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Fort McMurray

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Fort McMurray is a town in the northeastern part of Canada's western province of Alberta, in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta.

Location

Fort McMurray is located at 56°40'N and 111°40'W, 370 m above sea level. It is 435 km northeast of Edmonton on Highway 63, almost 100 km west of the Saskatchewan border, nestled in the boreal forest at the confluence of the Athabasca River and the Clearwater River.

Population

The population of Wood Buffalo (2001 census) is 41,466, with the majority of that located within the immediate area of Fort McMurray, which used to have city status but which incorporated into Wood Buffalo a few years ago.

Climate

The average temperature at Fort McMurray is -19.8°C in January and +16.6°C in July. Its annual rainfall amounts to 334.5 mm, its snowfall is 172.0 cm.

Economics

Fort McMurray is considered the heart of one of Alberta's (and Canada's) major hubs of oil production, located near the Athabasca Tar Sands. Besides the tar sands, its industries rely on natural gas and pipeline sectors, forestry and tourism.

History

Fort Chipewyan is Alberta's oldest settled community. Over 200 years ago, Peter Pond and the voyageurs of the Northwest Trading Company traveled this area in search of furs.

Municipality

In addition to Fort McMurray, The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo consists of ten smaller communities: Anzac, Draper, Fort Chipewyan, Fort Fitzgerald, Fort MacKay, Gregoire Lake Estates, Janvier, Mariana Lakes and Saprae Creek Estates.

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