Alberta (/ælˈbɜːrtə/) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.[7] It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. English is the official language of the province. In 2016, 76.0% of Albertans were anglophone, 1.8% were francophone and 22.2% were allophone.[8]
Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and Montana to the south. It is one of the only two landlocked provinces in Canada.[7] The eastern part of the province is occupied by the Great Plains, while the western part borders the Rocky Mountains. The province has a predominantly continental climate but experiences quick temperature changes due to air aridity. Seasonal temperature swings are less pronounced in western Alberta due to occasional chinook winds.[9]
Alberta is the 6th largest province by area, being approximately 660,000 square kilometers,[10] and the 4th most populous, being home to 4,067,175 people.[1] Alberta’s capital is Edmonton, while Calgary is its largest city.[11] The two are Alberta’s largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and both exceed 1 million people.[12] More than half of Albertans live in either Edmonton or Calgary, which contributes to continuing the rivalry between the two cities. The province also has one other CMA, Lethbridge, and 15 census agglomerations.[12] While the vast majority of Albertans are city dwellers, the identity of the province is mainly rooted in a rural lifestyle (rodeos, western, country music, cowboys).
The oil and gas industry is also a part of the province’s identity. Alberta’s economy is based on hydrocarbons, petrochemical industries, livestock, agriculture and frontier technologies.[13] The oil industry has been a pillar of Alberta’s economy since 1947, when substantial oil deposits were discovered at Leduc No. 1 well.[14] Since Alberta is the province most rich in hydrocarbons, it provides 70% of the oil and natural gas exploited on Canadian soil. In 2018, Alberta’s output was CDN$338.2 billion, 15.27% of Canada’s GDP.[15][16]
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