Manitoba is a province of Canada at the longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada’s fifth populous province, with an estimated population of 1,503,865 as of 2026. It is bordered by Nunuvat and the Norwest Territories to the north, Hudson Bay to the northeast, Ontario to the east, the US states of North Dakota and Minnesota to the south, and Saskatchewan to the west. Manitoba’s capital and largest city is Winnipeg. 

Manitoba has a widely varied landscape, from arctic tundra  and the Hudson Bay coastline in the north to dense boreal forest, large freshwater lakes, and prairie grassland in the central and southern regions. Indigenous people have inhabited what is now Manitoba for approximately 10,000 years. In the early 17th century, English and French fur traders began arriving in the area and establishing settlements. The Kingdom of England secured control of the region in 1670, creating a territory named Rubert’s Land under the administration of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Rupert’s Land, which included all of present-day Manitoba, grew and evolved from 1670 until 1869 with significant settlements of Indigenous and Metis people in the Red River Colony. Deep disagreements over self determination during negotiations to transfer Rupert’s Land to Canada in 1869 led to an armed resistance known as the Red River Rebellion, led by Louis Riel against the Canadian government. Subsequent negotiations resulted in Manitoba becoming the fifth province to join Canadian Confederation, when the Parliament of Canada passed the Manitoba Act on 15 July 1870.

Manitoba maintains a prominent Francophone identity; despite an English-speaking majority, French holds official status in the provincial legislature and courts. The province has a diversified market economy led by manufacturing, natural resources, and agribusiness, with major industrial hubs in aerospace, life sciences, logistics, and transportation. Winnipeg is the dominant economic, political, and cultural centre of Manitoba, with the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region encompassing nearly two-thirds of the provincial population. Winnipeg is the seat of government, home to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the Provincial Court. Four of the province’s five universities and all of its professional sports teams are located in Winnipeg. The city has an international airport and CFB Winnipeg operates from the airport and is the regional headquarters of the North America Aerospace Defense Command.