Alberta, Canada's 4th most populous province,shares its borders with British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the East, Northwest Territories to the North, and Montana (USA) to the south.
Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta and also the central hub for the country's crude oil industry. The largest city in the province is Calgary.
Edmonton and Calgary are census metropolitan areas of Alberta, with populations exceeding one million.
The province is home to over 17,000 international students each year and is one of Canada's primary study abroad destinations.
Demography
Alberta is home to almost 4.4 million, 80% live in urban areas, while only 19% live in rural areas.
The densely populated region of Alberta is the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, the most urbanized area in the province.
Geography
Albreta has fertile and is home to the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains of North America.
The Southern part of the province is generally plains and is mostly treeless
The total area of the province is 661,848 square kilometer, making it the 4th largest Canadian province.
The highest point in Alberta is Mount Columbia at 12,294 feet (3,747 metres) above sea level.
Climate
Albreta has a semi-arid climate, the province experiences relatively warm summers and extremely cold winters, and experiences more sunshine than any other Canadian province.
Summers of Albreta are usually warm and wet the temperatures in summer range from 20°C- 25°C
Winters in Canada are snow filled and the minimum temperature ranges from -5° to -15°C.
Economy
Alberta's economy is largely driven by the Petroleum industry along with agriculture and technology.
Almost one third of the land in Alberta is used for Agriculture, with about half that land used to grow crops, and the balance land used to grow livestock. The primary crops grown in Alberta include wheat, barley, hay, and rapeseed (Canola).
Alberta comprises of the majority of fossil fuels found in Canada, as it is the largest producer of country's natural gas, crude oil, and coal,which are found in the Fort McMurray, Cold Lake, and Lloydminster regions on the Eastern border.
Alberta's manufacturing industry focuses on the processing of primary goods, which includes the food processing industry; meat products, chemicals, petroleum, and wood-based products.
Recently Alberta has started manufacturing metal fabrication, manufacture of machinery and equipment, telecommunication, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and construction have become significant industries in Alberta
Healthcare
Alberta International students are eligible for the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan ( AHCIP). It is a healthcare scheme that is publicly funded, and covers most medical treatments and basic healthcare. Students are eligible to apply for AHCIP with a study permit.
University Education
Albreta is home to renowned Universities, technical, vocational and Art colleges offering all level of degrees with several different courses.
University of Alberta being the highest ranked, known for its high-quality research,it is the oldest and largest University in Alberta.
The University of Calgary is the second largest university in Alberta. Other known universities located in Alberta are the University of Lethbridge, and Athabasca University, which is focused on distance learning (Online).
The province has several state of the art universities and colleges, with a flourishing arts and cultural scene, and modern learning and teaching facilities.
