The Canadian prairies is a vast area of flat sedimentary land that stretches from Ontario and the Canadian Shield to the Canadian Rockies covering much of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - the Prairie Provinces.

The prairies are one of the world's most important farming areas with wheat being grown in the south and beef cattle being raised in Alberta being two of the most important commodities.

The southern section of the prairies is extremely arid. One section known as Palliser's Triangle is so arid that farming has never been successful there without government help. The zones around the cities of Regina and Calgary are also very dry. In an average year, southern Saskatchewan receives between 300 mm (12 in) and 510 mm (20 in) of precipitation, with the majority falling between April and June. Frost from October to March limits the growing season.

The eastern section of the prairies, in Manitoba, is well watered with several large lakes, most notable Lake Winnipeg and also some large rivers. The area also gets reasonable amounts of precipitation. The middle sections of Alberta and Saskatchewan are also wetter than the south and are better farmland, despite having a shorter growing season. The areas around Edmonton and Saskatoon are especially notable for good land.

Further north the area becomes too cold for much agriculture and becomes dominated by large forests.