Symbols of Alberta
Encyclopedia
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
is one of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's provinces
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
, and has established several provincial symbols.
Official symbols
| Symbol | Image | Adopted | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coat of arms Coat of arms A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth... |
Coat of arms of Alberta Coat of arms of Alberta The original coat of arms of Alberta was granted to Alberta by a Royal Warrant of King Edward VII on 30 May 1907. The shield is also featured on the flag of Alberta.-History:... |
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July 30, 1980 | Granted to Alberta by Royal Warrant |
| Motto Motto A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments... |
Fortis et liber Strong and free |
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July 30, 1980 | Granted with other elements of the coat of arms; A reference to the fifth line of O Canada O Canada It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune... . |
| Shield of arms | Shield of arms of Alberta |  |
May 30, 1907 | Granted to Alberta by Royal Warrant by King Edward VII Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910... |
| Colours | Blue and gold | |
The colours can be found on the flag and on other provincial insignia | |
| Flag Flag A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist... |
Flag of Alberta Flag of Alberta In 1958, the Alberta Government authorized the design of an official flag. On 1 June 1968, the flag of Alberta, Canada, was adopted .The flag has the proportions 1:2, with the provincial shield of arms in the centre of a royal ultramarine blue background... |
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June 1, 1968 | |
| Tree Tree A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to... |
Lodgepole Pine Lodgepole Pine Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:... (Pinus contorta latifolia) |
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May 30, 1984 due to the efforts of the Junior Forest Warden Association of Alberta. | It was used in the early 1900s for the production of railway ties, and is as a resource for the production of poles, posts, pulp and plywood in Alberta's forestry Forestry Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands... industry. |
| Floral | Wild rose Rosa acicularis Rosa acicularis, also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose and the Arctic rose, is a species of wild rose with a Holarctic distribution in northern regions of Asia, Europe, and North America.... (Rosa acicularis) |
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1930 | It grows in almost all regions of the province. |
| Grass Grass Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ... |
Rough Fescue Rough Fescue Rough Fescue, Festuca scabrella, is a native, perennial bunchgrass found throughout northwestern North America.-Distribution:Canada... (Festuca scabrella) |
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April 30, 2003, due to the efforts of the Prairie Conservation Forum. | |
| Stone Rock (geology) In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic... |
Petrified wood Petrified wood Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization... |
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1977, due to the efforts of the Alberta Federation of Rock Clubs. | Of Cretaceous Cretaceous The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the... and Paleocene Paleocene The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era... ages, it is often found in gravel pits in Alberta. |
| Mammal Mammal Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young... |
Big Horn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) |
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August 18, 1989 | It is primarily found in the Canadian Rockies Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA... . |
| Fish Fish Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups... |
Bull trout Bull trout The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S.... (Salvelinus confluentus) |
May 2, 1995 | Catch and release Catch and release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing intended as a technique of conservation. After capture, the fish are unhooked and returned to the water before experiencing serious exhaustion or injury... policy is regulating all bull trout fishing in Alberta. |
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| Bird Bird Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from... |
Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl The Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:... (Bubo virginianus) |
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May 3, 1977 by a province-wide children’s vote | It is found throughout Alberta in forests and grasslands. |
| Tartan Tartan Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns... |
Green, gold, blue, pink and black |  |
1961 due to the efforts of the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society for the Handicapped. | For forests,wheat fields, skies and lakes, wild rose and coal and petroleum respectively. |
| Alberta Dress Tartan | Alberta Tartan with large sections of white, a symbol of Alberta’s clean and bright snowy days. | 2000 | It can be worn for dancing, special occasions and formal attire. | |
| Anthem Anthem The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word... |
Alberta Alberta (song) Alberta is the official provincial song of Alberta, Canada. It was adopted in preparation for the province's centennial celebrations in 2005.... |
May 2001 | Written by Mary Kieftenbeld | |
| Logo Logo A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition... |
The provincial signature 2009 |  |
2009 | Introduced as part of Brand Alberta |
| Logo Logo A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition... |
The provincial wordmark 1972 |  |
1972 | Used by Executive Council of Alberta Executive Council of Alberta The Executive Council of Alberta is the cabinet of that Canadian province.Almost always made up of members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the Cabinet is similar in structure and role to the Cabinet of Canada while being smaller in size... as well as the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton... on all official documents. It uses a specific typeface Typeface In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly.... , and is also showcased on signs such as highway markers. Still in use. |
| Logo Logo A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition... |
The provincial wordmark 1960s | 1960s | ||
| Mace Ceremonial mace The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the original mace used as a weapon... |
The Mace of Alberta | It replaced the old version on February 9, 1956. | It is the symbol of the Authority of the Legislative Assembly. It is a ceremonial staff carried by the Sergeant-at-Arms into the Chamber. It was designed by L.B. Blain in Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... , and built by English silversmith Joseph Fray in Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... . |
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Other symbols
| Symbol | Image | Adopted | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | Alberta Legislative Building Alberta Legislative Building The Alberta Legislature Building is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council.-History:... |
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Built between 1907 and 1912 | It is the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton... |
| Gemstone Gemstone A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments... |
Ammolite Ammolite Ammolite is a rare and valuable opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites, which in turn are composed primarily of aragonite, the same mineral that makes up nacreous pearls... |
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2004 | |
| Fungus Fungus A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria... |
Leccinum boreale (red cap mushroom) |  |
March 9, 2009 | will not be law unless an amendment is introduced to the Emblems of Alberta Act |