Alberta is a western province of Canada, the westernmost of the three Prairie provinces, running from the rolling grasslands of the south to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and the great boreal forests of the north. Home to around five million people, its wealth is built above all on oil and gas, and its dynamic cities, Calgary and the capital, Edmonton, anchor one of the country's richest economies. A land of ranching, energy, and spectacular mountain scenery, Alberta has a proud and independent streak.

Alberta's history reaches from the age of the dinosaurs whose fossils fill its badlands, through the Indigenous nations of the plains and the fur trade, to a wave of ranchers and farmers and the oil boom that transformed the province.

Long before human history, Alberta's badlands were laid down as the bed of ancient seas and swamps, and today they hold one of the richest troves of dinosaur fossils on Earth. The province's deep past is celebrated at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and the fossil beds of the Red Deer River valley draw scientists from around the world.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology at Drumheller, set among the badlands of the Red Deer River. Alberta's ancient rock holds one of the world's richest collections of dinosaur fossils.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology at Drumheller, set among the badlands of the Red Deer River. Alberta's ancient rock holds one of the world's richest collections of dinosaur fossils.Credit: Steven Mackaay (CC BY-SA 3.0).

For thousands of years the plains were home to Indigenous nations such as the Blackfoot and the Cree, who followed the great bison herds across the grasslands. From the late eighteenth century the fur trade drew European traders north and west, building posts like Fort Chipewyan that opened the region to the wider world.

An 1820 view of Fort Chipewyan, a fur-trading post in what is now northern Alberta. Such posts drew the region into the great fur trade that first linked it to the wider world.
An 1820 view of Fort Chipewyan, a fur-trading post in what is now northern Alberta. Such posts drew the region into the great fur trade that first linked it to the wider world.Credit: George Back (Public domain).

In the late nineteenth century the coming of the railway and the near-extinction of the bison opened the plains to ranching and then to a flood of homesteading farmers, who broke the prairie for wheat. The growing territory became the province of Alberta in 1905, and the discovery of oil in the following decades would remake its fortunes entirely.

Alberta spans a striking range of country. The mighty Rocky Mountains form its western wall, holding the famous national parks of Banff and Jasper with their turquoise lakes and glaciers. Eastward the land falls to rolling foothills and then the wide prairies of the south, broken by the eroded badlands of the dinosaur country, while the north is a vast expanse of boreal forest, wetlands, and the oil sands. The climate is dry and continental, with cold winters warmed at times by the chinook winds off the mountains.

Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, its blue-green water fed by glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. The mountains of western Alberta hold some of the most famous scenery in the country.
Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, its blue-green water fed by glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. The mountains of western Alberta hold some of the most famous scenery in the country.Credit: Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The eroded badlands of Red Rock Coulee in southern Alberta. Beyond the mountains the province opens into dry prairie and the strange, sculpted badlands where its dinosaur fossils are found.
The eroded badlands of Red Rock Coulee in southern Alberta. Beyond the mountains the province opens into dry prairie and the strange, sculpted badlands where its dinosaur fossils are found.Credit: Bobbijogrunewald (CC BY-SA 4.0).
A bighorn sheep in Kananaskis Country in the Alberta Rockies. The province's mountains and foothills shelter abundant wildlife, from sheep and elk to bears.
A bighorn sheep in Kananaskis Country in the Alberta Rockies. The province's mountains and foothills shelter abundant wildlife, from sheep and elk to bears.Credit: Jakub Fryš (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Alberta is governed as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected Legislative Assembly that sits in Edmonton and a premier who leads the government, while a lieutenant governor represents the Crown. As of 2026 the premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, and the lieutenant governor is Salma Lakhani, the first Muslim to hold a viceregal office in Canada. Alberta's politics have long leaned conservative and are marked by a fierce defence of provincial interests, especially over energy, and periodic friction with the federal government.

The Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, the capital, opened in 1913. Its domed halls are the seat of the province's Legislative Assembly.
The Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, the capital, opened in 1913. Its domed halls are the seat of the province's Legislative Assembly.Credit: D. Benjamin Miller (CC0).
Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party. Alberta's politics lean strongly conservative and often clash with the federal government over energy and provincial rights.
Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta and leader of the United Conservative Party. Alberta's politics lean strongly conservative and often clash with the federal government over energy and provincial rights.Credit: Manning Centre c/o: Jake Wright (CC BY 2.0).

Alberta has one of the strongest economies in Canada, built above all on oil and gas. It holds the vast oil sands of the north, among the largest petroleum deposits in the world, and the energy industry has made the province wealthy while tying its fortunes to the swings of global prices. Beyond energy, Alberta is a major producer of beef from its sprawling ranches and of wheat and canola from its farms, and Calgary and Edmonton have grown into significant centres of finance, services, and technology.

The minesite at Syncrude's Mildred Lake plant in the Athabasca oil sands of northern Alberta. The oil sands are among the largest petroleum deposits in the world and the foundation of the province's wealth.
The minesite at Syncrude's Mildred Lake plant in the Athabasca oil sands of northern Alberta. The oil sands are among the largest petroleum deposits in the world and the foundation of the province's wealth.Credit: The Interior (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The skyline of Edmonton, the provincial capital, on the North Saskatchewan River. A centre of government and of the energy industry, it is one of the two great cities that anchor Alberta's economy.
The skyline of Edmonton, the provincial capital, on the North Saskatchewan River. A centre of government and of the energy industry, it is one of the two great cities that anchor Alberta's economy.Credit: awmcphee (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Alberta blends the heritage of the ranching frontier with the energy of its booming modern cities. The cowboy tradition of the foothills lives on most vividly in the Calgary Stampede, a vast annual rodeo and festival that bills itself as the greatest outdoor show on earth. The province is young, fast-growing, and increasingly diverse, drawing newcomers from across Canada and the world to its cities, while its mountains and parks underpin a strong culture of the outdoors.

A rider at the Calgary Stampede, the huge annual rodeo and festival that celebrates Alberta's ranching heritage. Billed as the greatest outdoor show on earth, it is a symbol of the province.
A rider at the Calgary Stampede, the huge annual rodeo and festival that celebrates Alberta's ranching heritage. Billed as the greatest outdoor show on earth, it is a symbol of the province.Credit: Unknown (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The flag of Alberta is blue, bearing the provincial shield at its centre. The shield shows the cross of Saint George above a landscape of snow-capped mountains, green hills, and golden prairie wheat, a picture of the province's range of scenery from the Rockies to the plains. The wild rose, a pink flower that grows across the province, is Alberta's floral emblem, so cherished that the province is sometimes nicknamed Wild Rose Country.

The wild rose, the floral emblem of Alberta, which grows across the province's prairies and foothills. It is so cherished that Alberta is sometimes called Wild Rose Country.
The wild rose, the floral emblem of Alberta, which grows across the province's prairies and foothills. It is so cherished that Alberta is sometimes called Wild Rose Country.Credit: Walter Siegmund (talk) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Alberta has a population of around five million people, the fourth most of any province and one of the fastest-growing, swelled by newcomers from across Canada and abroad drawn by its economy. Most people live in the two big cities, Calgary and the capital, Edmonton, and along the corridor between them, with the rest spread across farming and ranching country and the resource towns of the north. Young, prosperous, and increasingly diverse, Alberta has one of the most dynamic populations in the country.