Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Located at the eastern edge of the great plains of Western Canada, Winnipeg plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. Because all rail and highway traffic between eastern and western Canada must travel through or near the city, it is often called the "Gateway to the West".

The city is located near the geographic centre of North America, on a flood plain at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, a point now commonly known as The Forks. The Red River Floodway protects the city from flooding. It is by far Manitoba's largest city with a population of 633,451. The Winnipeg Metropolitan Area (which includes Winnipeg and surrounding rural municipalities) has a population of 694,668 and is the eighth largest Census Metropolitan Area in Canada.