Alberta Travel Guides
Alberta /ælˈbɜrtə/ is the most populous and fastest growing of Canada's three prairie provinces. It covers about the same land area as France or Texas, and had a population of 3.7 million in 2009. It became a province on September 1, 1905, on the same day as Saskatchewan. It is economically important primarily because of its vast oil reserves, and its large tertiary and quaternary economic sector.
Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. Alberta is one of three Canadian provinces and territories to border only a single U.S. state (the others being New Brunswick and Yukon). It is also one of only two Canadian provinces that are landlocked (the other being Saskatchewan).
The capital city of Alberta is Edmonton, located just south of the centre of the province. Roughly 300 kilometres (190 mi) south of the capital is Calgary, Alberta's largest city and a major distribution and transportation hub as well as one of Canada's major commerce centres. Edmonton is the primary supply and service hub for Canada's oil sands and other northern resource industries. According to recent population estimates, these two metropolitan areas have now both exceeded 1 million people. Other municipalities in the province include Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Camrose, Lloydminster, Brooks, Wetaskiwin, Banff, Cold Lake, and Jasper.
Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. Princess Louise was the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. Lake Louise, the village of Caroline, and Mount Alberta were also named in honour of Princess Louise. Since December 14, 2006, the Premier of the province has been Ed Stelmach, a Progressive Conservative.
Geography of Alberta
Alberta covers an area of 661,848 square kilometres (255,500 sq mi), an area about 5% smaller than Texas or 20% larger than metropolitan France. This makes it the fourth largest province after Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. To the south, the province borders on the 49th parallel north, separating it from the U.S. state of Montana, while on the north the 60th parallel north divides it from the Northwest Territories. To the east the 110th meridian west separates it from the province of Saskatchewan, while on the west its boundary with British Columbia follows the 120th meridian west south from the Northwest Territories at 60°N until it reaches the Continental Divide at the Rocky Mountains, and from that point follows the line of peaks marking the Continental Divide in a generally southeasterly direction until it reaches the Montana border at 49°N.
The province extends 1,223 kilometres (760 mi) north to south and 660 kilometres (410 mi) east to west at its maximum width. Its highest point is 3,747 metres (12,293 ft) at the summit of Mount Columbia in the Rocky Mountains along the southwest border, while its lowest point is 152 metres (499 ft) on the Slave River in Wood Buffalo National Park in the northeast.
With the exception of the semi-arid steppe of the southeastern section, the province has adequate water resources. Alberta contains numerous rivers and lakes used for swimming, water skiing, fishing and a full range of other water sports. There are three large lakes and a multitude of smaller lakes less than 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) each. Part of Lake Athabasca (7,898 square kilometres (3,049 sq mi)) lies in the province of Saskatchewan. Lake Claire (1,436 square kilometres (554 sq mi)) lies just west of Lake Athabasca in Wood Buffalo National Park. Lesser Slave Lake (1,168 square kilometres (451 sq mi)) is northwest of Edmonton. The longest river in Alberta is the Athabasca River which travels 1,538 kilometres (956 mi) from the Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains to Lake Athabasca.
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