The province of Alberta is the most westerly of the three Prairie provinces. The Rocky Mountains occupy half of its southwestern portion. Foothills fashioned by the movement and melting of glaciers over millions of years present a transitional landscape before the plains of the Prairies begin. Alberta's climate is continental, with marked contrasts from one season to the next. Winters are generally long and cold, but a mild wind from the Pacific Ocean, the chinook, sometimes sweeps between the mountains and raises the temperature.
Summers are warm, sometimes even hot, and the sun shines year-round.
In terms of the economy, the services sector generates more than 60 per cent of the province's gross domestic product. Alberta has more than 80 per cent of the country's conventional crude oil reserves and more than 90 per cent of its natural gas. Cattle and agriculture are other important economic sectors. The farming sector is particularly productive, and Alberta supplies about 20 per cent of Canada's annual production. Mainly wheat is grown, but crops are becoming increasingly diversified.