Alberta

For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation).

Alberta
Country	Canada
Confederation	September 1, 1905 (split from Northwest Territories) (8th (province))
Government
• Lieutenant-Governor	Norman Kwong
• Premier	Ralph Klein
Federal representation	Parliament of Canada
House seats	28 of 338 (8.3%)
Senate seats	6 of 105 (5.7%)
Population
• Total	4,262,635
Canadian postal abbr.	AB
Postal code prefix	T
Rankings include all provinces and territories

Alberta is one of Canada's provinces. It celebrated 100 years as a province on September 1, 2005.

Alberta is located in western Canada. It is bounded on the west by the province of British Columbia, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by the province of Saskatchewan, and on the south by the United States of America (State of Montana).

Alberta's capital is the city of Edmonton, located just south of the centre of the province. The most populous city and metropolitan area is Calgary. Calgary is also the province's busiest transportation hub (for road, air, and rail) and is one of Canada's major commerce centres. Other major municipalities include Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Camrose, Lloydminster, Wetaskiwin, Banff, and Jasper. See also: List of communities in Alberta.

The Premier of the province is Hon. Ralph Klein, Progressive Conservative. See also List of Alberta Premiers.

Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939), the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Louise was also the wife of Sir John Campbell, who was the Governor General of Canada from 1878-1883. Lake Louise was also named in honour of Princess Louise.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Alberta

Alberta is in western Canada, and covers an area of 661,190 km² (255,287 mi²). To the south, it borders the US state of Montana at a latitude of 49°N, or the 49th Parallel. To the east at a longitude of 110°W, it borders the province of Saskatchewan. At 60°N, it is bordered by the Northwest Territories. To the west, its border with British Columbia follows the line of peaks of the Rocky Mountains range along the Continental Divide, which runs northwesterly until it reaches 120° W, at which point the border follows this meridian to 60°N.

With the exception of the southeastern section, the province is well watered. Alberta contains dozens of rivers and lakes ideal for swimming, water skiing, fishing and a full range of other water sports. There are a multitude of fresh-water lakes, each less than 260 km² situated in Alberta, and three of more considerable size. These three larger lakes are Lake Athabasca (7898 km²), part of which lies in the province of Saskatchewan, Lake Claire (1436 km²), which lies just west of Lake Athabasca in Wood Bufflao National Park, and Lesser Slave Lake (1168 km²), which is well northwest of Edmonton.

As Alberta extends for 1200 km from north to south, and about 600 km wide at its greatest east-west extent, it is natural that the climate should vary considerably between the 49th and 60th parallels. It is also further influenced by altitude, especially in the southwestern part of the province within the Canadian Rockies and adjacent areas directly to the east.

Banff National Park.

Northern Alberta is mostly covered by boreal forest and has fewer frost-free days than southern Alberta, which is often semi-arid due to the summer heat and much lower rainfall. Western Alberta is protected by the mountains, and enjoys the warmth brought by winter chinook winds, while southeastern Alberta is flat, dry prairie, where temperatures can range from very cold (−35°C (−31°F) in the winter) to very hot (35°C (95°F) or higher in the summer). Central and parts of northwestern Alberta in the Peace River region are largely aspen parkland, a biome transitional between prairie to the south and boreal forest to the north. After southern Ontario, Central Alberta is the most likely region in Canada to experience tornadoes. Thunderstorms, some of them severe, are frequent in the summer, especially in central and southern Alberta. The region surrounding the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor is notable for having the highest frequency of hail in Canada.

Overall, Alberta has cold winters, with a daytime average of about −10°C (14°F) in the south to −24°C (−12°F) in the north. In the summer, the daytime temperature averages from about 13°C (55°F) in the Rocky Mountains to 19°C (67°F) in the dry prairie to the south-east. The northern and western parts of the province experience higher rainfall and lower evaporation rates caused by cooler summer temperatures.

Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, is located almost in the geographic centre of the province, and most of Alberta's oil is refined here. Southern Alberta, where Calgary is located, is known for its ranching. Much of the unforested part of Alberta is given over either to grain or to dairy farming, with ranching predominantly a southern Alberta industry.

In southeastern Alberta, where the Red Deer River traverses the flat prairie and farmland, are the Alberta badlands with deep gorges and striking landforms. Dinosaur Provincial Park, near Drumheller, Alberta, showcases the badlands terrain, desert flora, and remnants from Alberta's past when dinosaurs roamed the then lush landscape.

Alberta is one of only two Canadian provinces to have no maritime coast (the other being the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan.)

Largest municipalities and metro areas by population

Major municipalities of Alberta.

Municipality	2005	2001	1996
Census Metropolitan Areas:
Calgary CMA	1,060,300**	951,395	821,628
Edmonton CMA	1,016,000**	937,845	862,597
Cities (10 Largest):
Calgary	956,078	878,866	768,082
Edmonton	712,391	666,104	616,306
Red Deer	79,082	67,707	60,080
Lethbridge	77,202	67,374	63,053
St. Albert (included in Edmonton CMA)	56,318	53,081	46,888
Medicine Hat	56,048	51,249	46,783
Grande Prairie	44,631	36,983	31,353
Airdrie (included in Calgary CMA)	27,069	20,382	15,946
Spruce Grove (included in Edmonton CMA)	18,405	15,983	14,271
Camrose	15,850	14,854	13,728
Districts (3 Largest):
Strathcona County (included in Edmonton CMA)	80,232	71,986	64,176
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo	73,176	41,466	35,213
Municipality of Rocky View (included in Calgary CMA)	30,688*	28,441	23,326

File:Calgaryalberta34.jpg

Calgary, Alberta.

Sources: All 2005 figures are based on official 2005 census data from municipalities. Where no 2005 data is available, (*) indicates the most recent official data from either the municipality or the 2001 Statistics Canada federal census. All data for 2001 and 1996 is from the respective federal census.

(**) indicates 2005 CMA estimates according to Statistics Canada - Population of Census Metropolitan Areas

Although the city of Lloydminster has a total population of 23,632, it is not included on the list because the city straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Only 15,487 people live on the Alberta side, which would make it Alberta's 11th largest city.

Industry

Main article: Industry in Alberta

Alberta is the largest producer of conventional crude oil, synthetic crude, natural gas and gas products in the country. Two of the largest producers of petrochemicals in North America are located in central and north central Alberta. In both Red Deer and Edmonton, world class polyethylene and vinyl manufacturers produce products shipped all over the world, and Edmonton's oil refineries provide the raw materials for a large petrochemical industry to the east of Edmonton.

The Athabasca Oil Sands (previously known as the Athabasca Tar Sands) have estimated oil reserves in excess of that of the rest of the world, estimated to be 1.6 trillion barrels (254 km³). With the advancement of extraction methods, bitumen and economical synthetic crude are produced at costs nearing that of conventional crude. This technology is Alberta grown and developed. Many companies employ both conventional strip mining and non-conventional methods to extract the bitumen from the Athabasca deposit. With current technology, only 315 billion barrels (50 km³) are recoverable. Fort McMurray, one of Canada's youngest and liveliest cities, has grown up entirely because of the large multinational corporations which have taken on the task of oil production.

Another factor determining the viability of oil extraction from the Tar Sands is the price of oil. In 2005, record oil prices have made it more than profitable to extract this oil, which in the past would give little profit or even a loss.

While Edmonton is considered the pipeline junction, manufacturing, chemical processing, research and refining centre of the province, Calgary is known for its senior and junior oil company head offices (unlike Edmonton, Calgary is not close to any large sources of oil).

With concerted effort and support from the provincial government, several high-tech industries have found their birth in Alberta, notably the invention and perfection of liquid crystal display systems. With a growing economy, Alberta has several financial institutions dealing with several civil and private funds.

Agriculture and forestry

Farm Buildings.

File:Field 150.jpg

Alberta canola field.

Grain Elevator - Alberta.

Agriculture has a significant position in the province's economy. Over 5 million cattle are residents of the province at one time or another, and Alberta beef has a healthy worldwide market. Nearly one half of all Canadian beef is produced in Alberta. Alberta is one of the prime producers of plains buffalo (bison) for the consumer market. Sheep for wool and mutton are also raised.

Wheat and canola are primary farm crops, with Alberta leading the provinces in spring wheat production, with other grains also prominent. Much of the farming is dryland farming, often with fallow seasons interspersed with cultivation. Continuous cropping (in which there is no fallow season) is gradually becoming a more common mode of production because of increased profits and a reduction of soil erosion. Across the province, the once common grain elevator is slowly being lost as rail lines are decreased and farmers now truck the grain to central points.

Alberta is the leading beekeeping province of Canada, with some beekeepers wintering hives indoors in specially designed barns in southern Alberta, then migrating north during the summer into the Peace River valley where the season is short but the working days are long for honeybees to produce honey from clover and fireweed. Hybrid canola also requires bee pollination, and some beekeepers service this need.

The vast northern forest reserves of softwood allow Alberta to produce large quantities of lumber and plywood, and several northern Alberta plants supply North America and the Pacific Rim nations with bleached wood pulp and newsprint.

Government

See also: Politics of Alberta

Edmonton is the seat of government of Alberta. It is a parliamentary democracy. Its unicameral legislature -- the Legislative Assembly -- consists of 83 members. As Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is the Government of Alberta's chief executive. Her duties in Alberta are carried out by Lieutenant Governor, Norman Kwong. The government is headed by the Premier, Ralph Klein. The city of Edmonton is Alberta's government capital.

The province's revenue comes mainly from the taxation of oil, natural gas, beef, softwood lumber, and wheat, but also includes grants from the federal government primarily for infrastructure projects. Albertans are the lowest-taxed people in Canada, and Alberta is the only province in Canada without a provincial sales tax (though residents are still subject to the federal sales tax, the GST). Alberta's municipalities have their own governments which (usually) work in co-operation with the provincial government.

Alberta's politics are much more conservative than those of other Canadian provinces. Alberta has traditionally had three political parties, the Progressive Conservatives ("Conservatives" or "Tories"), the centrist Liberals, and the social democratic New Democrats. A fourth party, the strongly conservative Social Credit Party, was a power in Alberta for many decades, but fell from the political map after the Progressive Conservatives came to power in the early 1970s. Since that time, no other political party has governed Alberta. In fact, only three parties have governed Alberta: the United Farmers of Alberta the Social Credit Party, and the currently-governing Progressive Conservative Party

As is the case with many western Canadian provinces, Alberta has had occasional bouts of separatist sentiment. Even during the 1980s, when these feelings were at their strongest, there has never been enough interest in secession to initiate any major movements or referenda. There are a number of groups wishing to promote the independence of Alberta in some form currently active in the province. See also: Alberta separatism.

In the 2004 provincial election, held in November, the Alberta Alliance Party, running to the right of the Conservatives, won one seat.

See also: List of Alberta Premiers, List of Alberta general elections

Education

As with any Canadian province, the Alberta Legislature has (almost) exclusive authority to make laws respecting education. Since 1905 the Legislature has used this capacity to continue the model of locally elected public and separate school boards which originated prior to 1905, as well as to create and/or regulate universities, colleges, technical institutions and other educational forms and institutions (private schools, charter schools, home schooling).

K-12

The first schools in what is now Alberta were parochial, that is, they were organized, owned and operated by Church clergy, missionaries, or authorities, both Roman Catholic and Protestant. A nominal fee was often charged for the attendance of students at these schools, and the fee was more often waived, as an act of charity or as an act of proslytizing, or as an act of local solidarity.

The first "free" school (which would now be called a public school) in what is now Alberta, was established in the hamlet of Edmonton, in the Northwest Territories, in early 1881. The school was established before the Northwest Territories had a Territorial Assembly, and before there was any law for the Territory respecting schools, or local government, or local taxation. The people of the hamlet of Edmonton elected trustees to govern the establishment and operation of the school, and submitted to an informal local taxation entirely on the basis of local solidarity.

Between 1883 and 1905 a system of education developed in Alberta by which public education was available in every community once the local population initiatied its introduction; and separate school education could be provided subsequently, provided certain conditions were met. This system, by which public education was to be universally available and separate school education available under certain conditions, was the system which the federal government of Sir Wilfred Laurier enshrined in the constitituion of Alberta (the Alberta Act) in 1905.

There are forty-two public school jurisdictions in Alberta, and seventeen operating separate school jurisdictions. Sixteen of the operating separate school jurisdictions have a Roman Catholic electorate, and one (St. Albert) has a Protestant electorate. In addition, one Protestant separate school district, Glen Avon, survives as a ward of the St. Paul Education Region. The City of Lloydminster straddles the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, and both the public and separate school systems in that city are counted in the above numbers: both of them operate acccording to Saskatchwan law.

The most recent significant development in the governance of education in Alberta has been the emergence of francophone education authorities in response to the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982). There are five francophone authorities in Alberta. In the south a public francophone authority and a separate francophone authority share co-terminous boundaries. In the north there are three authorities which provide both public and separate school education. The francophone authorities, together, cover the province, but they are not required to provide francophone education from place to place, except where numbers warrant, and it is the responsibility of the board of the authority to decide whether numbers warrant.

For many years the provincial government has funded the greater part of the cost of providing K - 12 education. Prior to 1994 public and separate school boards in Alberta had the legislative authority to levy a local tax on property, as supplementary support for local education. In 1994 the government of the province eliminated this right for public school boards, but not for separate school boards. Since 1994 there has continued to be a tax on property in support of K - 12 education; the difference is that the mill rate is now set by the provincial government, the money is collected by the local municipal authority and remitted to the provincial government. The relevant legislation requires that all the money raised by this property tax must go to the support of K - 12 education provided by school boards. The provincial government pools the property tax funds from across the province and distributes them, according to a formula, to public and separate school jurisdictions and francophone authorities.

In addition to the property tax collected, the provincial government allocates money, each year, from the General Revenue Fund, for the support of K - 12 education. In the case of the money drawn from the General Revenue Fund, it is used to provide some financial support for charter schools, private schools, and home schooling.

Since 1994 all boards with a civil electorate (public, separate, francophone) are funded almost entirely by the provincial government. School boards may, and many do, allow the school administration to levy fees for books and special materials, special programs or services, etc. Such fees range from $20.00/student/year (more or less) to $750.00/student/year.

Post-secondary

Alberta's oldest and largest university is Edmonton's University of Alberta. The University of Calgary, once affiliated with the University of Alberta, gained its autonomy in 1966, and is now the second largest university in Alberta. There is also Athabasca University, which focuses on distance learning, and the University of Lethbridge. There are 15 colleges that receive direct public funding, along with two technical institutes, NAIT and SAIT ([1]). Students may also receive government loans and grants while attending selected private institutions.

Transportation

Alberta has over 180,000 km of highways and roads, of which nearly 50,000 km are paved. The main north-south corridor is Highway 2, which begins south of Cardston at the Carway border crossing. Highway 4, which effectively extends U.S. Interstate Highway 15 into Alberta and is the busiest U.S. gateway to the province, begins at the Coutts border crossing and ends at Lethbridge. Highway 3 joins Lethbridge to Fort Macleod and links Highway 4 to Highway 2. Highway 2 travels northward through Fort Macleod, Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton before dividing into two highways. One continues northwest as Highway 43 into Grande Prairie and the Peace River country; the other (Highway 63) travels northeast to Fort McMurray, the location of the Athabasca Oil Sands. Highway 2 is supplimented by two more highways that run parallel to it: highway 22, west of highway 2, known as 'the cowboy trail', and highway 21, east of highway 2.

Alberta has two main east-west corridors. The southern corridor, part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, enters the province near Medicine Hat, runs westward through Calgary, and leaves Alberta through Banff National Park. The northern corridor, also part of the Trans-Canada network but known alternatively as the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), runs west from Lloydminster in eastern Alberta, through Edmonton and Jasper National Park into British Columbia. On a sunny spring or fall day, one of the most scenic drives in the world is along the Icefields Parkway, which runs some 300 km between Jasper and Banff, with mountain ranges and glaciers on either side of its entire length.

Urban stretches of Alberta's major highways and freeways are often called trails. For example, Highway 2 is Deerfoot Trail as it passes through Calgary, Calgary Trail as it leaves Edmonton southbound, and St. Albert Trail as it leaves Edmonton northbound toward the city of St. Albert. Visitors from outside Alberta often find this disconcerting, accustomed as they are to the notion that a trail is an unpaved route primarily for pedestrians.

Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge have substantial mass transit systems. Edmonton and Calgary also operate light rail vehicles.

Alberta is well-connected by air, with international airports at both Edmonton and Calgary. Calgary's airport is the larger of the two, and is also the fourth busiest in Canada. It is a hub airport for a significant proportion of the connecting trans-border and international flights into and out of central Canada. There are over 9000 km of operating mainline railway, and many tourists see Alberta aboard Via Rail or Rocky Mountain Railtours.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Alberta

Alberta is well known for its warm and outgoing friendliness and frontier spirit.

File:Whyte4.jpg

Whyte Avenue, Edmonton.

Summer brings many festivals to the province. Edmonton's Fringe Festival is the world's second largest after Edinburgh's. Alberta also hosts some of Canada's largest folk festivals, multicultural festivals, and heritage days (to name a few). Calgary is also home to Carifest, the second largest Caribbean festival in the nation (after Caribana in Toronto). These events highlight the province's cultural diversity and love of entertainment. Most of the major cities have several performing theatre companies who entertain in venues as diverse as Edmonton's Arts Barns and the Francis Winspear Centre.

Alberta also has a large ethnic population. Both the Chinese and East Indian communities are significant. According to Statistics Canada, Alberta is home to the second highest proportion (two percent) of Francophones in western Canada (after Manitoba). Many of Alberta's French-speaking residents live in the central and northwestern regions of the province. As reported in the 2001 census, the Chinese represented nearly four percent of Alberta's population and East Indians represented better than two percent. Both Edmonton and Calgary have Chinatowns and Calgary's is Canada's third largest. Aboriginal Albertans make up approximately three percent of the population.

The major contributors to Alberta's ethnic diversity have been the European nations. Forty-four percent of Albertans are of British and Irish descent, and there are also large numbers of Germans, Ukrainians, and Scandinavians.

Both cities heavily support first-class Canadian Football League and National Hockey League teams. Soccer, rugby union and lacrosse are also played professionally in Alberta.

Tourism is also important to Albertans. A million visitors come to Alberta each year just for Calgary's world-famous Stampede and for Edmonton's 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.

File:Stephen Avenue.jpg

Stephen Avenue, Calgary.

Visitors throng to Calgary for ten days every July for a taste of "Stampede Fever". As a celebration of Canada's own Wild West and the cattle ranching industry, the Stampede welcomes around 1.2 million people each year. Only an hour's drive from the Rocky Mountains, Calgary also makes a visit to tourist attractions like Banff National Park something which can easily be done in a day. Calgary and Banff each host nearly 5 million tourists yearly.

Alberta is an important destination for tourists who love to ski and hike; Alberta boasts several world-class ski resorts. Hunters and fishermen from around the world are able to take home impressive trophies and tall tales from their experiences in Alberta's wilderness.

Demographics

Alberta has enjoyed a relatively high rate of growth in recent years, due in large part to its burgeoning economy. Between 2003 and 2004, the province saw high birthrates (on par with some larger provinces such as British Columbia), relatively high immigration, and a high rate of interprovincial migration when compared to other provinces [2]. As of 2005, the population of the province was 3,212,813 (Albertans). 81% of this population lives in urban areas and 19% is rural. The Calgary-Edmonton Corridor is the most urbanized area in the province and one of the densest in Canada. Many of Alberta's cities and towns have also experienced very high rates of growth in recent history.

Population of Alberta since 1901

File:Alberta pop.JPG

Alberta's population has grown steadily for over a century.

Year	Population	Five Year  % change	Ten Year  % change	Percentage of Canadian Pop.
1901	73,022	n/a	n/a	1.4
1911	374,295	n/a	412.6	5.2
1921	588,454	n/a	57.2	6.7
1931	731,605	n/a	24.3	7.0
1941	796,169	n/a	8.8	6.9
1951	939,501	n/a	18.0	6.7
1961	1,331,944	n/a	41.8	7.3
1971	1,627,874	n/a	22.2	7.5
1981	2,237,724	n/a	37.5	9.2
1986	2,365,825	5.7	n/a	9.3
1991	2,545,553	7.6	13.8	9.3
1996	2,696,826	5.9	14.0	9.3
2001	2,974,807	10.3	16.9	9.9

Racially and ethnically, the province is predominantly Caucasian. 88.8% of the population is either white or Aboriginal (Aboriginals represent a fairly small proportion of this percentage, however). This number is significantly smaller in many of the cities, particularly Calgary and Edmonton which are home to a much larger number of visible minorities.

Visible Minorities

• 3.3% Chinese
• 2.3% Asian
• 1.1% Black
• 1.1% Filipino

Most Albertans identify as Christians. Nevertheless, many people in the province observe other faiths or do not profess to a religion at all. Alberta has a somewhat higher percentage of evangelical Christians than do other provinces. Conversely, Alberta also has the second highest percentage of Non-religious residents in Canada (after British Columbia).

The Mormons of Alberta reside primarily in the extreme south of the province. There are temples in both Cardston and Edmonton. Many Alberta Mormons descend from Mormon pioneers who emigrated from Utah around the turn of the 20th century. Alberta also has a large Hutterite population, a communal Anabaptist sect similar to the Mennonites, and a significant population of Seventh-day Adventists in and around the Lacombe area due to the presence of the Canadian University College.

Many people of the Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim faiths also make Alberta their home; one of the largest Sikh temples in Canada is located just outside of Edmonton.

Religion

• Protestant: 38.9%
• Roman Catholic: 26.7%
• No Affiliation: 23.6%
• Christian Orthodox: 1.5%
• other Christian: 4.1%
• Muslim: 1.5%
• Buddhist: 1.1%
• Other Religions: 3.6%

History

Main article: History of Alberta

The present province of Alberta, as far north as about 53° north latitude, was a part of Rupert's Land from the time of the incorporation of the Hudson's Bay Company (1670). After the arrival in the North-West of the French around 1731 they settled the prairies of the west, establishing communities such as Lac La Biche and Bonnyville. Fort La Jonquière was established near what is now Calgary in (1752). The North-West Company of Montreal occupied the northern part of Alberta territory before the Hudson's Bay Company arrived from Hudson Bay to take possession of it. The first explorer of the Athabasca region was Peter Pond, who, on behalf of the North-West Company of Montreal, built Fort Athabasca on Lac La Biche in 1778. Roderick Mackenzie built Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca ten years later in 1788. His cousin, Sir Alexander Mackenzie followed the North Saskatchewan River to its northernmost point near Edmonton, then setting northward on foot, trekked to the Athabasca River, which he followed to Lake Athabasca. It was there he discovered the mighty outflow river which bears his name -- the Mackenzie River -- which he followed to its outlet in the Arctic Ocean. Returning to Lake Athabasca, he followed the Peace River upstream, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean, and so being the first white man to cross the North American continent north of Mexico.

The district of Alberta was created as part of the North-West Territories in 1882. As settlement increased, local representatives to the North-West Legislative Assembly were added. After a long campaign for autonomy, in 1905 the district of Alberta was enlarged and given provincial status.

Fauna and flora

Fauna

The three climatic regions (alpine, forest, and prairie) of Alberta are home to many different species of animals. The south and central prairie was the land of the bison, its grasses providing a great pasture and breeding ground for millions of buffalo. The buffalo population was decimated during early settlement, but since then buffalo have made a strong comeback, and thrive on farms and in parks all over Alberta.

Alberta is home to many large carnivores. Among them are the grizzly and black bears, which are found in the mountains and wooded regions. Smaller carnivores of the dog and cat families include coyotes, wolves, fox, lynx, bobcat and mountain lion (cougar).

File:Bighorn23.jpg

Rocky Mountains Bighorn Sheep.

Herbivorous, or plant-eating animals, are found throughout the province. Moose and deer (both mule and white-tail varieties) are found in the wooded regions, and pronghorn antelope can be found in the prairies of southern Alberta. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats live in the Rocky Mountains. Rabbits, porcupines, skunks, squirrels, and many species of rodents and reptiles live in every corner of the province. Alberta is fortunate in that it is home to only one variety of venomous snake, the prairie rattlesnake.

Central and northern Alberta and the region farther north is the nesting-ground of the migratory birds. Vast numbers of ducks, geese, swans, and pelicans arrive in Alberta every spring and nest on or near one of the hundreds of small lakes that dot northern Alberta. Eagles, hawks, owls, and crows are plentiful, and a huge variety of smaller seed and insect-eating birds can be found. Alberta, like other temperate regions, is home to mosquitoes, flies, wasps, and bees. Rivers and lakes are well stocked with pike, walleye, white fish, rainbow, speckled, and brown trout, and even sturgeon. Turtles are found in some water bodies in the southern part of the province. Frogs and salamanders are a few of the amphibians that make their homes in Alberta.

Flora

In central and northern Alberta the arrival of spring brings the prairie anemone, the avens, crocuses, and other early flowers. The advancing summer introduces many flowers of the sunflower family, until in August the plains are one blaze of yellow and purple. The southern part of Alberta is covered by a short grass, very nutritive, but dries up as summer lengthens, to be replaced by hardy perennials such as the buffalo bean, fleabane, and sage. Both yellow and purple clover fill the roadways and the ditches with their beauty and aromatic scents. The trees in the parkland region of the province grow in clumps and belts on the hillsides. These are largely deciduous, typically birch, poplar, and tamarack. Many species of willow and other shrubs grow in virtually any terrain. On the north side of the North Saskatchewan River evergreen forests prevail for hundreds of thousands of square kilometres. Aspen poplar, balsam poplar (or cottonwood), and paper birch are the primary large deciduous species. Conifers include Jack pine, Rocky Mountain pine, Lodgepole pine, both white and black spruce, and the deciduous conifer tamarack.

See also

Family Law Act

External links

• Government of Alberta website
• Travel Alberta
• Alberta Encyclopedia
• Alberta Community Profiles (A site offering info on tax, census info, and economic development of large and small Albertan Communities)
• Alberta Demosphere

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