Information AboutGimli, Manitoba |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT GIMLI, MANITOBA | |
| rural municipalities in manitoba | |
| icelandic canadian settlements | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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Gimli is a Rural Municipality in south-central Manitoba , Canada . It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg , about seventy-five kilometres north of the provincial capital Winnipeg . The town (population 1,657 Statistics Canada 2001 census) and surrounding area constitute and Icelandic ethnic Block Settlement , and are home to the largest Iceland ic population outside of Iceland. It was founded by settlers originally from Iceland in 1875. It is noted for the large Viking statue, standing fifteen feet tall (4.6 m), which attracts visitors to the region, along with the annual Icelandic Festival held there each summer during the Civic Holiday long weekend (occurs on the first Monday in August). Gimli is famous for being the only location in the world that produces Crown Royal Canadian Whisky . Gimli is the site of a disused Royal Canadian Air Force base, which is now used by the Gimli Gliding Centre and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets . The airbase was the site of a remarkable emergency landing by an Air Canada Boeing 767 which had run out of fuel in mid-flight, causing its engines to entirely shut down, and forcing the plane to land as a glider. This event became known as the Gimli Glider . The plane was nicknamed the Gimli Glider by the aviation community. The Boeing 767 is still flying with Air Canada, more than 20 years after the accident. ARTS AND CULTURE Festivals NOTABLE PEOPLE
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