 1921. Many of these groups settled in separate communities where they could use their own languages and continue their own religions and customs. Saskatchewan contains many settlements readily identifiable as being of Ukrainian, French Canadian, German, or other ethnic origin.

Since the 1960s (when Canada adopted a point system for vetting potential immigrants based on education, work experience, knowledge of English and French, and other factors) an appreciable number of immigrants have come from South and East Asia. By the early 21st century more than half of Saskatchewan’s population claimed multiple ethnic origins. First Nations and Métis accounted for approximately 15 percent of the total, but “visible minorities” (which the Canadian government defines as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour”) were still fewer than 5 percent. Ethnic variety is matched by that found in religious affiliation. The largest churches are the United Church of Canada, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Ukrainian Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Mennonite, Presbyterian, and Baptist. The larger cities also have small Muslim, Hindu, and other religious communities.

Settlement patterns

All of Saskatchewan is farther north than any of the most densely populated parts of Canada, and the province’s own north is sparsely settled and inaccessible except by air and by the few roads that service northern mines. Saskatchewan’s best-known regions and sites are its main agricultural and recreational areas: the wheat-oilseed belt, the ranching country, the Qu’Appelle valley, the Cypress Hills, Lake Diefenbaker, Waskesiu Lake, the old fur-trading routes and trails and the forts that sprang up along them, and the sites of Saskatchewan’s few battles.

Saskatchewan’s rural landscape was strongly influenced by the Dominion Land Survey System, which divided the prairies into townships that measured 6 by 6 miles (10 by 10 km), each of which was divided into 36 1-square-mile (2.5-square-km) sections. Each of those sections was then further subdivided into fourths, many of which had been available as free homesteads. As a consequence of the arrangement of the survey and the provisions of the Homestead Act, rural settlement typically consists of dispersed, isolated farmsteads. Most urban settlements were created to service the rural population and were, therefore, located at relatively equal intervals along railway main lines and branch lines. Cities grew at nodes in the railway network.

In the early 21st century fewer than 15 urban settlements qualified for city status, and only two were of significant size: the provincial capital, Regina, and its slightly larger sister city, Saskatoon. Both serve slightly different functions within the urban system. Regina, the main administrative centre, has strong financial and commercial sectors. Saskatoon is the main service centre for the mining industry and is the home of a number of biotechnology firms, a teaching hospital, and a university. Together, these two cities include more than one-third of Saskatchewan’s population. Other notable cities include Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. By the early 21st century about two-thirds of Saskatchewan’s population was considered urban.

Because of the modernization of agriculture in the period since World War II, Saskatchewan’s rural population has been declining. Consequently, there is less need for the smaller urban centres, many of which disappeared as their inhabitants migrated to the cities. One major change that accompanied the shift in settlement patterns was the decline in the number of wooden grain elevators; once ubiquitous, they have been replaced by a much smaller number of large concrete or steel grain-handling facilities. This restructuring of the rural landscape was associated with the closure of many railway branch lines.

Demographic trends

In the last half of the 20th century, population growth in Saskatchewan was generally slow because of the declining birth rate and the high rate of out-migration. The latter resulted largely from reduced employment opportunities brought about by increases in the efficiency of Saskatchewan’s basic industries and the lure of jobs elsewhere, especially Alberta. In the first decade of the 21st century, net migration trends shifted as expansion of the province’s resource industries provided new job opportunities. Immigration also increased, although it remained low compared with more-metropolitan regions of Canada. The most obvious demographic trend has been the increase in the number of people identified as First Nations or Métis. This population tends to be younger than the non-aboriginal population and tends to have a higher birth rate.