Portal:Alberta
Introduction
Alberta /ælˈbɜːrtə/ is the most populous and fastest growing of Canada's three prairie provinces. It is approximately the same size as France or Texas and had a population of 4.1 million in 2014. 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 May 24, 2015, the Premier of the province has been Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. Selected article -
Banff National Park /ˈbæmf/ is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885, in the Canadian Rockies. The park, located 120 kilometres (80 mi) west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway extends from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.
The Canadian Pacific Railway was instrumental in Banff's early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, and attracting tourists through extensive advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by war internees, and through Great Depression-era public works projects. Since the 1960s, park accommodations have been open all year, with annual tourism visits to Banff increasing to over 5 million in the 1990s. Millions more pass through the park on the Trans-Canada Highway. As Banff is one of the world's most visited national parks, the health of its ecosystem has been threatened. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada responded by initiating a two-year study, which resulted in management recommendations, and new policies that aim to preserve ecological integrity. Selected biography -
Edward Michael Stelmach MLA, (born May 11, 1951 in Lamont, Alberta) is the current Premier of Alberta, Canada. He was elected Leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party on December 3, 2006. He sits in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta as the Progressive Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (previously Vegreville-Viking). Stelmach served in Cabinet as Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations until March 2006 when he resigned to clear the way for his candidacy in the leadership election to select a successor to Premier Ralph Klein. As Premier on December 15, 2006, he named his new cabinet, of which nine members of the legislature were new to their positions, and nine were former cabinet ministers.
Selected Did you know -
...Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Marchioness of Lorne and Duchess of Argyll (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Louise was the wife of John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, 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. A street in Calgary was named after her husband, the Marquess of Lorne. Selected picture -Categories
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