Winnipeg is a major Canadian city, and the capital of the province of Manitoba. Located in Western Canada, near where the Canadian Shield meets the Prairies, Winnipeg plays a prominent role in transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. It is known as the Gateway to the West, and was historically known as the "Bullseye" of the Dominion and "Heart of the Continent", due to its critical location on the Canadian transportation network.

The city is located near the geographic centre of North America. It lies in a flood plain at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers and started around the point now commonly known as The Forks. It is protected from flooding by the Red River Floodway. Winnipeg is one of the coldest large cities in the world and has the coldest winters of any city of over 500,000 population in the Western Hemisphere.