The map above shows California and Alberta side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Alberta Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Alberta has 248,000 square miles (642,317 km²).
- Alberta's land area is 1.6 times (59%) larger than California's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Alberta: 255,541 square miles (661,848 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Alberta's total area is 1.6 times (56%) larger than California's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Alberta is 810 miles (1,303 km).
- Alberta's north-south length is 1.1 times (6%) longer than California's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Alberta spans 544 miles (876 km).
- California's east-west width is 1.3 times (30%) wider than Alberta's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Alberta's is Mount Columbia at 12,293 feet (3,747 m).
- Mount Whitney is 2,191 feet higher than Mount Columbia.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Alberta's is Slave River at 499 feet.
- California's lowest point is 778 feet lower.
California vs Alberta Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Alberta has 5,048,151 (2026).
- California's population is 7.8 times (681%) larger than Alberta's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Alberta: 20.4.
- California's population density is 12.4 times higher than Alberta's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Alberta's is Calgary with 1,306,784.
- Los Angeles' population is 3.0 times (197%) larger than Calgary's.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Alberta's Calgary CMA (1,481,806).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 8.7 times (772%) larger than Calgary CMA's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Alberta: Joined Confederation on September 1, 1905.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 55 years.
California vs Alberta Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Alberta's $346.0 billion.
- California's economic output is 11.7 times larger than Alberta's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Alberta: $70,487.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.5 times (46%) higher than Alberta's.
Official Websites
California official website · Alberta official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Alberta 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.