Alberta is Canada’s fourth largest province with a population of 3.4 million. It is known as the Province of Princess and has a diverse population. Half of the land is forest and a third is used for agriculture, while natural gas and coal production are important industries.
Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada with an area of 255,287 square miles (661,190 sq km) and the sixth largest division if territories are included. It makes up about 6.5% of the land in Canada and is similar in size to the other provinces of the Prairie, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Alberta’s 2007 population was 3,474,000, the fourth largest region. Edmonton is the provincial capital and other major cities include Calgary, Lethbridge, Red Deer and Medicine Hat.
Named for Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Alberta is known as the Province of Princess, but also nicknamed Sunny Alberta. Her motto is Fortis et Liber, which means “Strong and Free”. The provincial coats of arms are as follows:
Floral emblem: wild rose
Stone Emblem: Petrified Wood
Tree Emblem: Lodgepole Pine
Grass Emblem: Rough Fescue
Aviary emblem: large gufo cornuto
Mammal Emblem: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Fish emblem: bull trout
Weapon Shield: A cornfield at the base faces grasslands, green hills, and snow-capped mountains with a blue sky above. Above is a St. George’s cross.
Coat of arms: the shield in the center rests on a grassy mound adorned with wild roses. The shield is supported by a lion and a pronghorn antelope and surmounted by a beaver with a royal crown. The motto is included.
Flag: The flag shows the shield on a blue field.
Aboriginal peoples have lived in Alberta for more than 10,000 years, while European explorers first arrived in the mid-18th century. Today, Alberta is Canada’s fastest growing province, a trend that began after World War II, with the largest number of interprovincial immigrants in the twenty-first century. It is also one of the most culturally diverse provinces, including not only Amerindians and Inuit, but also immigrants from Europe and Asia.
Half of Alberta’s land is forest, and forestry is a large part of the economy. About a third of the land is used for agriculture – whether for crops such as cereals, hay and rapeseed, which is used to produce rapeseed oil – or for raising livestock. Alberta is also responsible for most of Canada’s natural gas production, as well as about half of the coal mined there. Production, service and transportation are also important.
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