The name "Alberta" is in honor of the daughter of Queen Victoria. The Province's motto is Fortis et Liber - Strong and Free.

Alberta became a Province in 1905. All year, Albertans throughout the Province have been celebrating the centennial.

Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Alberta was granted by Royal Warrant on May 30, 1907 by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. On July 30, 1980, the Armorial Bearings (the Crest, Supporters and Motto) were added by Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Coat of Arms represents the natural resources and varied beauty of Alberta landscape: the Rocky Mountains and their foothills, the grass prairies, and the cultivated wheat fields. The shield is also featured on the Flag of Alberta.

Shield of Arms

The Shield of Arms was adopted May 30th, 1907. Topped by a red St. George’s Cross on a white background, the Shield of the Arms of Alberta features azure (blue) in back of a range of snow-capped mountains with green hills, prairie and a wheat field in front.

Provincial Colours

The Provincial Colours were adopted in 1984. The blue represents the sky and gold/deep yellow represents the prairies.

Petrified Wood

In 1977, the Legislative Assembly recognized petrified wood as the official stone of Alberta.

Petrified wood was originally formed in coal seams and later carried by water and deposited in stream and river beds and gravel pits throughout Alberta. It is a semi-precious stone used in jewelry and ornaments.

The choice of petrified wood is especially appropriate because of the stone's natural beauty and it belongs to the age when oil was first formed.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

The Bighorn Sheep was adopted as Alberta's mammal August 18th, 1989. The Bighorn is a majestic, native Alberta animal.

Prehistoric remains have been found in most of the river valleys across Alberta, showing that at one time large herds of Bighorn Sheep roamed the province. Today the Bighorn is primarily found in the Rocky Mountain region.

Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl was adopted as Alberta's bird May 3rd, 1977, by a Province wide children's vote.

The owl is a year-round resident of the province and represents the concern of Albertans for our wildlife.

Bull Trout

The Bull Trout was adopted May 2nd, 1996 as Alberta's fish.

It is one of eight species found in Alberta’s glacial fed waters, and is often confused with the brook trout, but lacks black markings on its dorsal fins.

In order to ensure Alberta’s population of bull trout never becomes endangered, there is a catch and release policy governing all bull trout fishing in the province.

Lodgepole Pine

In the early 1900s, the lodgepole pine was primarily used to make railway ties. Today it plays a major role in Alberta’s forest industry and is manufactured into poles, posts, pulp, plywood, mine timbers and other lumber products.

The Lodgepole Pine was adopted as Alberta's tree May 30, 1984 due to the efforts of the Junior Forest Warden Association of Alberta.

Wild Rose

The floral emblem was chosen by Alberta school children in 1930.

It grows not only in Alberta, but in many parts of Canada.The Wild Rose has a beautiful scent and is a pretty bright pink. The red berries that it produces are food for birds in the winter.

Rough Fescue

Alberta is celebrating the addition of a new provincial emblem. Rough Fescue grass was adopted on April 30th, 2003.

The addition of this new emblem was coordinated by the Prairie Conservation Forum. The Forum consulted a range of Alberta scientists and resource managers to identify five candidate grasses for Albertans to vote on through a mail-in or online ballot. Rough fescue (Festuca scabrella) was the winner selected by Albertans.

Alberta's tartan pays tribute to the Scottish component of our heritage. Tartans are plaid cloths that originated in Scotland.

The colors and patterns displayed on tartans represented various clans, or families. Today, many Canadian provinces have official tartans.

The Work Tartan

Alberta’s official tartan was adopted on March 30, 1961 by an Act of the Legislature.

The colours represent our abundant natural resources: green for forests, gold for wheat fields, blue for lakes, pink for wild roses, and black for coal and petroleum. The official work tartan was designed by the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society for the Handicapped.

The Dress Tartan

Alberta's Dress Tartan complements the official tartan and can be worn for dancing, special occasions, and formal attire.

It was adopted by Alberta in 2000 and includes the same colours as the official tartan with large sections of white, being a symbol of Alberta's clean, bright snowy days.

Edmonton

The University of Alberta, founded in 1908, is situated along the south bank of the North Saskatchewan river in the heart of the city of Edmonton.

The University has approximately 35,000 students, 5,800 of them in graduate studies. The University of Alberta consistently ranks as one of the top 5 universities in Canada.

Calgary

The University of Calgary has approximately 23,500 full time and 4,500 part time students. It is located in the north-western part of Calgary.

It offers over 100 programmes in post secondary education awarding bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees.

Lethbridge

The University of Lethbridge was founded in 1967. It sits among the coulees on the scenic west side of the Oldman river in Lethbridge.

The university has strong research programs and is nationally recognized in the sciences. It pursues significant collaborative research with two federal agriculture research centers in Lethbridge.

Alberta Human Resources and Employment service centres are located throughout Alberta. These centres and Canada-Alberta Service Centres, offer listings of job openings, provide information materials about career planning and offer seminars on these topics. Some centres also provide Internet access so you can search electronically for work postings.

Both Alberta Human Resources and Employment service centres and Canada-Alberta Service Centres are listed in the white or blue pages of the telephone directory under Government of Alberta.

You can also find the centre nearest you by calling:

Alberta Career Information Hotline at 1-800-661-3753 toll-free throughout Alberta or (780) 422-4266 in Edmonton.

Escape the “same old same old” and enjoy a holiday with family and friends that focuses on Alberta’s attractions. Alberta is brimming with hundreds of exciting attractions, from natural wonders to man-made marvels.

Enjoy the fantasy world of the famous Banff Springs hotel.

In Edmonton, shop in the largest shopping mall in the world.

Hike where the dinosaurs once roamed in Drumheller.

Experience life in the past at Calgary's Heritage Park and enjoy a rodeo and aboriginal dancers at the Calgary Stampede.

Fascinate the entire family, even grandpa, who says he’s seen it all. Intrigue your friends, too. Visit Alberta's unique attractions.

Construction of the Alberta Legislature Building began in 1907. The official opening was held on September 3, 1912.

The building is made of granite and sandstone; the rotunda inside features 2000 tons of marble. It is found on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River on the former site of Fort Edmonton.

The Legislature Building houses the Legislative Assembly, the provincial government law-making authority.

• In summer, daytime highs are normally in the 20 to 25°C range but can reach the mid to upper 30s and dip to -2 bringing a sudden, however short lived, snowfall.
  
  
• Normal low nighttime temperatures in the driest and coldest winter months, January and February, range from -15 to -25°C, while daytime temperatures range from -5 to -15°C. However, winter temperatures can dip as low as -30 to -40°C and the wind chill factor can make temperatures feel much colder.
  
  
• In contrast, winter chinook winds in the southern part of the Province near the mountains can cause temperatures to rise as much as 20°C in less than an hour.
  
  
• Daylight hours range from 16 to 18 hours in June and 6 to 8 hours in December.
  
  
• Mountain foothill areas get about 600 mm of precipitation (rain or snow) each year. The southeast corner of the province, one of the driest areas in Canada, gets fewer than 350 mm.
  
  
• Thunderstorms are common from late May through early September and account for about half of the yearly precipitation.

Alberta's song was adopted in preparation for the provinces centennial celebrations in 2005.

The song was selected following a competition mandated by the Alberta Official Song Act, which was introduced in the Alberta Legislature in 2001, and passed by the legislature in November of that year.

The chosen song, selected by the 13-member Alberta Official Song Committee, was Alberta, written by Mary Kieftenbeld. The song has been recorded in both country music and pop music versions.

Click here to hear the song.
Alberta's Official Song (wav 525 kb)