The map above shows Alberta and British Columbia side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Alberta vs British Columbia Geography
Land area
- Alberta has a land area of 248,000 square miles (642,317 km²), while British Columbia has 357,216 square miles (925,186 km²).
- British Columbia's land area is 1.4 times (44%) larger than Alberta's.
Total area
- Alberta: 255,541 square miles (661,848 km²) vs British Columbia: 364,764 square miles (944,735 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- British Columbia's total area is 1.4 times (43%) larger than Alberta's.
Length
- Alberta is 810 miles (1,303 km) long from north to south; British Columbia is 1,017 miles (1,637 km).
- British Columbia's north-south length is 1.3 times (26%) longer than Alberta's.
Width
- Alberta spans 544 miles (876 km) east to west; British Columbia spans 1,245 miles (2,003 km).
- British Columbia's east-west width is 2.3 times (129%) wider than Alberta's.
Highest point
- Alberta's highest point is Mount Columbia at 12,293 feet (3,747 m); British Columbia's is Mount Fairweather at 15,299 feet (4,663 m).
- Mount Fairweather is 3,006 feet higher than Mount Columbia.
Lowest point
- Alberta's lowest point is Slave River at 499 feet; British Columbia's is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet.
- British Columbia's lowest point is 499 feet lower.
Alberta vs British Columbia Population and History
Population
- Alberta has a population of 5,048,151 (2026), while British Columbia has 5,658,528 (2026).
- British Columbia's population is 1.1 times (12%) larger than Alberta's.
Population density
- Alberta: 20.4 people per square mile vs British Columbia: 15.8.
- Alberta's population density is 1.3 times (29%) higher than British Columbia's.
Biggest city
- Alberta's biggest city is Calgary with 1,306,784 people; British Columbia's is Vancouver with 662,248.
- Calgary's population is 2.0 times (97%) larger than Vancouver's.
Largest metro area
- Alberta's largest metropolitan area is Calgary CMA (1,481,806 people) vs British Columbia's Vancouver CMA (2,642,825).
- Vancouver CMA's population is 1.8 times (78%) larger than Calgary CMA's.
History
- Alberta: Joined Confederation on September 1, 1905.
- British Columbia: Joined Confederation on July 20, 1871.
- In its current form, British Columbia is the older of the two by 34 years.
Alberta vs British Columbia Economy
GDP
- Alberta's GDP is $346.0 billion (2024) vs British Columbia's $313.3 billion.
- Alberta's economic output is 1.1 times (10%) larger than British Columbia's.
GDP per capita
- Alberta: $70,487 per person vs British Columbia: $55,241.
- Alberta's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (28%) higher than British Columbia's.
Official Websites
Alberta official website · British Columbia official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Alberta size comparisons · All British Columbia 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.