Alberta became a province on
September 1, 1905. Located in
western Canada,
it is bordered by the provinces
of British
Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan
on the east.
The capital city of Alberta is
Edmonton,
the primary supply and service
hub for Canada's oilsands and
northern resource industries.
Calgary
is a distribution and transportation
hub as well as being one of Canada's
major commerce centres. Each of
Edmonton and Calgary are home
to more than 1 million people.
Other major municipalities and business centres include: Red
Deer, Lethbridge,
Medicine
Hat, Fort
McMurray, Fort
MacKay, Grande
Prairie, Camrose,
Lloydminster,
Wetaskiwin,
Hinton,
Edson,
Banff
and Jasper
Park.
Alberta has been a tourist destination
from the early days of the 20th
Century, with attractions including
skiing, hiking and camping, outdoor
festivals, professional athletic
events and international sporting
competitions.
Edmonton and Calgary both host
over four million visitors annually.
Banff, Jasper and the Rocky Mountains
are visited by about three million
people per year.
The Rocky Mountains include well
known tourist destinations Banff
and Jasper Park. The two mountain
parks are connected by the scenic
Icefields Parkway. Banff is located
128km west of Calgary on the Trans
Canada Highway and Jasper is located
366km west of Edmonton on Yellowhead
Highway.
About 1.2 million people pass
through the gates of Calgary's
world-famous Stampede, a celebration
of Canada's own Wild West and
the cattle ranching industry.
About 800,000 people enjoy Edmonton's
Capital Ex, formerly Klondike
Days.
Edmonton was the gateway to the
only all - Canadian route to the
Yukon gold fields, and the only
route which did not require gold
seekers to travel the exhausting
and dangerous Chilkoot Pass.
