Where
is Canada?
Canada—the world's second largest country by area—occupies
the northern part of North America. Canada shares the world's longest
undefended border with its neighbor to the south, the U.S.A.
Where
is Alberta?
Alberta is a province in western Canada just north of the U.S. state
of Montana. Alberta's western boundary follows the eastern edge of the
Rocky Mountains.
Where
is Edmonton?
Edmonton, the capital city of the province of Alberta, is located near
the geographic centre of the province. Edmonton is approximately 1360
miles from Los Angeles, California (3.5 hours by air) and 2030 miles
from New York City, New York (5 hours by air).
Edmonton
Facts
• Edmonton is the 2nd largest metro area west of Toronto and the
5th largest city in Canada.
• Edmonton averages 12.32 hours of daily sunshine, more than any
other major Canadian city.
• Edmonton Region's population is approximately 921,000 (projected
to reach 1 million in 2007)
• Edmonton's Saskatchewan River Valley parkland encompasses 8,000
acres of land with more than 120 miles of trails. This is the longest
stretch of urban parkland in North America, 22 times larger than New
York's Central Park.
• Edmonton is 2,192 feet above sea level.
Edmonton's
climate
Edmonton's climate is temperate with 4 distinct seasons. Snow cover
characterizes winter, generally from November through mid-March. Summers
are generally dry and sunny. In April (the time of the Gathering) Edmonton's
temperatures are similar to those in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Canadian
myths
• We live in igloos. The nearest igloo is probably several
thousand miles north of Edmonton.
• We have snow all year round. In Edmonton there is usually
snow on the ground from mid-November to mid-March (4 months). It is
rarely very deep. (As I write this on January 14, the daytime temperature
is 43F under bright sun, and there is about 6 inches of old snow on
my yard, melting rapidly.) Golf courses in Edmonton are busy from mid-May
to mid-October—and I haven't seen any golfers wearing snow shoes.
• Our police are Mounties, dressed in red uniforms. While
Canada has Mounties, they do not wear red except for ceremonial occasions.
Edmonton has its own city police officers, and they look like the cops
in most American cities. The Mounties (RCMP) have a limited enforcement
presence in Edmonton, but they are active in rural areas. . .minus the
red uniforms.
• We all speak French. People in one of Canada's
10 provinces (Quebec) speak French, but in Alberta people
speak English. Only a tiny minority speak French, and most of them speak
English also.
• Toronto is the capital of Canada. Toronto is the largest
city in Canada, but Ottawa is the capital.
• We do not have the technology that Americans have. Canada
is highly advanced technologically. Recent studies showed that, by percentage,
more Canadians than Americans use the Internet. Aside from military
technology, it's hard to imagine anything Canadians do not have easy
access to.
