Alberta, Canada

Panorama of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calgary_panorama-2.jpg
Author: Calgarypano

Cities and Major Sights in Alberta

Alberta (AB) is one of the three prairie provinces of Canada (which also includes Saskatchewan and Manitoba). It has a population of 3.6 million people (2012 estimate). The capital of Alberta is Edmonton while the biggest city is Calgary.

Located in the central western part of the country, Alberta covers 661,848 sq km (255,541 sq mi). It is bordered by Saskatchewan to the east, British Columbia to the west, Northwest Territories to the north and the US state of Montana to the south. In the Canadian Parliament, Alberta has 28 seats out of 308 seats in the Canadian House of Commons and 6 seats out of 105 seats in the Senate of Canada. The official language of Alberta is English.

Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, who was the Queen of Canada until 1901. The capital, Edmonton is near the geographic center of the province while the city of Calgary is approximately 300 km to the south of it.

Canadian Pacific train in Wetaskiwin, Alberta
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_Pacific_Track_Laying_Train_Wetaskiwin_Alberta_Canada_06A.jpg
Author: WinterE229


The earliest people to inhabit the Alberta area were the Paleo-Indians, who probably migrated from Siberia via Alaska into Alberta some ten thousand years ago, at the end ofthe last Ice Age.

After the British arrived in Canada in the early 17th century, they placed all lands south of the Athabasca River drainage under Rupert's Land. This includes half of present-day Alberta, and all lands drained by rivers flowing into the Hudson Bay. In 1670, King Charles II gave the Hudson's Bay Company the monopoly on fur trade in the area.

In 1882, the district of Alberta was formed, as part of the North-West Territories. It was enlarged and granted provincial status in 1905.

Farm in Alberta, Canada
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Farm_Hwy_37_Alberta_Canada_02A.jpg
Author: WinterE229


As a major petroleum producer, Alberta has one of the strongest economies among the provinces and territories of Canada. It also enjoys the highest GDP of any Canadian province, at C$74,825 (2007). The Calgary-Edmonton Corridor is one of the most urbanized parts of Canada and also one of the most densely populated.

Visiting Alberta

The cities of Calgary and Edmonton have international airports, in fact the Calgary International Airport is the third largest in Canada by passenger traffic. It is also the base of low-cost carrier Westjet.

Alberta is a huge place, so driving may be the practical way of exploring it. Greyhound Canada offers bus services connecting many of the cities and main towns. Train services is very limited.

An inukshuk or stone landmark in Alberta, Canada
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inukshuk-01.jpg
Author: Phil Whitehouse

Towns in Alberta

World Heritage Sites in Alberta

Places of Interest in Alberta

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.