Melita (/məˈlɪtə/) is a town located in the south-western corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is surrounded by the Municipality of Two Borders and occupies a bend of the Souris River. Graham Creek runs along the west side of town and into the Souris River. The population at the 2016 census was 1,042.[2] It sits at the junction of Highways 3 and 83, approximately 320 km southwest of Winnipeg. Melita is known as the "Grasslands Bird Capital of Manitoba"[3] and is located in Manitoba's banana belt.
Melita | |
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Melita | |
Coordinates: 49°16′05″N 100°59′45″W / 49.26806°N 100.99583°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Manitoba |
Rural Municipality | Two Borders |
Area | |
• Total | 3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,041 |
• Density | 330/km2 (850/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (CDT) |
Evidence of First Nations habitation in the area includes the Linear Mounds Archaeological Site and the Brockinton Archaeological Site, which have provided artifacts dating back to 800 AD.[4] The site has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.[5]
Charles West was the first recorded European settler, in 1879.[6] The early inhabitants chose the name "Melita" for the town after hearing a Bible reading (Acts 28:1) about St. Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta (Melita is an older name for the island).[7]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Melita had a population of 1,041 living in 465 of its 548 total private dwellings, a change of -0.1% from its 2016 population of 1,042. With a land area of 3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi), it had a population density of 326.3/km2 (845.2/sq mi) in 2021.[1]