Alberta
Alberta Province of w Canada bounded on the w mainly by the Rocky Mountains and in the s by the USA; the capital is Edmonton. Other major cities include Calgary. Most of Alberta is prairie land. The principal rivers are the Athabasca, Peace, and North and South Saskatchewan. Lesser Slave Lake is the largest of the many lakes. The area was part of a huge territory granted (1670) by Charles II to the Hudson's Bay Company, and in 1870 the government of Canada bought the region from the company. Migrants arrived from other Canadian provinces, the USA, and Europe. In 1882, Northwest Territories was divided into four districts and Alberta was created. It was admitted to the confederation as a province in 1905. The fertile plains support wheat farming and livestock. Major resources are coal, minerals, and wood from the forests in the n. Oil and natural gas fields in central Alberta have been a major stimulus to the post-1945 economy. Industries: petroleum products, metals, chemicals, food, wood products. Area: 661,188sq km (255,285sq mi). Pop. (2001) 2,974,807.
http://www.gov.ab.ca
http://www.gov.ab.ca
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Alberta