The map above shows Alberta and Northwest Territories side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alberta vs Northwest Territories Geography
Land area: Alberta has a land area of 248,000 square miles (642,317 km²), while Northwest Territories has 456,792 square miles (1,183,085 km²). Northwest Territories' land area is 1.8 times (84%) larger than Alberta's.
Total area: Alberta: 255,541 square miles (661,848 km²) vs Northwest Territories: 519,734 square miles (1,346,106 km²), including inland and coastal water. Northwest Territories' total area is 2.0 times (103%) larger than Alberta's.
Length: Alberta is 810 miles (1,303 km) long from north to south; Northwest Territories is 1,310 miles (2,107 km). Northwest Territories' north-south length is 1.6 times (62%) longer than Alberta's.
Width: Alberta spans 544 miles (876 km) east to west; Northwest Territories spans 990 miles (1,593 km). Northwest Territories' east-west width is 1.8 times (82%) wider than Alberta's.
Highest point: Alberta's highest point is Mount Columbia at 12,293 feet (3,747 m); Northwest Territories's is Mount Nirvana at 9,098 feet (2,773 m). Mount Columbia is 3,195 feet higher than Mount Nirvana.
Lowest point: Alberta's lowest point is Slave River at 499 feet; Northwest Territories's is Arctic Ocean at 0 feet. Northwest Territories's lowest point is 499 feet lower.
Alberta vs Northwest Territories Population and History
Population: Alberta has a population of 5,048,151 (2026), while Northwest Territories has 45,257 (2024). Alberta's population is 111.5 times larger than Northwest Territories'.
Population density: Alberta: 20.4 people per square mile vs Northwest Territories: 0.1. Alberta's population density is 204.0 times higher than Northwest Territories'.
Biggest city: Alberta's biggest city is Calgary with 1,306,784 people; Northwest Territories's is Yellowknife with 20,340. Calgary's population is 64.2 times larger than Yellowknife's.
Largest metro area: Alberta's largest metropolitan area is Calgary CMA (1,481,806 people) vs Northwest Territories's Yellowknife CMA (20,340). Calgary CMA's population is 72.9 times larger than Yellowknife CMA's.
History: Alberta: Joined Confederation on September 1, 1905. Northwest Territories: Became a Canadian territory on July 15, 1870. In its current form, Northwest Territories is the older of the two by 35 years.
Alberta vs Northwest Territories Economy
GDP: Alberta's GDP is $346.0 billion (2024) vs Northwest Territories's $3.7 billion. Alberta's economic output is 93.5 times larger than Northwest Territories'.
GDP per capita: Alberta: $70,487 per person vs Northwest Territories: $82,646. Northwest Territories' GDP per capita is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Alberta's.
Official Websites
Alberta official website · Northwest Territories official website
More Size Comparisons
All Alberta size comparisons · All Northwest Territories size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.