Manitoba is one of the three Prairie provinces located in Western Canada.[1] According to the 2021 Canadian census, it is the fifth most populous province in Canada with 1,342,153 inhabitants, and the sixth largest province by land area, covering 540,310.19 square kilometres (208,614.93 sq mi).[2][3] Manitoba currently has 137 municipalities,[4] out of which 10 are categorized as cities.[5]
Cities, towns and villages in Manitoba are referred to as municipalities, specifically urban municipalities, and are formed under the terms of the 1996 Municipal Act. In order for an urban municipality in Manitoba to be labelled as a city, it must have a minimum population of 7,500,[6] although Flin Flon, part of which is in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan,[7] falls under this threshold.[5] According to the results of the 2022 municipal elections collected by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, the municipal government of each city contains a mayor; the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon have wards, while the other cities utilize an at-large governing body.[8]
Manitoba's largest city both in population and by land area is Winnipeg, which has 749,607 residents and spans 461.78 square kilometres (178.29 sq mi); the smallest city in population is Flin Flon with 4,940 residents and the smallest by land area is Dauphin, which covers 12.67 square kilometres (4.89 sq mi).[5] Winnipeg is also the oldest incorporated city in Manitoba with its charter being approved by the legislature on November 8, 1873.[9] The most recent city to be incorporated in the province was Morden, on August 24, 2012.[10] Winnipeg is also the capital of Manitoba.[11]