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Alberta

Alberta's grandeur and beauty are obvious. From the rolling foothills and imposing mountains to the prehistoric hoodoos, Alberta has many distinct natural landmarks. Most impressive are Alberta's Rocky Mountains, home to the world-famous resort towns of Banff, Jasper, Canmore, Kananaskis, Lake Louise and Waterton. Dinosaur hunters flock to the acclaimed Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, where the desert topography yields countless fossils and prehistoric discoveries. Edmonton, the provincial capital, is often synonymous with its largest attraction - West Edmonton Mall, North America's largest shopping and entertainment complex.

Alberta is located in western Canada and is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. Alberta is one of two provinces that are land-locked (the other being Saskatchewan); although, fresh water is in no short supply in this economically booming province.

Alberta's cool, continental climate produces warm summers and cold winters, with heavy snowfalls especially apparent in the areas near the Rocky Mountains. Because of its geographical location, Alberta receives considerably less solar radiation than the equatorial regions, which results in average temperatures considerably lower than areas to the south. In isolated cases (and more likely during the summer months), the temperature of some regions of the province can reach as high as 40°C, with daily averages around 30°C. Of course, the winter climate can also present the opposite extreme, with temperatures that can fall as low as -40°C.

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