ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 299 Atlas What Is a Map? 300 Skill Power Reading a Map 301 Skill Power Using Scale to Measure Distance 302 Alberta: Major Communities 303 Skill Power Reading a Physical Map 304 Alberta: Physical Map 305 Alberta: Some Major Tourist Attractions 306 Alberta: National and Provincial Parks 307 Alberta: Historic Sites and Museums 308 Alberta: Facts and Figures 309 Alberta: Symbols 310 Canada: Historical Maps 312 Canada 314 The World 316 299 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 300 What Is a Map? A map is a drawing of the Earth on a flat surface. Maps do not show what the land actually looks like. For that, you need a picture. Instead, maps use symbols and colours to show some of the features of the land. Look at the picture and the map of the same area below. In what other ways is a map different from a picture? Picture of Mary’s Bay Map of Mary’s Bay 0102030 N Legend kilometres Water Road W E Building Land S 300 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 301 SKILL POWER Reading a Map Map makers add special features to maps to help us understand the maps. Following these steps will help you with your map reading. Step 1 Read the title. It tells you what the map is about. Then look at the whole map to get a general idea of the information it gives. Step 2 Find the legend for the map. Sometimes a legend is called a key. The legend explains the colours and symbols used on the map. Legend Water Road Building Land Step 3 Look for different colours on the map. Colours show different features. Check what the features are by matching the colours to the legend. Remember that blue is used to show water features such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. N Step 4 Find the compass rose. It will show directions on the map. North is always near the top. W E S Step 5 Look at the scale. It will tell you about distance on the map. 0102030 kilometres 301 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 302 SKILL POWER Using Scale to Measure Distance The scale of the map tells you about the actual distance between the places. Follow these steps to use a scale to measure distance between two points on the map. The example below shows the distance between Calgary and Edmonton. Practise the steps by finding the distance between other communities on the map on the opposite page. ALBERTA 0 50 100 150 kilometres Step 1 Mark Step 2 Place the locations the edge of the of the two paper against Edmonton places on the the map scale, edge of a sheet with the first of paper. mark at 0. Calgary 0 50 100 150 0 50 100 150 kilometres kilometres Step 3 Make a mark on Step 4 Move your paper so that your paper at the right end your mark lines up with 0 on the of the scale. line scale. Measure the next distance. Now add the distances together to find the total distance. 302302 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 303 Alberta: Major Communities r e Slave River iv R CARIBOU ay H MOUNTAINS r ive N ce R Lake Pea Athabasca W W a E b a s c BIRCH S a MOUNTAINS R iv er Fort Peace McMurray River ALBERTA Lesser Slave Grande Lake Prairie r e iv R Cold Lake y er k basca Riv o ha m t Fort R S A St. Albert Saskatchewan O Spruce Grove Edmonton North C Stony Plain Lloydminster Saskatchewan K Leduc River Jasper Camrose Y Wetaskiwin Lacombe M Red Deer R O e d U D Legend e Drumheller e r CochraneN R Airdrie i More than 100 000 people Banff ve Calgary r South CanmoreT 10 000 – 100 000 people Saskatchewan A Bow Less than 10 000 people Okotoks R Brooks River iv e Rivers I r N Provincial boundary dman River Ol Medicine S Hat Lethbridge River 0 100 200 300 Milk kilometres 303 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 304 SKILL POWER Reading a Physical Map A physical map shows the features of the land. Most physical maps use colour to show the height of the land. Mountains, hills, and areas of flat land can be identified. You can get an idea of what the land looks like by using a “slice” through the land. The diagram below shows a cross- section along the dotted line (from “A” to “B”) on the map on the opposite page. How would the slice be different if “A” to “B” was from Jasper to Lake Athabasca? Cross-section of Alberta Elevation 3000 m Oldman River South Saskatchewan 2000 m Bow River River 1000 m 0 AB Follow these steps to read a physical map. Step 1 Identify any areas that are patterned to show the height or shape of the land. Step 2 The legend of a physical map will often tell you the height of the land, in metres. Use the legend to identify which areas are higher and which are lower. Notice that lower land is generally green. Map makers often use green for lower land and brown for higher areas. Step 3 A physical map helps you to tell which ways the rivers flow. Rivers flow “down” from higher areas of land to lower areas. 304304 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 305 Alberta: Physical Map River Slave r ive ce R Lake Lake N ea P Claire Athabasca W E S Fort McMurray Peace ALBERTA River Utikuma Lake Lesser Slave Lake Grande Prairie ive a R r sc a r b e a iv h R t A Edmonton North R hewa atc n MOUNT ROBSON sk Lloydminster Saskatchewan O a C S River h K t r Y o N Red Deer M R e MOUNT COLUMBIA O d U D MOUNT FORBES e e N r South T Ri ve r Saskatchewan Legend A Calgary I River N Over 3000 metres MOUNT S Bow R iv Medicine 2000–3000 metres ASSINIBOINE e r Hat r 1000–2000 metres ldman Rive B A O 500–1000 metres Lethbridge Under 500 metres 0 100 200 300 kilometres 305 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 306 Alberta: Some Major Tourist Attractions Wood Buffalo National Park Fort McMurray Peace 1 River ALBERTA Grande Slave Lake Prairie 7 8 9 Edmonton Vegreville 12 10 11 3 Jasper 2 Elk Island National Jasper National Park 4 5 Banff Park MOUN ROCKY 6 National 13 Red Deer Park TAINS Lake Louise Drumheller 14 Calgary 15 24 Banff 18 20 21 16 19 N 17 25 Medicine W Hat E 23 22 Lethbridge S 0 100 200 300 Waterton Lakes kilometres National Park Legend 1. Heritage Park 11. Telus World of 19. Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden, 2. Jasper Gondola Science and Prehistoric Park 3. Jasper Park Lodge 12. Ukrainian Easter Egg 20. Nakoda Institute 4. Athabasca Falls 13. Alberta Sports Hall of 21. Stampede Park 5. Maligne Lake Fame and Museum 22. Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens 6. Columbia Icefield 14. Banff Upper Hot Springs 23. World’s Tallest Teepee 7. Devonian Botanic Garden 15. Banff Springs Hotel 24. Royal Tyrrell Museum 8. Edmonton Art Gallery 16. Banff Gondola 25. Dinosaur Provincial Park 9. Muttart Conservatory 17. Kananaskis Country 10. West Edmonton Mall 18. Calgary Science Centre National Park 306 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 307 Alberta: National and Provincial Parks Slave r Wood ve River Ri Buffalo ay National N H ver Park ce Ri Pea Lake W Claire E S Dunvegan ALBERTA Provincial Park Lesser Slave Lake Obed Lake er asca Riv Provincial ab h Park t R A Edmonton O C Elk Island K National Jasper Y Park National Park M O U Dry Island Banff N Buffalo Jump Provincial Park National T Calgary Legend Park A Canmore Medicine National Park I HatCypress Hills Nordic Centre N Interprovincial Provincial South Provincial Park S Park Park Saskatchewan River 0 100 200 300 Waterton Lakes National Park kilometres Tangle Falls, Jasper National Park 307 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 308 Alberta: Historic Sites and Museums Legend 1. Historic Dunvegan 2. Oil Sands Discovery Centre 3. Grande Prairie Museum 4. Father Lacombe Chapel Fort 5. Victoria Settlement McMurray 6. Fort George and Buckingham House Peace 2 River ALBERTA 7. Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village 8. Fort Edmonton 1 9. Royal Alberta Museum Grande 10. Stephansson House Prairie N 11. Royal Tyrrell Museum 3 12. Canadian Olympic Park 6 5 13. Glenbow Museum 4 14. Heritage Park Historical Village Edmonton 7 15. Turner Valley Gas Plant 9 22 8 16. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Jasper 25 17. The Fort—Museum of the North-West 24 Mounted Police 23 Red Deer 10 18. Stand Off N 19. Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park 21 11 Calgary 20. Frank Slide Interpretive Centre W 13 Drumheller E Banff 12 21. Cave and Basin National Historic Site 14 22. Jasper Park Lodge 15 Medicine S Hat 23. Rocky Mountain House 16 17 20 24. Fort Normandeau Crowsnest Pass Lethbridge 25. Reynolds Alberta Museum Fort Macleod 18 19 0 100 200 300 ■ Historic Site or Museum kilometres Royal Alberta Museum 308 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 309 Alberta: Facts and Figures Area 661 190 square kilometres Highest point Mount Columbia: 3747 metres Lowest point Slave River: 152 metres Largest lakes Lake Claire, Lake Athabasca Longest rivers Peace River and Athabasca River Annual precipitation Lowest Medicine Hat (335 mm) Highest Jasper (620 mm) Average temperature Lowest Fort Smith (–24°C in January) Highest Medicine Hat (19°C in July) Population 3 223 400 in 2005 Oil and gas Ninth-largest oil producer and third-largest natural gas producer in the world Agriculture Over 20 million hectares Forestry Forests cover over half of the province National parks Banff, Elk Island, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, and Wood Buffalo World Heritage Wood Buffalo National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountain Sites Parks (includes Banff and Jasper), Waterton Lakes National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Pelican Rapids, Slave River 309 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 310 Alberta: Symbols Flag Coat of Arms Motto: Strong and Free Provincial flower: Provincial tree: Provincial grass: Wild rose Lodgepole pine Rough fescue 310 ALB4SS_atlas 4/27/06 3:16 PM Page 311 Provincial mammal: Provincial fish: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep Bull trout Provincial stone: Petrified wood Provincial tartan (cloth) Green for forests Blue for lakes and skies