http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/VT/index.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)

Alberta, Canada

Welcome to Alberta, one of the Westernmost provinces of Canada. With our mix of rolling hills and snowy mountains, small towns and cosmopolitan cities, and ancient history and modern attractions, we are sure to have something to interest everyone.

Just the facts Ma'am

The province of Alberta covers an area of over 600,000 square kilometres, and is home to more than 2 million people. The capital city of Alberta is Edmonton, located in north-central Alberta. The official flower is the Wild Rose, and the motto of the province is "Fortis et Liber" ("Strong and Free"), both of which reflect the independent attitude of many Albertans. The coat of arms is designed to reflect the natural diversity of the province, with both the mountains and wheat fields given prominence.

The province is bordered to the east by the province of Saskatchewan, to the west by the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia, to the north by the Northwest Territories and to the south by the state of Montana in the United States.

The Alberta government has a WWW page for those interested in such things.

A little History

The earliest inhabitants of Alberta were the Indians (native canadians, or aboriginal people, in "politically-correct-speak"). The individual nations, such as the Cree, Blackfoot, Assiniboine and Sarcee, had only the indigenous animals to contend with until missionaries and fur traders appeared from Europe in the eighteenth century. Wrangling between the French and British (a continuing theme in Canadian history) kept Alberta from being fully exploited at first, but with the creation of trading posts near Edmonton and up north the squabbling subsided somewhat.

When Canada was formed in 1867, Alberta was still very much the uncontrolled frontier. It was not until 1874 that the North West Mounted Police (precursors to the modern Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)) established their prescence in the area and started controlling the activities of the whisky traders who had been fleecing the local native population.

With the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, and the increasing flow of people into the area, a territorial government was created in 1875. Several years later the region overlooked by the territorial government was split into four portions, one being named after Princess Louise Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria and Albert.

Alberta became a full-bore province of Canada in 1905, when it joined confederation. It's primary industries are natural resource based. Trapping opened up the area, and agriculture followed (still remaining a strong point for the Alberta economy). Oil was discovered at Turner Valley in 1914 and has been a center for growth since then (give or take a "bust" in the 1980s). Forest related industries are growing increasingly important, but run the risk of impacting the tourism industry (the third largest industry in Alberta).

More historical information (courtesy of the Alberta "Supernet").

Recreation

Probably the biggest draw for tourists in Alberta is the natural beauty of the province, and all the recreational possibilities inherent therein. During the summer months the province (especially Banff and Jasper national parks) offer numerous chances for hiking, bicycling, mountain climbing, caving, hang-gliding, white-water rafting, swimming, trail riding and picnicing. In addition there are a number of hot-springs, camping areas, trophy-lakes, trout streams, vacation resorts and golf courses in the province. During the winter visitors to our province may be interested in enjoying some of our world-class down-hill ski resorts, as well as the numerous cross-country ski-trails. As this is Canada, there are also numerous possibilities for skating, hockey, and curling.

Here is some information about travelling to, and around, Alberta

A Clickable Map

Below we present a clickable map of the province, with links to information on various interesting areas of the province. For those without a graphical browser (or those who don't want to bother with the map) there is also a text index of these areas.

Interested in what visitors to Alberta have to say about us after they've visited here? Check out these impressions and memories.

More Info on Alberta, from Fleet House.

Disclaimer

For more information on Alberta you can phone (toll free) 1-800-661-8888 (within North America), or write "Alberta Economic Development and Tourism, Box 2500, Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 2Z4".

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