Alberta summary

Explore the history of Alberta, a province in western Canada, and its economic growth

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Alberta.

Mount Chephren rising above Waterfowl Lake in Banff National Park, southwestern Alberta, Canada.

Alberta, Province, western Canada, westernmost of the three Prairie Provinces. Area: 255,541 sq mi (661,848 sq km). Population: (2021) 4,262,635. Capital: Edmonton. Alberta is bordered by Saskatchewan, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the U.S. Long inhabited by various Indian (First Nation) peoples, the area was explored by Europeans in the 1750s. It eventually came under the rule of the Hudson’s Bay Co., which transferred it to the Dominion of Canada in 1870. It was made part of the North-West Territories in 1882. Its population grew with the coming of the railroads and the expansion of wheat farming. Alberta was made a province in 1905. Once dependent on agriculture, it underwent significant economic growth in the 20th century with the discovery of major oil and gas deposits.

Athabasca River Summary

Athabasca River, river in northern Alberta, Canada, forming the southernmost part of the Mackenzie River system. From its source in the Columbia Icefield (Canadian Rocky Mountains) near the Continental Divide, the river flows through Jasper National Park, site of the spectacular Athabasca Falls,

Banff National Park Summary

Banff National Park, scenic natural and wilderness area in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Established as a national park in 1887, it occupies 2,564 square miles (6,641 square km) along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and abuts the border with British Columbia. Yoho and Kootenay national

Wilfrid Laurier Summary

Wilfrid Laurier was the first French Canadian prime minister of the Dominion of Canada (1896–1911), noted especially for his attempts to define the role of French Canada in the federal state and to define Canada’s relations to Great Britain. He was knighted in 1897. Laurier was born of French

Calgary Summary

Calgary, city, southern Alberta, Canada. The physical setting of Calgary distinguishes it from other cities of the Prairie Provinces. It is situated on the western edge of the Great Plains, in the foothills of the spectacular Canadian Rockies (about 60 miles [100 km] to the west), and the