Alberta
"Canada's Energy Province"
Alberta is made up of rolling foothills and the huge Rocky Mountains. The heartland is a colorful mix of farms, forests, rivers and vibrant growing communities. Historically, agriculture has been the main part of this local economy. Rivers, too played a major role in the immediate years after first contact between First Nations and explorers. Today, the waterways have lost their role as a transportation corridor, but they remain a vital part of the landscape for visitors and locals alike.
Alberta's North, known to some as Canada's outback, is relatively untamed. But winding through the acres of Alberta's North wilderness are many highways, connecting little (and some not so little) pockets of civilization where the spirit of explorers, pioneers, trappers, and hunters still lives on. Fort McMurray is a booming town that boasts a precious reserve of oil sands as its claim to fame. Nearby Wood Buffalo National Park offers natural tranquility and once-in-a-lifetime encounters with bison and wolves. Farther west is the Peace River region, with important communities like Grande Prairie (a thriving agricultural community), and High Level (a gateway to the Northwest Territories and home to Canada's most northerly grain elevator. Hunters relish the big game opportunities in this vast northern region, which offer chances at elk, deer, bear and moose, to name a few.
Alberta's Rocky Mountain area is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Starting with Jasper, Hinton, Grande Cache and the Icefields Parkway in the north; Banff, Lake Louise, Kananaskis Country and Canmore in the south; and Waterton, a picturesque mountain park on the U.S. border. The Rocky's are Canada's largest mountain range.
Alberta's South offers a traditional western setting where short grasses, dramatic foothills and big shy dominate the landscape. This region shares borders with Montana, the Canadian Rockies and Southwestern Saskatchewan. Dinosaur hunters flock to Drumheller, where the desert region yields countless fossils and prehistoric discoveries. The remarkable culture and lifestyle of local Aboriginals comes alive at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO world heritage site that is located 11 miles northwest of Fort Macleod.
The city of Calgary is an attractive and dynamic city situated on the banks of the Bow River and clodse to Alberta's majestic Rocky Mountains. Calgary is home of the famous Calgary Stampede. This event features a large parade and world-class rodeo, and draws more than a million visitors each year. Calgary was the host city of the 1988 Winter Olympic games.
Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta and is well known for its scenic river valley and a thriving music and art community. Edmonton is located 183 miles north of Calgary.
Flag
The flag of Alberta, Canada was adopted on 1 June 1968.
The flag has the proportions 2:1, with the provincial shield of arms in the centre. The shield's height is 7/11 that of the flag's height. The provincial colours, adopted in 1984, are blue and gold (deep yellow); they are also referred to as ‘Alberta blue’ and ‘Alberta gold,’ appearing on the flag/shield in the sky/background and wheat background, respectively.
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Some Facts...
Alberta's area: 661, 185 square kilometers
Alberta's population: 2, 545, 553 (according to the 1991 census)
-Alberta is one of the three prairie provinces.
-It is the fourth-largest province.
-Saskatchewan is east of Alberta; British Columbia is west.
-The Northwest Territories are north of Alberta.
-The state of Montana is south.
-Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta of Britain.
-Edmonton (capital city) and Calgary are the largest cities.
-Alberta's flower - Wild Rose, tree - Lodgepole Pine, bird - Great Horned Owl,
mammal - Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
-Alberta's motto - "strong and free".
-It is known as Canada's "energy province".
Pictured above:
Peyto Lake, in Banff National Park, Alberta, Can.
© Ron and Patty Thomas—Taxi/Getty Images
Land and Water
-The main rivers are the Peace River, North and South Saskatchewan River, and Athabasca River.
-There are icefields in Banff and Jasper National Parks.
-The icefields help to fill the rivers.
-There are five national parks.
-Banff National Park is the oldest national park in Canada.
-Wood Buffalo National Park is the home to about 2200 wood buffalo (endangered).
-A large mountain range ( Rocky Mountains ) is along the western border.
-The badlands ( dry, sandy, rocky area) are in southeastern Alberta.
-Northern Alberta is covered with forest and muskeg.
-The rest of the province is on a great plain or prairie.
Pictured above:
Delta of the Athabasca and Peace rivers, near the western shore of Lake Athabasca, in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Can. by Greg Stott/Masterfile
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Climate
-The foothills receive the most rainfall.
-Warm, dry "chinook" winds are produced when air funnels through the Rockies.
-Chinook winds sweep down on southern Alberta and raise temperatures in the winter.
-Cold Arctic air masses bring cool weather in the winter.
Pictured above: Mount Chephren above Waterfowl Lake in Baniff National Park, Southern Alberta
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Resources
-Alberta has oil, natural gas, and coal.
-Oil was discovered at Leduc (near Edmonton) in 1947.
-It is the main producer of coal in Canada.
-The province is also the main producer of oil and natural gas in Canada.
-Alberta sells the oil, natural gas and coal to other provinces and other countries.
-There is also sulfur, silica sand, potash, quartz, thick salt deposits, clay and limestone.
-Forests cover over half of Alberta.
-There is good soil for growing crops like oats, canola and barley.
-The main crop is wheat. Alberta is the second largest producer of wheat in Canada.
-There are many dairy farms and cattle ranches.
-Most of the beef cattle in Canada are raised on ranches in the southern foothills.
Pictured Above:
Workers on the drilling floor of an oil drilling rig, near Grande Prairie, Alta., Can.
AP
The People
-Alberta is home to over 3.2 million people.(July/05)
-The largest cities are Edmonton (capital) and Calgary.
-More than half of the people live in these two cities.
-Immigrants came from Britain, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the East and Southeast Asia.
-Ethnic backgrounds - British (44 percent), German, Ukranian, French, Scandinavian, Dutch,
and many other countries HISTORY-The first people were the:
Slavey, Chipewyan, Kootenay, Beaver, Cree, Sarcee, Blood, Piegan, Gros Ventre and Blackfoot.
-In the north they hunted moose, caribou and deer, fished and gathered plants and berries.
-They used bark canoes to travel up and down the streams.
-On the plains they hunted the bison and lived in tipis.
-Anthony Henday ( European explorer and fur trader ) came to Alberta in 1754.
-Fur traders built trading posts on the Athabasca River and North Saskatchewan River.
-Forts were built to keep law and order.
-The First Nations traded furs and received guns, blankets and metal goods.
-Alberta grew when the railroad was built in 1883.
-Early settlers were ranchers from England and the United States.
-Immigrants came from Ukraine and many parts of Europe to farm.
-Alberta became a province on September 1, 1905.
Pictured above is an Arora viewed from downtown Edmonton
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People and Places
-Calgary stampede has bull riding, calf roping and wagon racing.
-Dinosaur Provincial Park is in the badlands.
-A 9 m. high Ukranian Easter egg is displayed at Vegreville, east of Edmonton.
-Figure skater Kurt Browning (born in Caroline, Alberta) won four World Championships.
Pictured above is the giant easter egg at Vegreville, a one hour drive east of Edmonton
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