Winnipeg

Winnipeg (pop. 652,300), capital city of Manitoba, Canada, on the Red and Assiniboine rivers. The Canadian transcontinental railroad goes through this city in the center of the country. Along with a network of highways, this made Winnipeg an important distribution location for Canada in the past. At the time of French settlement (1738), fur trading was the base of the Winnipeg economy. Because of its location in the wheat belt, the city became home to Canada's grain market. Early in the 20th century, with cross-continental access, the population of the area grew. At the same time it developed as a major manufacturing center. Today the city is a center for culture and finance as well as trade and industry, with a symphony orchestra, theater center, art museum, and planetarium. The city was originally inhabited by Cree and Assiniboine Native Americans, and the population of Winnipeg today contains a large number of people of Native American ancestry.

See also: Manitoba.