Elevations rise slowly to the south and west from sea level at Hudson Bay.
Most of Manitoba lies between 150 and 300 m above sea level, but in the Turtle, Riding, Duck and Baldy mountains, heights rise to 700 m or higher. The major rivers of western Canada flow into the lowland region of Manitoba, giving Manitoba 90 percent of the hydro-electric potential of the Prairie region. The northern topography is heavily glaciated and covered in forest, dominated by pine, hemlock and birch. Manitoba is one of the sunniest provinces in Canada. It has a continental climate, with great temperatures extremes.