Saskatchewan is a prairie and boreal province in west-central Canada, the only province with entirely man-made borders. It is a landlocked province with large distances to moderating bodies of waters. As a result, its climate is extremely continental, rendering severe winters all throughout the province. Southern areas have very warm or hot summers.
Saskatchewan has been inhabited for thousands of years by various indigenous groups, and first explored by Europeans in 1690 and settled in 1774. It became a province in 1905, and in the early 20th century the province became known as a stronghold for Canadian democratic socialism; North America's first social-democratic government was elected in 1944.
