Geography of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan, located in the heart of the Canadian Prairies, is unique in its geographical makeup. The province's borders largely follow geographic coordinates of longitude and latitude, making it an approximate quadrilateral. However, the boundaries along the 49th and 60th parallels appear slightly curved on many maps, and the eastern boundary is somewhat irregular, not following a straight line of longitude. This irregularity is due to the correction lines surveyed before the implementation of the Dominion Lands Act (1880-1928).

As part of the western provinces, Saskatchewan is bordered by Alberta to the west, the Northwest Territories to the north, Nunavut to the northeast, Manitoba to the east, and the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota to the south. Saskatchewan holds the distinction of being the only Canadian province with borders that do not correspond to any physical geographic features. All its borders are defined by parallels and meridians. Together with Alberta, Saskatchewan is one of the only two landlocked provinces in Canada.

The vast majority of Saskatchewan's population is concentrated in the southern part of the province, south of the 53rd parallel, while the northern region is sparsely populated. The province's geography is divided into two major natural regions: the Canadian Shield in the north and the Interior Plains in the south.

Northern Saskatchewan is primarily covered by boreal forests, except for the Athabasca Sand Dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world, located north of the 58th parallel, and adjacent dunes along the southern shore of Lake Athabasca. Southern Saskatchewan contains another area of sand dunes known as the "Great Sand Hills," covering over 300 square kilometers. The Cypress Hills, located in the southwest corner of Saskatchewan and the Grasslands National Park, are areas of the province that remained unglaciated during the last ice age, the Wisconsin glaciation.

Saskatchewan's highest point is located in the Cypress Hills, reaching 1,392 meters (4,567 feet) above sea level, just two kilometers from the provincial border with Alberta. The lowest point is the shore of Lake Athabasca, at 213 meters (699 feet) above sea level. The province has fourteen major drainage basins, formed by various rivers and watersheds that drain into the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.