Location Information

Calgary, Canada
Language: French, English
Currency: Canadian Dollar (CAD)

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America. Canada extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, and largest on the continent.

Aboriginal and Inuit tradition holds that the First Peoples inhabited parts of Canada since the dawn of time. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows circa AD 1000. The next Europeans to explore Canada's Atlantic coast included John Cabot in 1497 for England and Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France; seasonal Basque whalers and fishermen would subsequently exploit the region. French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608.

Summer thunderstorms are common throughout Canada. Occasionally, these may become ’severe’. Tornados also occur throughout Canada, with May to September being prime months. The peak season is June and early July in southern Ontario, Alberta, south-eastern Québec, and a band stretching from southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, through to Thunder Bay. The interior of British Columbia and western New Brunswick are also tornado zones.

Canada offers a huge range of attractions, from large cosmopolitan cities such as Montréal and Toronto in the south, to isolated Inuit (Eskimo) settlements dotted around the frozen shores of Hudson Bay. The Rocky Mountains and other ranges offer breathtaking scenery on a grand scale. Some of the best resorts are in the series of great National Parks which preserve the wildlife and forests of Canada in their virgin state.

Canadian cuisine is as varied as the country. The colonial influence is still strong, with European menus available in all major cities. The French influence in Québec is easily discernible in the many restaurants which specialize in French cuisine.

Every major provincial capital in the more populated areas has nightclubs, and hotel dinner/dancing. Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg are centres for ballet, opera and classical music, with visits from leading orchestras and internationally renowned performers. Entertainment in the more remote towns is scarce.

Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary is located at the transition zone between the Canadian Rockies foothills and the Canadian Prairies, and is relatively hilly as a result. Calgary is well-known as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area.

Before the Calgary area was settled by Europeans, it was inhabited by Pre-Clovis (Blackfoot natives) people whose presence has been traced back at least 11,000 years. In 1787 cartographer David Thompson spent the winter with a band of Peigan encamped along the Bow River. He was the first recorded European to visit the area, and John Glenn was the first documented European settler in the Calgary area, in 1873. Oil was first discovered in Alberta in 1902, but it did not become a significant industry in the province until 1947 when huge reserves of it were discovered. Calgary quickly found itself at the centre of the ensuing oil boom. The city's economy grew when oil prices increased with the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973.

Calgary has a semi-arid, highland continental climate with long, dry, but highly variable, winters and short, moderately warm summers. The climate is greatly influenced by the city's close proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Although Calgary's winters can be uncomfortably cold, warm, dry Chinook winds routinely blow into the city from the Pacific Ocean during the winter months, giving Calgarians a break from the cold.

Today, Calgary is a modern cosmopolitan city that still retains much of its traditional culture of hotel saloons, western bars, night clubs, and hockey. Calgary is also home to a thriving all-ages music scene of many genres, including folk, pop, rock, punk, indie, blues, jazz, hip-hop, electronic and country.

Medical Precautions:

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