Alberta
The Province of Alberta covers an area of 600.000 sq km, and has a population of more than 2.5 million inhabitants. Its capital is the city of Edmonton, with 616.700 inhabitants.
Edmonton is well known not only for its great prairies and river, but also for its numerous art and music festivals.
Alberta is bordered by the province of Saskactchewan to the east, the Rocky Mountains and British Columbia to the west, the Northwest Territories to the North and by the State of Montana to the south.
In the 19th century, when the European missionaries and fur traders arrived, Albert was inhabited by several aboriginal “nations” (they call themselves First Nations).
In 1867, by the time of Canada’s foundation, Alberta’s frontiers were still uncertain. It was only in 1874 with the presence of the North-West Mounted Police that the situation changed.
With the construction of the railway (completed in 1885), and the constant arrival of settlers, a territorial government was created in 1875. Huge quantities of buffalos were killed, even though the First Nations depended on them to survive, and the land was given to the European newcomers.
In 1905, after becoming part of the Confederacy, the district of Alberta was enlarged and given provincial status.
Alberta’s major industries are based on natural resources, such as agriculture, coal, forestry and tourism.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the “City of Champions”, where several professional sports teams of national renown are established.
The West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton is a huge shopping and entertainment centre, with more than 800 stores, 11 department stores, 34 cinema rooms, 110 restaurants, Galaxyland – an indoor amusement park with its own lake (with submarine rides) and daily dolphin presentations, the world’s highest Giant Wheel, an ice arena and World Waterpark – with slides, a wave pool and a sandy beach.
Calgary
Located in the Province of Alberta, the city of Calgary, with more than 850.000 inhabitants, enjoys an excellent life standard. With the mountains at the door, Calgary offers various cycling and skiing opportunities, or simply the possibility of enjoying the surrounding nature. Calgarians often say “See how beautiful the mountains are today!”
As in the old saying “If you don’t like Calgary’s weather, just wait 10 minutes to change!”, sometimes this is what really happens. In Calgary the day can begin with rain and go up to 30ºC in the afternoon, and freeze during the night. In fact, in the past, snowy days were constant during all year long! The temperature can go down to -8ºC and reach 30ºC in different periods of the year! Located near Brown River, in Inglewood, surrounding Fort Calgary, the original settlement maintains numerous old houses, whose owners insist in preserving. Also, new residential areas are being built there.
The significant growth of Calgary’s population and civil construction are the two major causes for the economic boom of this community. Calgary’s population is growing at an enormous pace. During the last 5 years, population numbers reached 51.314 individuals. Calgary is presently the largest Canadian prairie city and its expansion is the greatest of the community. Present Calgary is a model of growth, optimism and economic opportunities. Employment offers appear almost every day, and the uprising of buildings, offices, industrial parks, house construction, cultural and entertainment equipments is a fact.
Calgary’s vitality is a result of both the exploration of energetic resources, and the industrial development of the country, as well as of the development of business and capital stock of West Canada. The demand for specialized workers is a result of Calgary’s projects, investment and complex technology involved with the development of those same projects.