Regina is the capital and second largest city of Saskatchewan, next to Saskatoon. It is located on a plain in southern Saskatchewan, and is about a hundred miles north of the Canadian-United States border. The Latin word regina means queen, thus Regina is sometimes called the Queen City of Plains.
Almost fifty percent of the total population of Regina has British ancestry. Other large groups in the city include those who have French, German, Scandinavian and Ukrainian descent. More than 40 percent of the population is Protestants. Some are Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Christians, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish.
The government of Regina comprises a mayor and 10 aldermen (council members), forming the city council. The council establishes city policies and appoints a professional administrator called a city manager to carry them out. The mayor and the 10 aldermen serve three-year terms. More than half of the city’s overall revenue comes from property taxes.
Regina is the chief industrial and marketing hub of the southern plains area of the province. Which are why, many businessmen drops by in the city every now and then. It has hundreds of manufacturing plants covering more than a third of Saskatchewan’s industrial production, making it a manufacturing center of the region as well. The city mainly produces steel, fertilizer and cement.
The Queen City lies at heart of Canada’s richest wheat-growing region. This makes Regina a hub in farm machineries distribution. In fact, the headquarters of the largest grain-handling cooperative in the world, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, is located there.
Regina, also, is considered to be an important oil center of Saskatchewan. The city has an oil refinery, and pipeline that links the Alberta oil fields with ports on Great Lakes runs through Regina.
Aside from being a business center, Regina has managed to reserve the beauty of its tourist spots and attractions many travelers are coming for. Most of these are museums, galleries, old buildings and parks. Tourists also come to celebrate special events with the residents of the city. One famous annual festival is the Buffalo Days, held in late July and early August. This occasion includes merry festivities like parades, rodeos and square dances.
