About Calgary

Location and Geography:
The city of Calgary has a population of just over 1.1 million inhabitants and is located in the province of Alberta, in the western half of Canada. Canada’s large surface area is divided up into ten provinces and three territories. The ten provinces from west to east are as follows: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. The three territories are: Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. In the province of Alberta, there are four major cities: Calgary, Edmonton (the province’s capital city), Red Deer and Fort McMurray.

Calgary lies on the prairies in the foothills of Canada’s Rocky Mountains. Many Calgary residents (mainly on the western side of the city) have spectacular mountain views and the famous Banff National Park is a mere 45 minutes’ drive away. Calgary is approximately a 90 minute drive from Red Deer and a 3 hour drive from the capital city, Edmonton. Fort McMurray is an 8 hour drive away, which gives one an idea of Alberta’s large surface area (665,600 km²).