- Capital
- Edmonton
- Other major cities
- Calgary, Medicine Hat
- Date Entered the Federation
- September 1, 1905
- Provincial Flower
- Wild Rose
- Provincial Bird
- Great Horned Owl
- Motto
- Fortis et Liber
- "Strong and free"
- Population
- 4,647,178 (2023)
- Area
- 661 848 sq km
- Lieutenant Governor
- Her Honour The Honourable Salma Lakhani
- Premier
- The Honourable Danielle Smith (United Conservative Party)
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Alberta is the westernmost of the Prairie provinces of Canada, bounded on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Saskatchewan, on the south by the state of Montana, and on the southwest and west by British Columbia. Alberta is a wholly inland territory.
The province is called Sunny Alberta because it has more hours of sunshine a year than any other province. Alberta entered the Dominion with Saskatchewan on September 1, 1905, as the eighth and ninth provinces. With its extensive, fertile prairie lands, Alberta long had an economy dominated by agriculture. Since the 1950s, however, mineral extraction has become a leading sector of the economy. Alberta is now Canada's largest producer of petroleum and natural gas.
The province is named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, who was the wife of a Canadian governor-general and a daughter of Queen Victoria. Ralph Klein has eliminated the province's deficit since he took office, at considerable cost to its social safety net. Calgary, a city quite similar to Denver, is home to the annual Calgary Stampede. Other sites not to miss in Alberta include the West Edmonton Mall with its 800 stores, 19 movie theatres, 110 eateries, and a full sized hockey rink; Canada Olympic Park which hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games; and the series of national parks along its western borders collectively known as the Rocky Mountain Range National Park System.
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| Banff National Park |
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The Canadian province of Alberta is rich in natural beauty. The Rocky Mountains provide a spectacular environment for outdoor recreation and exploration. These riders trek through Banff National Park, the country's oldest national park, which is famous for its mountain scenery and pristine lakes.
Famous sons and daughters of Alberta include:
- The Right Honourable Joe Clark, 16th Prime Minister of Canada
- Michael J. Fox, actor
- k.d. lang, country singer
- The Honourable Grant MacEwan, author, politician, lieutenant-governor
- Joni Mitchell, singer/songwriter
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