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About Alberta

Premier of Alberta - The Honourable Ed Stelmach, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta

Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation - The Honourable Cindy Ady

Capital of Alberta - Edmonton

Population of Alberta - 3 474 000 (Statistics Canada 2007). Over 10% of Canada’s population resides in Alberta.

Area of Alberta - 661 185 sq km (255 303 sq mi); Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada.

Coordinates - between 49 and 60 degrees north latitude and between 110 and 120 degrees west longitude.

Width & Length - north to south - 1223 km (764 mi); east to west - 660 km (412 mi).

Alberta receives 2 330 hours of sunshine annually, the highest in Canada.

Highest mountain in Alberta - Mt. Columbia 3 747 m (12 294 ft); and the second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

Lowest point in Alberta - where the Salt River enters the Northwest Territories in northeast Alberta 183 m (600 ft).

Alberta has two international airports: one in Edmonton and one in Calgary.

Alberta has more than 300 golf courses; seven of Canada’s signature courses are located here.

Alberta has five of Canada’s 14 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as designated by the United Nations.

There are at least 66 regional ski hills in the province as well as 6 major Canadian Rockies ski resorts.

Location

The province of Alberta is located in western Canada between the provinces of British Columbia (B.C.) to the west and Saskatchewan to the east. At our northern border is the Northwest Territories. The state of Montana marks our southern border.

Considered one of Canada’s three “Prairie Provinces”—along with Manitoba and Saskatchewan—Alberta differs in that it shares the Canadian Rockies with British Columbia. Our natural border is the imaginary line of the Continental Divide that separates Alberta from B.C.

Geography

Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada. It is similar in size to Texas, three times the size of Great Britain or equal to the combined areas of France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Land accounts for 97% of the area with the remainder made up of numerous lakes, rivers and streams.

The province has a diversity of natural terrain—parklands, grasslands, primordial badlands, vast tracts of wildlands, boreal forests and plains, ancient glaciers, thousands of lakes and rivers, and the oldest mountain ranges of the “backbone” that runs the length of North and South America.

Its variety of natural areas and ecosystems supports hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or protected. Coupled with the intriguing history of Aboriginal cultures and prehistoric dinosaur remains, it is easy to see why the United Nations crowned Alberta with five of Canada’s 13 designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Climate

The province is characterized by low humidity and considerable contrasts between areas and seasons. Average temperatures range from 15C to 23C (60F to 73F) in July and -8C to -25C (18F to -13F) in January. Alberta receives more days of sunshine than any other province in Canada—2,300 hours of sunshine annually.
Population

Alberta is currently the fastest growing province in Canada. A population of more than three million people lives primarily in our international gateway cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Smaller urban centres include Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Our large rural population reflects our prominent agricultural industry.

Resources/Industry

Alberta's major industries are energy, business and commercial services, transportation and utilities, finance and real estate, retail and wholesale trade, and manufacturing. Over the past decade, the economy has experienced rapid growth in such industries as petrochemicals, forest products, food processing, machinery, electronics and telecommunications, tourism, and business services. Tourism generates over $4 billion in revenues each year.

Emblems, etc.

 

New Official Grass Emblem for Alberta

Alberta is celebrating the addition of a new provincial emblem - Rough Fescue grass.

The addition of this new emblem was coordinated by the Prairie Conservation Forum. The Forum consulted a range of Alberta scientists and resource managers to identify five candidate grasses for Albertans to vote on through a mail-in or online ballot. Rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) was the winner selected by Albertans, with the other choices being: blue grama grass, green needle grass, june grass, and western wheat grass.
 

Provincial Flower - Wild Rose, rosa acicularis. The wild rose was chosen in the Floral Emblem Act of 1930.
 

Provincial Flag - Under the Flag Act (passed at the 1968 Session of the Alberta Legislature) a blue flag, with the Coat of Arms of the Province in the centre, was appointed and declared as the Flag of Alberta. This Act was proclaimed by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council on June 1, 1968.
 

Provincial Coat of Arms - On May 30, 1907, a Royal Warrant assigned the Coat of Arms of the Province of Alberta. Topped by a red St. George's Cross on a white background, the Coat of Arms features blue in back of a range of snow covered mountains with green hills, a prairie and a field of wheat in front. On July 30, 1980, the arms had a Crest, Motto and Supporters added by Royal Warrant. The Crest has a Royal Crown on top of a beaver sitting on a helmet with a silver and red wreath.
 

Motto: FORTIS ET LIBER (Strong and Free) to be borne and used together with Arms of the Province upon seals, shields, banners, flags, or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms.
   

Supporters: Gold lion (symbol of power) and pronghorn antelope (symbol of natural riches). The compartment (base of the Coat of Arms) is a grassy mount with wild roses.
 

Alberta Tartan - The colours of the Alberta Tartan represent the green of its forests, the gold of its wheat fields, the blue of its clean skies and sparkling lakes, the pink of its wild rose, and the black of its coal and petroleum.
 

Provincial Bird - Great Horned Owl, bubo virginianus
 

Provincial Mammal - Rocky Mountain Big Horned Sheep
 

Provincial Fish - Bull Trout, salvelinus confluentus
 

Provincial Tree - Lodgepole Pine, pinus contorta variety latifolia
 

Provincial Stone - Petrified Wood
 

Provincial Colours - Blue and Gold (deep yellow)

  Bragging Rights