Provinces of Canada – Alberta

This is the first of an occasional series going through the 10 Provinces of Canada in alphabetical order to check out how they got named, what their flag is like and other things of interest. 

Location – Alberta is the second province in from the left on the map.  It is bordered by British Columbia to the West and Saskatchewan to the East.  Montana lies south of Alberta.

Origin of name – Alberta has been a province since 1905.  You might have thought the province was named after Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband) but it was not.   It was named after their daughter Princess Louise Alberta who was married to a former Canadian Governor General.

Nicknames – Wild Rose Country, The Princess Province

Flag

Art Gallery of Alberta - quite a building

Capital – Edmonton (but the largest city is Calgary)

Flower – Wild Rose

Tree – Lodgepole Pine

Bird – Great Horned Owl - distinctly Harry Potterish

Signature foods – Rosemary Grilled Steak

Sports – Lacrosse and Ice Hockey

Famous places to visit – Banff, Jasper, Rocky Mountains

Famous brand:  The Calgary Stampede

Famous people from Alberta: Michael J Fox, Joni Mitchell and Ted Cruz