Province of Alberta Local Customs

Alberta Tartan
Facts about Alberta:
The Land
The westernmost of Canada's three Prairie provinces, Alberta lies between the 49th and 60th parallels, at virtually the same latitude as the United Kingdom. Alberta is 1 223 kilometres from north to south and between 293 and 660 kilometres in width from west to east. Nearly equal in size to the state of Texas, the province covers an area of some 661 190 km2.
Roughly half of the southwestern section of the province is dominated by mountains and foothills - striking reminders of the glaciers that, over millions of years, formed, moved and receded in the area. Peaks of the Rocky Mountains located in Alberta range from 2 130 to 3 747 metres in elevation.
The foothills, which form a gentle link between mountain and prairie landscapes, feature heavily forested areas and grasslands used for grazing cattle. Beneath their surface, the foothills contain some of the province's richest deposits of sour gas and coal.
The remainder of the province - approximately 90 percent of the land area - forms part of the interior plain of North America. The plains include the forested areas that dominate the northern part of the province and the vast stretches of northern muskeg that overlay much of Alberta's oil and gas deposits and oil sands.
Alberta has what is known as a continental climate. It is characterized by vivid seasonal contrasts in which long, cold winters are balanced by mild to hot summers and an unusually high number of sunny days, no matter what the season. Although cold air covers the whole province in winter, it is frequently replaced in the southwest by a mild wind, called the 'Chinook,' which funnels through the mountains from the Pacific Ocean.
The History
The Aboriginal people, whose ancestors are thought to have crossed the Bering Sea from Asia thousands of years ago, were the first people to live in what is now Alberta. The Blackfoot, Blood, Piegan, Cree, Gros Ventre, Sarcee, Kootenay, Beaver and Slavey peoples, speaking a variety of Athapaskan and Algonquian languages, were the sole inhabitants of what was then a vast wilderness territory.
The early Albertans, particularly the woodland peoples of the central and northern regions, became valuable partners of the European fur traders who arrived in the 18th century. The first European explorer to reach what is now Alberta was Anthony Henday, in 1754.
Peter Pond, of the North West Company, established the first fur-trading post in the area in 1778. The Hudson's Bay Company gradually extended its control throughout a huge expanse of northern North America known as Rupert's Land and the North West Territory, including the region occupied by present-day Alberta. From that time, the region was fought over by the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, each of which built competing fur-trading posts. The rivalry ended only in 1821, when the two companies merged.
Expeditions led by Henry Youle Hind and John Palliser found parts of the region to have exceptionally good land for farming, especially the fertile belt north of the Palliser Triangle, a particularly arid zone. As a result of these findings, the British decided not to renew the licence of the Hudson's Bay Company and, in 1870, the North West Territory was acquired by the Dominion of Canada and administered from the newly formed province of Manitoba.
Upon completion of the railway in 1886, the population started to grow quickly. Other factors that helped swell the population were the discovery of new strains of wheat particularly suited to the climate of the Canadian Prairies, the lack of new farmland in the United States, and the end of an economic depression throughout North America.
On September 1, 1905, Alberta, named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, became a province of Canada with Edmonton as its capital city. The province of Alberta was created by joining the District of Alberta with parts of the districts of Athabasca, Assiniboia and Saskatchewan.
The People
Tracing the roots of Alberta's nearly 3 million people is an exercise that begins with Aboriginal people and leads to virtually every corner of the globe. Aboriginal people formed the bulk of the area's population until the 1880s, when they were outnumbered by the influx of Europeans. In 1881, there were barely more than 1 000 non-Aboriginal people in the area that was to become the province of Alberta. Ten years later, 17 500 people occupied the territory. Immigrants from many countries came in response to the Canadian government's aggressive efforts, between the 1890s and the 1920s, to promote immigration and encourage agricultural development. By the end of the immigration push in 1921, there were 584 454 Albertans.
After the Second World War, the pattern changed. From the 1960s on, immigrants have come from all over the world, including the Pacific Rim, Asia and the Caribbean. Today, roughly 44 percent of Albertans are of British descent; other large ethnic groups include the German, Ukrainian, French, Scandinavian and Dutch. In 1996, approximately 120 000 people were of Aboriginal or Métis origin. Smaller numbers of people, tracing their heritage to virtually every country in the world, make up the remaining 24 percent of the population. English is the language of the vast majority of Albertans, and most religious faiths are represented. Approximately 80 percent of Albertans live in urban areas, and more than half live in the two main cities of Edmonton, the province's capital, and Calgary.
The Economy
Alberta has one of the world's most productive agricultural economies, producing about 25 percent of the value of Canada's annual output. Approximately 22 million hectares of cultivated and uncultivated land are used as pasture and forage for livestock. While wheat remains the primary crop, the production of new crops continues to expand as the industry diversifies. The province maintains the largest livestock population in Canada.
Long known as Canada's 'energy province,' Alberta has more than 65 percent of the country's reserves of conventional crude oil, over 80 percent of its natural gas, and all of its bitumen and oil-sands reserves.
Over one-half of the province of Alberta, or approximately 350 000 km2, is covered by forests. Of the total forest area, 216 000 km2 are classified as commercially productive forest land and contain both hardwood and softwood species.
Food and beverage processing remains the largest manufacturing industry in Alberta in terms of both sales and employment. Petrochemicals and plastics, forest products, metals and machinery and refineries have become major success stories in contributing to Alberta's diversification efforts over the last several years. Many industrial products - including aerospace and transportation equipment, as well as industrial and speciality chemicals - are also being manufactured in Alberta.
The service sector accounts for more than 60 percent of Alberta's gross domestic product. More than two- thirds of Alberta's employment is found in such industries as business and financial services, transportation, retail trade, health and education services and tourism. The province offers a multitude of attractions to visitors, and particularly prides itself on the magnificent Rocky Mountains, especially the celebrated Jasper and Banff national parks.
Population of Alberta
2,932,963 (estimate 2000) Just over 9% of Canada's population resides in Alberta.
Provincial Flower
The wild rose was chosen as the provincal flower in the Floral Emblem Act of 1930.
Provincial Flag
Under the Flag Act, passed at the 1968 Session of the Alberta Legislature a blue flag, with the coat of arms of the Province in the center, was appointed and declared as the Flag of Alberta. This Act was proclaimed by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council on June 1st, 1968.
Provincial Coat of Arms
On May 30, 1907, a Royal Warrant assigned the Coat of Arms of the Province of Alberta. Topped by a red St. Georges Cross on a white background, the Coat of Arms features blue in back of a range of snow covered mountains with green hills, a prairie and a field of wheat in front. On July 30, 1980, the arms had a Crest, Motto and Supporters added by Royal Warrant. The Crest has a Royal Crown on top of a beaver sitting on a helmet with a silver and red wreath.
Motto
FORTIS ET LIBER (Strong and Free) to be borne and used together with Arms of the Province upon Seals, Shields, Banners, Flags, or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms.
Supporters
Gold lion (symbol of power) and pronghorn antelope (symbol of natural riches). The compartment (base of the Coat of Arms) is a grassy mount with wild roses.
Alberta Tartan
The colors of the Alberta Tartan represent the green of its forests, the gold of its wheat fields, the blue of its clean skies and sparkling lakes, the pink of its wild rose and the black of its coal and petroleum.
Provincial Bird
Great Horned Owl
Provincial Fish
The Bull Trout
Provincial Mammal
Big Horned Sheep
Provincial Tree
Lodgepole Pine
Provincial Stone
'Petrified Wood' - Ammolite
Provincial Colors
Blue and Gold (deep yellow)
Highest Mountain in Alberta
Mt. Columbia 3747m (12,294 feet)
Lowest Point in Alberta
Where the Salt River enters the Northwest Territories in NE Alberta 183m (600 feet)
Edmonton has a 45 hectare mall called the West Edmonton mall, which includes over 800 stores, water slides, two indoor lakes, ice rinks, an eighteen hole mini-golf course, and the world's largest indoor amusement park. It is the largest mall in the world! WOWEE!!
Alberta is the home of the Calgary Stampede (the largest outdoor show in the world)
Alberta is the largest of the three prairie provinces .

Province of Alberta Local Customs

Visiting Province of Alberta?

Visiting Province of Alberta?