This photo shows an oil pump with the Rocky Mountains in the
background and a grain field in the foreground. When driving
through Alberta, you'll notice that many of the oil pumps you see are in
farm fields.
The petroleum industry ("oil and gas") is Alberta's main
industry accounting for over half of the value of the province's total
exports (in 2005). Nearly one in every six workers in Alberta is
employed directly or indirectly in the province's energy related
industries.
Alberta is one of the world's leading producers of oil and gas.
Surprisingly to many Americans, the main supplier of oil to the United
States is not the Middle East -- it's Canada! And the center of
the Canadian industry is Alberta. Canada's reserves are developed
by Alberta's oil and gas industry in some of the most challenging and
varied conditions on the globe -- temperature extremes, permafrost,
muskeg, and vast distances all provide challenges that the industry must
overcome.
I had trouble deciding whether a close up of an oil pump or a nice
scenic picture would be more appropriate for things like school reports
on Alberta -- my daughter preferred the close up and I liked the scenic
view, so I decided to include both.
