Alberta

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(2950 and 3300 ft) above sea-level. 570 million years ago this entire region formed part of a giant inland lake. 70 million years ago the folding of the Rockies began to take place in the west (see British Columbia) and on the main ridge, Mount Columbia at 3747 m (12,300 ft) being the highest mountain in Alberta. The prairies now consist largely of material released and deposited during the period of the structural deformation of the Rockies, with rich black and brown soil predominating, ideal for agriculture. Alberta can be divided into three sections: South Alberta, covering the southern third of the province and with a slightly hilly prairie landscape, the "rolling prairies"; the "parklands" of Central Alberta, with their wide valleys and mountain-chains, numerous rivers and lakes, and criss-crossed with forests; and Northern Alberta, covering almost a half of the whole, characterised by large areas of coniferous forest divided up by the Peace and Athabasca Rivers. Less than three percent of the total area is taken up by lakes and waterways, a relatively small amount compared to nearly nineteen per cent in Manitoba. The largest areas of water are Little Slave Lake (1150 sq. km (444 sq. mi.)) and Peace River (1916 km (1190 mi.)).

As the Rocky Mountains follow the meridian and consequently the western edge of the mountain ridge is protected from rain, Alberta by and large enjoys a continental climate. Where the mountains afford protection from wind and rain the average annual precipitation is only 400-500 mm (16-20 in). The lack of an east-west mountain barrier results in an interchange of Arctic and tropical air masses. This means that in winter dry polar air pushes far into southern Alberta, while in summer tropical air masses can result in heavy falls of rain. On the prairies this results in hot summers with frequent thunder storms and winters with little snow but low temperatures. Even as late as April the average minimum in Alberta is below freezing point, and there are signs of impending winter in October. As an example, Lethbridge in the south of the province enjoys an average maximum temperature in July of 26°C (79°F) and over ten hours sunshine each day. A unique feature of Alberta is the "chinook", a warm dry wind coming from the Rocky Mountains, which frequently brings about an early thaw in the south.

The dominant natural vegetation in the north of Alberta is coniferous forest, which becomes tundra especially in the higher regions bordering the Northwest Territories. In the north conifers such as spruce and larch predominate, while towards the south deciduous trees including beech, birch and maple come more into their own. In the south-east flourishes a form of natural grassland, so that the "short grass prairie" of the north becomes the "long grass prairie" of the south.

There is evidence of human settlement in Alberta going back more than 11,000 years. Cypress Hills, protected from the ravages of the Ice Age, were inhabited by aboriginals for over 7000 years. Present-day Alberta was entrusted to the Hudson's Bay Company after it was founded in 1670, with trade being mainly in furs. In 1754 Anthony Henday was the first white man to explore as far as the Rocky Mountains. Between 1792 and 1801 Peter Fidler pushed far south into Alberta and discovered rich coal deposits by the Red Deer River. In the south missionaries founded schools and churches and made the first contacts with the Indians. Trading posts - such as that at Peter Pond Lake on the Athabasa River - began to be set up in 1778, and Fort Edmonton was built as a fur-trading centre in 1795. In the Oregon Border Treaty of 1846 it was laid down that the 49th parallel should be the southern border with the United States. In 1870 the area between Manitoba and the Rockies came under the administrative aegis of the Northwest Territories. In 1880 Father Albert Lacomte helped to negotiate a treaty with the Blackfoot Indians, with whose assistance the Canadian Pacific Railway was able to undertake the construction of the Trans-Canada Railroad, which was completed in 1886. In that same year John "Kootenia" Brown was the first to discover oil, and sold it as lubricating oil for one dollar a gallon. The gold-rush started in 1890 and Edmonton became the chief meeting-place of the gold-diggers. The Province of Alberta was founded in 1905 and joined the Confederation of Canadian States on September 1st of that year. The province was named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the wife of the Governor General of Canada from 1878-83.During the period of the great drought between 1931 and 1934 there were signs of widespread erosion leading to increased farm failures and death of livestock. In 1962 the TransCanada Highway was built through Alberta, guaranteeing a quicker link between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. In 1968 a start was made on exploiting the Athabasca Tar Sands near Fort McMurray.

About ¾ of Alberta's population live in the towns and cities, concentrated on four large conurbations, especially Calgary and Edmonton. From 1869 onwards most of Alberta's settlers were white, a trend which was fostered still further by the Law of Pioneer Settlement passed in 1875. The development of the province was further assisted by the building of the railroad network by the Canadian Pacific Railway after 1885. The largest groups of native inhabitants are to be found at Athabasca in the North and Algonkin in the south-east; both are prairie Indians who used to make a living mainly from hunting bison. Today such Indians live on the edge of society, mainly outside the larger towns. An insight into the Indian way of life can be gleaned from a visit to the Indian Collection at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.

The two main branches of Alberta's economy are mining and agriculture and farming. The forests are mainly state-owned, being leased out to private firms.

Wheat is one of the most important crops grown in Alberta. The first large ranch in the West, Cochrane Ranch, was built in 1878, and many other farms and mills followed. The wheat crop is mainly summer wheat and it has been found possible to reduce the growing period to between 100 and 110 days, so that it can now be grown even further north than before.

In the field of mineral resources Alberta also plays an important role. Coal deposits are estimated at 48,000,000,000 tonnes, with about five-sixths thereof under the plains and one-sixth in the Rocky Mountains.

Crude oil has been extracted in Alberta since 1886, and has increased more and more in importance during the present century. While most of the oil-storage sites are in the south, giant deposits of oil in sand have been found in the north (Fort McMurray), estimated at about one-third of the total world supply. Because of the difficult processes involved in separating the oil from the sand it has only recently - since 1967 - been found viable to exploit these resources. All the processes cause some environmental problems since - as well as causing damage to the earth's surface - 22 tonnes of water are required to extract one tonne of crude oil. All Canadian oil companies now have their headquarters in Calgary.

Alberta offers ideal leisure facilities throughout the year. As regards winter sports, there are five well-equipped skiing areas available from November to May, with plenty of ski-runs in the south-west of the province. A lot of ice-hockey is also played in Alberta. In summer 59 provincial parks and five national parks are open - especially Jasper National Park, covering 10,878 sq. km (4200 sq. mi.), and Banff National Park, 6642 sq. km (2565 sq. mi.). Leisure pursuits range from trekking along well-maintained paths to water-sports and riding. Outside the parks there are ideal opportunities for hunting, especially in the north. As well as shooting water-fowl the hunting of large wild animals, including bear and elk, could well prove an attractive proposition. Those who prefer more leisurely pursuits may like to indulge in a little fishing. The towns of Edmonton and Calgary have some unique attractions for visitors. Every July since 1912 the "Stampede" has been held in Calgary, a sort of world championship in rodeo skills. The town's attractions have increased even further since the Winter Olympics were held here in 1988. Edmonton can boast, by way of example, the West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping and leisure complex, where it is quite possible to spend hours or even days without becoming bored. However, tourists from Europe will no doubt wish to concentrate on the natural beauties to be found in the south-western corner of the province, and perhaps not concern themselves with Alberta's other attractions. The Tourist Offices to be found everywhere in Alberta will be more than happy to provide up-to-date information on all manner of sights and facilities.