Travel Canada - Canadian Travel Information Guide

Calgary is the largest and fastest growing city in the province of Alberta, Canada. Located in the south of this prairie province, in a region of foothills and high plains, Calgary lies approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies.

Known affectionately as "Cowtown", Calgary is the third largest civic municipality, by population, in Canada. As of the 2007 civic census, Calgary's population was 1,019,942. The metropolitan population (CMA) was 1,079,310 in 2006, making Greater Calgary the fifth largest census metropolitan area in the country. Because it is located 300 kilometres (185 mi) due south of Edmonton, statisticians define the narrow populated region between these cities as the "Calgary-Edmonton Corridor". It is the largest Canadian metropolitan area between Toronto and Vancouver.

Calgary is well-known as a destination for winter sports and ecotourism with a number of major mountain resorts near the city and metropolitan area. Economic activity in Calgary is mostly centered on the petroleum industry. However, agriculture, tourism, and high-tech industries also contribute to the city's fast economic growth.

Calgary holds many major annual festivals which include the Calgary Stampede, the Folk Music Festival, the Lilac Festival, Wordfest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival, One World Festival (GlobalFest), and the second largest Caribbean festival in the country (Carifest). Calgary is also home to the National Hockey League's team known as the Calgary Flames.

In 1988, Calgary became the first Canadian city to host the Olympic Winter Games, and one of the fastest ice skating rinks in the world was built at the University of Calgary to accommodate these games.