Alberta

I

Introduction

Alberta, province in western Canada, the most westerly of the three Prairie provinces, which also include Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Alberta is a land of contrasts. Rolling plains cover much of the province, but in the southwest, the rugged Rocky Mountains and its foothills form part of Alberta’s boundary with British Columbia. In the north the land is covered with forests and dotted with lakes and streams. On the vast Alberta plains, oil rigs rise above golden wheat fields. Industrial cities such as Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, and Calgary, the largest city, thrive in the midst of rich agricultural lands.

Many of Alberta’s early settlers were of British descent, and Alberta’s flag and coat of arms bear the cross of Saint George, a symbol of Alberta’s link with the United Kingdom. Alberta received its name in 1882 from the Marquess of Lorne, the governor-general of Canada. Lorne named the territory for his wife, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a daughter of Queen Victoria of Britain. Alberta became a province in 1905.

Alberta possesses Canada’s largest deposits of oil and natural gas, and the province has prospered with the rapid expansion of the petroleum industry after World War II (1939-1945). The manufacture of petrochemicals (chemicals derived from petroleum and natural gas) is a leading industry in Alberta. Cattle ranchers and farmers settled Alberta’s foothills and prairies, and the province remains an important producer of livestock and grain. Alberta draws large numbers of tourists each year, with attractions such as Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes national parks, and the world-famous Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. Alberta has earned the nickname Sunny Alberta because it enjoys more hours of sunshine each year than any other province.

II

Physical Geography

Alberta is the sixth largest province of Canada in land area. It covers an area of 661,848 sq km (255,541 sq mi), including 19,531 sq km (7,541 sq mi) of inland water. It is 1,225 km (699 mi) from north to south and varies in width from 296 km (184 mi) at the United States border to 653 km (406 mi) at its widest point.

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A

Natural Regions

Alberta can be divided into four major natural regions: the Rocky Mountains and foothills, which form part of the larger Cordilleran Region; the Alberta Plain; the Saskatchewan Plain, which with the Alberta Plain forms part of the larger Interior Plains region; and a small section of the Canadian Shield.

A

1

Rocky Mountains and Foothills

The Rocky Mountains form an irregular belt of rugged crags and towering peaks along the southwestern boundary of the province. Many of them are more than 3,300 m (11,000 ft) high and covered with snow for most of the year. The highest peak is Mount Columbia, which rises 3,747 m (12,293 ft) above sea level. The lower slopes are heavily forested. A chain of rolling foothills about 80 km (about 50 mi) wide parallels the Rockies on the east. In the north these foothills are covered with forest, but the grassy slopes of the south provide good grazing for beef cattle.

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