Alberta is one of the ten provinces of Canada, the Western-most of the Canadian Prairies, which also include Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Alberta was split from the NorthWest Territories and on September 1, 1905 became the eighth province to join the Canadian Confederation.

Alberta is a land of diversity, from the serenity of flat sedimentary land covering much of the province; to the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains and its foothills, forming part of Alberta’s boundary with British Columbia in the SouthWest; to the wilderness of its Northern forests, dotted with lakes and streams.

On the vast Alberta plains, oil rigs rise above golden wheat fields. Industrial cities such as Edmonton, the provincial capital, and Calgary, its largest city, thrive in the midst of rich agricultural lands.

Many of Alberta’s early settlers were of British descent, and Alberta’s flag and coat of arms bear the cross of Saint George, a symbol of Alberta’s link with the United Kingdom.

Cattle ranchers and farmers settled Alberta’s foothills and prairies, and the province remains an important producer of livestock and grain.

Alberta possesses Canada’s largest deposits of oil and natural gas, and the province has prospered with the rapid expansion of the petroleum industry after World War II (1939-1945). The manufacture of petrochemicals (chemicals derived from petroleum and natural gas) is a leading industry in Alberta.

Alberta draws a large number of tourists each year, as the province has a lot to offer visitors, including the national parks at Banff, Jasper and in Waterton Lakes, as well as the world-famous Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.

Alberta received its name in 1882 from the Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883, who named the province for his wife, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria.

Alberta has earned the nickname Sunny Alberta because it enjoys more hours of sunshine each year than any other province.

Following are Alberta’s principal urban areas, in order of population (Canadian Census 2006 estimates).

• Calgary is the chief commercial, industrial, and transportation center of Southern Alberta and is one of the major financial centers of Western Canada. Calgary is home to extensive business and professional services, a vibrant high-technology sector, and the headquarters of many large energy corporations.
• Edmonton is the provincial capital and one of the province’s leading industrial centers. It also ranks as one of the principal commercial and transportation hubs in Western Canada and is a center for public administration, education, and medical services.

Other major cities in Alberta include

• Red Deer, situated in an oil and gas producing area between Calgary and Edmonton, yet its primary industries are based on local farm products.
• Lethbridge, an industrial city and the trade center for an agricultural area SouthEast of Calgary;
• Medicine Hat, situated on the main line of the Canadian Pacific and site of the largest industrial complex of SouthEastern Alberta;
• Grande Prairie, a center for agriculture, forest products, and petroleum refining in NorthWestern Alberta;
• Airdrie, a scenic bedroom community and industrial centre and Calgary’s largest politically distinct suburb;
• Leduc, South of Edmonton, site of the first major oil reserve discovery in Alberta in 1947;
• Cochrane, at the base of Big Hill in the Bow River Valley, popular for its Western and ranching culture;
• Stony Plain, a rapidly growing suburb West of Edmonton, popular for its strong historical roots.