Introduction to Geography of Alberta
Alberta, the westernmost of the Prairie Provinces of Canada. Its landscapes vary from lofty mountain peaks and glacial lakes of the Rockies to vast forests and fertile prairies. As in the United States, the prairies produce an abundance of wheat and other crops. Alberta is also rich in mineral resources, especially petroleum and natural gas.
Alberta in brief
Alberta's provincial bird is the great horned owlPhysical Geography
Alberta is one of the Prairie Provinces of Canada.LandAlberta occupies part of three great physiographic regions of North America: the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, and the Canadian Shield.
The Rocky Mountains in Alberta are a high range, varying from 9,000 to more than 12,000 feet (2,750 to 3,650 m) above sea level. Mount Columbia, reaching 12,294 feet (3,747 m), on the British Columbia border, is Alberta's highest point. During the last Ice Age the range was covered by glaciers, of which there are many small remnants. There are many jagged peaks and deep intermountain valleys, particularly in Banff and Jasper national parks.
The Great Plains extend northward into Alberta from the United States. Though the land is generally flat, there are broad, deep valleys, hills, and low ranges locally called mountains. The valley of the Red Deer River has typical badlands topography, with eroded saw-tooth ridges and deep ravines.
The Canadian Shield extends into the northeast corner of Alberta. It is an area of exposed, ancient crystalline rock, part of an enormous formation that covers most of northern and eastern Canada.
Elevations in Alberta decrease from the Rockies and their foothills to an average of about 2,500 feet (760 m) on the Great Plains and 600 feet (180 m) in the Slave River Valley of the northeast.
Alberta's provincial flower is the wild roseWaterAlmost all of Alberta is drained by streams that flow generally east and northeast, toward Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Rivers in the north and central parts include the Athabasca, Peace, Hay, and Slave; in the central area, the North Saskatchewan and Pembina; and in the south, the South Saskatchewan, with its tributaries, the Bow, Oldman, and Red Deer rivers. Among the province's many lakes are Athabasca (mainly in Saskatchewan), Lesser Slave, Claire, Bistcho, and Utikuma.
ClimateAlberta's climate is an extreme continental type, with great ranges between summer and winter temperatures. In the north, for example, July temperatures average 60° F. (16° C.) and January temperatures average -8° F. (-22° C.). Corresponding figures for Calgary, in the south, are 63° F. (17° C.) and 12° F. (-11° C). The climate is also characterized by abundant sunshine.
Precipitation ranges from 10 to 25 inches (255 to 635 mm) annually, but its occurrence is highly variable. The driest area is the southeast. Snowfall is heavy throughout the province. Most of the precipitation between November and March falls as snow.
Prevailing winds are westerly the year round. An important influence is that of the chinook—a warm, dry, westerly wind blowing from the Rocky Mountains in winter and spring.
Vegetation and Wildlife. In the Rockies plant life is limited to hardy Alpine vegetation, while the foothills have a mixture of evergreen and broadleaf trees. The prairies of the southern Great Plains have short grasses and few, if any, trees.
A transitional zone of mixed grasses and trees marks the northern rim of the prairies. Aspen, birch, and willow become frequent. Farther north lies a great forest, composed principally of spruce, pine, larch, and fir.
In wildlife, Alberta is among Canada's richest provinces. Bear, caribou, and moose roam the northern forests. Small fur-bearing animals are abundant—beaver, mink, otter, and marten. As the boundary of settlement has moved northward, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of wild animals.
The province's many lakes make Alberta a haven for waterfowl. Pheasant, grouse, and partridge are found. Many other bird species pass through Alberta on their yearly migrations. Lakes and streams teem with trout, grayling, Rocky Mountain whitefish, and pike.
Interesting facts about AlbertaThe world's largest Easter egg is in Vegreville. It is 26 feet (7.9 meters) long, 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide, stands 31 feet (9.4 meters) high on its base, and weighs about 5,000 pounds (2,300 kilograms). It is known as the Pysanka, the Ukrainian term for Easter egg. The computer-designed egg has a shell composed of multicolored aluminum pieces joined together to form a colorful pattern.The world's largest shopping center is the West Edmonton Mall. It has more than 800 shops, the world's largest indoor amusement park, 20 movie theaters, and an ice arena.The world's foremost dinosaur museum is the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller. Opened in 1985, it has dinosaur fossils from throughout the provinces. The museum is named after Joseph Burr Tyrrell, a Canadian geologist who discovered rich beds of dinosaur fossils in Alberta in 1844.Head-Smashed-in Buffalo jump, near Fort Macleod, is a cliff that Indians used to kill large numbers of buffalo. Archaeological evidence shows that the cliff was used for this purpose during different periods between about 3,600 B.C. and the mid-1800's. Indians stampeded buffaloes over the 33-foot (10- meter) cliff while hunters waited below to butcher the animals for meat, hide, and bone. Blackfoot Indians gave the site its present name after a young brave's skull was crushed while he watched from below as buffaloes were being driven over the cliff. They called the place Estipah-Sikikini-kots, meaning "where he got his head smashed in."Alberta's provincial tree is the lodgepole pine.Economy
Alberta's early economy relied primarily on the fur trade. Agriculture became important during the early 20th century. During the late 1940's, petroleum and natural gas became important. Today, agriculture is still a major activity in Alberta, but service industries account for the largest portion of the economy. Community, business, and personal services is the most important economic activity in Alberta in terms of gross domestic product. The service industry is also the leading employer in the province. Services include education, health care, legal services, engineering services, and the operation of recreational facilities.
AgricultureAlberta has some 54,000 farms; about two-thirds of Canada's irrigated farmland. Alberta's leading crop is wheat, which is grown throughout much of the province. Other leading crops include canola, barley, and ornamental plants.
Beef cattle are the leading farm product in Alberta. It has more beef cattle than any other province. However, farmers also raise large numbers of dairy cattle, hogs and chickens in Alberta.
MiningAlberta is Canada's chief mining province. Alberta leads the nation in the production of petroleum and natural gas, which account for 90 per cent of the province's mining income. Alberta produces about 600 million barrels of petroleum each year. The province accounts for about 80 per cent of Canada's natural-gas production.
Alberta's other mined products include coal, sand and gravel, and sulfur. Geologists estimate the sands hold a large share of the world's known crude petroleum reserves. Production began in the late 1960's.
Much of Alberta's coal is exported to Japan and South Korea; the rest is used mainly within the province for generating power. A large amount of sulfur is produced, as a by-product of petroleum refining.
ManufacturingChemical production, mainly petrochemicals and fertilizers, is the leading manufacturing activity in Alberta. Petrochemicals are produced from petroleum and include such compounds as ethylene and methanol.
Food and beverage processing is the second most important manufacturing activity in Alberta. Meat packing is the leading type of food processing in Alberta. Other important products include animal feed, beer, dairy products, and flour.
Alberta also manufactures electronics products, fabricated metal products, machinery, paper products, and wood products.
TransportationAlberta's central and southern prairies and, to a lesser extent, the Peace River district, are well served by rail lines and highways. Two wilderness routes, each with a road and a railway, have been opened northward. One reaches Fort McMurray; the other. Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories.
Airplanes are used widely and in many areas provide the only means of access. Large international airports are at Edmonton and Calgary. Edmonton is the hub of an enormous pipeline system that collects petroleum and sends it to distant markets in Canada and the United States.
The People
Alberta is the largest of the Prairie Provinces in terms of population. Of the total population, about 80 per cent are Canadian-born; the rest came largely from Europe. About half of the population is of English, Scottish, and Irish descent. Other major groups include those of German, Scandinavian, Ukrainian, and French-Canadian ancestry. About 5 per cent are Indians.
The province's population increased 73 percent between 1951 and 1971, and about 56 per cent from 1971 to 1991. Most of the people live in cities and towns.
Annual events in AlbertaJanuary-JuneBanff/Lake Louise Winter Festival (January-February); Calgary Winter Festival (February); Northern Alberta International Children's Festival in St. Albert (May-June); Banff Summer Arts Festival (May-August); Wainwright Stampede (June); Jazz City International Music Festival in Edmonton (June-July).July-DecemberCalgary Stampede (July); Ukrainian Pysanka Festival in Vegreville (July); Calgary Folk Music Festival (July); Klondike Days in Edmonton (July); Westerner Days in Red Deer (July); Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival (August); Edmonton Heritage Festival (August); Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose (August); Edmonton Folk Music Festival (August); Calgary Highland Games (September).ReligionThe largest religious denominations in Alberta are the Roman Catholic Church, to which about 25 per cent of the people belong, and the United Church of Canada, with 20 per cent. Other large groups include Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Baptists.
EducationSchooling in Alberta is free, and attendance is compulsory from age 6 to 16. Elementary and secondary education is provided by public and Roman Catholic (called separate) schools regulated by the provincial Department of Education. In addition, there are schools for Indians maintained by the national government and a number of private schools.
Institutions of higher learning include the universities of Alberta, Calgary, and Lethbridge, and Athabasca University. The largest is the University of Alberta, founded at Edmonton in 1906. It is supported by the provincial government and has affiliated colleges throughout Alberta. In addition, there are institutes of technology and agricultural and vocational colleges. The Banff School of Fine Arts offers courses in the arts, music, and drama.
Universities and colleges in AlbertaThis table lists the universities and colleges in Alberta that grant bachelor's or advanced degrees and are members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.NameMailing addressAlberta, University of EdmontonAthabasca University AthabascaCalgary, University of CalgaryConcordia University College of Alberta EdmontonKing's University College EdmontonLethbridge, University of LethbridgeGovernment
Alberta's Legislature Building is in Edmonton, the capital since Alberta entered the Dominion in 1905.The head of Alberta's provincial government is the premier, who is leader of the majority party in the one-house provincial legislature, the Legislative Assembly. The premier is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in the assembly, and chooses a cabinet from members of the majority party. The 83 members of the assembly are elected by the people. They serve five-year terms unless the assembly is dissolved before that time by the lieutenant governor. Then new elections are held.
The lieutenant governor, who is appointed by the federal government to a five-year term, represents the British monarch and the federal government. The lieutenant governor acts only on the advice of the provincial Executive Council, which consists of the premier and the cabinet. The Legislative Assembly can be dissolved on the advice of the premier or when the premier fails to win a vote of confidence.
Alberta has 6 members (appointed by the federal government) in the Senate and 26 elected members of the House of Commons of the national Parliament of Canada. Local governmental units include counties and various kinds of municipalities.
The Court of Appeal, whose members are appointed by the governor general in council, is the highest court in Alberta. It hears only appeals in civil and criminal cases. It has a chief justice and 12 full-time justices. The Court of Queen's Bench hears all cases involving murder, treason and other major crimes. It has a chief justice, an associate chief justice and 61 judges. Judges on both courts may serve until they are 75 years old.
Premiers of AlbertaNamePartyTermAlexander C. Rutherford Liberal1905-1910Arthur L. Sifton Liberal1910-1917Charles Stewart Liberal1917-1921Herbert Greenfield United Farmers of Alberta1921-1925John E. Brownlee United Farmers of Alberta1925-1934Richard G. Reid United Farmers of Alberta1934-1935William Aberhart Social Credit1935-1943Ernest C. Manning Social Credit1943-1968Harry E. Strom Social Credit1968-1971Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative1971-1985Donald R. Getty Progressive Conservative1985-1992Ralph Klein Progressive Conservative1992-2006Ed Stelmach Progressive Conservative2006-