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Alberta ranks 6th in geographic size among the provinces in Canada. The province is home to over 3 million people. Over 700,000 people live in its most populous city, Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, located near the centre of the province.
Mineral resources comprise the main industry in Alberta. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are of great importance. Alberta is the nation’s top producer of oil, with a wealth of oil deposits within the tar sands of the Athabasca River. Roughly half of Canada’s coal reserves can be found in Alberta. Other important mineral resources include salt, limestone, sand, clay, sodium sulphate, peat moss, and sulphur.
Historically, agriculture provided the backbone to Alberta’s economy. Presently many crops remain essential in the province. These include wheat, canola, barley, sugar beets, and potatoes. Livestock, poultry, dairy, and food processing also comprise Alberta’s agricultural wealth.
Forestry is the third largest industry in Alberta. The province’s vast forest resources provide lumber and pulp for paper products.
Additional industries have strengthened Alberta’s economy. Alberta has become a major centre for finance in western Canada, particularly the city of Calgary. Telecommunications, printing and publishing, petrochemicals, and food and beverages anchor the province. Tourism increasingly contributes to Alberta’s economic strength. With numerous national and provincial parks and dramatic scenery, the Princess Province should continue to draw visitors to its famed landscape. The biotechnology and life sciences industry is blooming in Alberta and promises to become a tremendous asset to the province.
Alberta is among the most affordable provinces in which to live. In 2003, Alberta ranked first in Canada in personal disposable income per capita, at $25,654; this was 13.8 percent above the national average. Housing affordability is high, with costs of home ownership taking up 25.5 percent of pre-tax household income on average. Alberta’s unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in 2004, the lowest in the nation. There is no general retail sales tax in the Princess Province. The province is consistently ranked as having a high quality of life.
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