Alberta: vast grasslands and spectacular mountains

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Alberta is a province in western Canada, located near the Rocky Mountains. These mountains mark its border with the British Columbia province. The territory of Alberta then borders to the east with Saskatchewan, to the north with the Northwest Territories, while to the south it borders Montana, a state of the United States of America.

Alberta is the fourth largest province in Canada. Its territory is mostly formed by prairies, but the peaks of the Canadian Rockies rise majestically to the west. These mountains exceed, in many places, the 3,000 meters high. Here are some of the most spectacular Canadian national parks. Alberta’s highest mountain, Mount Columbia (3,747 meters) is located in Jasper National Park, on the border with British Columbia.

WHAT TO SEE IN ALBERTA: TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Located where the mountains meet the prairies, Alberta has a varied and very beautiful landscape. Not for nothing of the 20 Canadian places elected as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, five are in Alberta. Among the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, which have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, two are located in this Canadian province: Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. While Alberta’s other world heritage sites are Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

The Rocky Mountains represent the best known attraction of this province. Their wild and spectacular scenery attracts visitors from all over the world. While the rest of the province is mainly formed by large grasslands. Then there are vast areas called badlands with very dry climate and scarce vegetation. However, these areas are very interesting from a landscape and paleontological point of view. Alberta’s dry continental climate is characterized by cold winters and hot summers.

• Area: 661,848 km²
• Population: 3,632,483 (2009)
• Capital: Edmonton
• Time zone: UTC-7

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