Northern Manitoba (also known as NorMan or Nor-Man) is a geographic and cultural region of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Originally encompassing a small square around the Red River Colony, the province was extended north to the 60th parallel in 1912. The region's specific boundaries vary, as "northern" communities are considered to share certain social and geographic characteristics, regardless of latitude. Geography Different bodies of the Government of Manitoba provide different definitions of Northern Manitoba. The most detailed description is set out by Manitoba Indigenous and Northern Relations: For marketing purposes, Travel Manitoba considers Northern Manitoba to encompass everything north of the 53rd parallel. In contrast, the Look North economic development agency defines the North as consisting of Statistics Canada's Census Divisions 19, 21, 22, and 23. There is also a defined territory of responsibility for the Northern Regional Health Authority, which excludes the town of Churchill. Regardless of extent, the vast majority of Northern Manitoba is undeveloped wilderness. It is situated on the Canadian Shield and includes the province's Hudson Bay coastline. Forestry, mining and hydro-electric development are significant economic drivers with long-term consequences to the environment in the region. The Indigenous population is significantly higher than in the rest of Manitoba. Climate Manitoba's northern region is mostly within in the subarctic climate zone (Köppen climate classification Dfc). It also has some Humid Continental (Koppen Dfb) areas in the south. This region features long and extremely cold winters and brief, warm summers with little precipitation. Overnight temperatures as low as occur on several days each winter. Ecology This region is covered by large extents of stunted Black Spruce dominant forest, with association of Tamarack. There are several mammals in the region including the Arctic fox, Beluga whale and Polar bear. The Polar bear has a significant denning area within the Wapusk National Park, from which annual bear migrations to Hudson Bay are made. Protected areas A single national park, Wapusk National Park; a provincial forest, Cormorant Provincial Forest; several ecological reserves; and more than twenty provincial Parks are located in Northern Manitoba. Zed Lake Provincial Park and Burge Lake Provincial Park are located near the town of Lynn Lake. Caribou River Provincial Park 59.5636°N 96.6611°W Clearwater Lake Provincial Park 54.08305°N 101.078333°W Grass River Provincial Park 54.6664°N 100.831°W Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park North Steeprock Lake Provincial Park Nueltin Lake Provincial Park Numaykoos Lake Provincial Park 57.865277777778°N 95.963333333333°W Sand Lakes