The province of Alberta is located in western Canada between the provinces of British Columbia (B.C.) to the west and Saskatchewan to the east. At our northern border is the Northwest Territories. The state of Montana marks our southern border.
Considered one of Canada’s three “Prairie Provinces”—along with Manitoba and Saskatchewan—Alberta differs in that it shares the Canadian Rockies with British Columbia. Our natural border is the imaginary line of the Continental Divide that separates Alberta from B.C.
Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada. It is similar in size to Texas, three times the size of Great Britain or equal to the combined areas of France, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Land accounts for 97% of the area with the remainder made up of numerous lakes, rivers and streams.
The province has a diversity of natural terrain—parklands, grasslands, primordial badlands, vast tracts of wildlands, boreal forests and plains, ancient glaciers, thousands of lakes and rivers, and the oldest mountain ranges of the “backbone” that runs the length of North and South America.
Its variety of natural areas and ecosystems supports hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or protected. Coupled with the intriguing history of Aboriginal cultures and prehistoric dinosaur remains, it is easy to see why the United Nations crowned Alberta with five of Canada’s 13 designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Bragging Rights:
-Canada's largest mountainous national park - Jasper National Park
-Canada's first/oldest national park - Banff National Park
-World's largest shopping and entertainment complex - West Edmonton Mall
-World's first international "Peace Park" - Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park
-World's second largest and Canada's largest national park - Wood Buffalo National Park
-Largest ski area in Canada - Lake Louise
-World's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg (Pysanka) - Vegreville
-Second largest glacier fed lake in the world - Maligne Lake (Jasper National Park)
-One of the world's most photographed lakes - Moraine Lake (Banff National Park)
-North America's largest outdoor music festival - Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose)
-World's largest Tyrannosaurus Rex - Drumheller
-One of the most scenic highways in the world - Icefields Parkway
-Canada's largest public display of live reptiles - Reptile World (Drumheller)
-World's largest herd of free roaming bison - Wood Buffalo National Park
-North America's largest, oldest and best preserved buffalo jump site - Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump -World's largest oil sands development - Suncor/Syncrude Oil Sand Plant (Fort McMurray)
-Only city in Canada found within two provinces - Lloydminster, "Canada's Border City"
-Largest museum in Western Canada - Glenbow Museum (Calgary)
-Bird capital of Canada - McLennan
-North America's largest theatre festival - Fringe Festival (Edmonton)
-Second largest zoo in Canada - Calgary Zoo (Calgary)
-One of the richest dinosaur fossil discoveries in the world - Dinosaur Provincial Park
-Home of Iceland's greatest poet - Stephansson House (Markerville)
-World's largest cable suspended roof "reverse hyperbolic paraboloid" - Pengrowth Saddledome (Calgary)
-North America's first covered speed skating oval - Olympic Oval (Calgary)
-The richest show jumping contest in the world - The Masters at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)
-One of North America's largest collections of antique and classic cars, trucks and planes - Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin)
-Greatest outdoor show on earth - the Calgary Stampede (Calgary)
-World's tallest wagon wheel and pick axe - Fort Assiniboine
-World's first Indoor bungy jump - West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton)
-World's tallest teepee - Medicine Hat
-North America's largest collection of horse drawn vehicles - Remington Carriage Museum
Source: Travel Alberta