Edmonton [ a ] is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region , which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. By , many trading posts had been established around the area that later became the Edmonton census metropolitan area. As of , Edmonton had a city population of 1,, and a metropolitan population of 1,,, making it the fifth-largest city [ 19 ] [ 20 ] and sixth-largest metropolitan area CMA in Canada.
Known as the "Gateway to the North" outside of Ontario , [ 25 ] Edmonton has become a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories. Established as the first permanent settlement in the area of what is now Edmonton, the Hudson's Bay Company trading post of Fort Edmonton also known as Edmonton House was named after Edmonton , Middlesex , England.
Indigenous languages refer to the Edmonton area by multiple names which reference the presence of fur trading posts. The earliest known inhabitants arrived in the area that is now Edmonton around 3, BC and perhaps as early as 12, BC when an ice-free corridor opened as the last glacial period ended and timber, water, and wildlife became available in the region. The valley of the North Saskatchewan River , in particular the area of Edmonton, was settled to varying degrees for thousands of years, and provided many essential resources, including fish, medicine, and materials for tool making, such as chert or quartzite , which are abundant in the area around the modern city and which can be easily knapped into tools such as axes , knives , and arrowheads.
By , these lots numbered about 44, after which they were displaced and integrated into the expanding city of Edmonton. By , Fort Edmonton was established on the river's north bank as a major trading post for the HBC, near the mouth of the Sturgeon River close to present-day Fort Saskatchewan. By , after some changes in location, Fort Edmonton was established in the area of what is now Rossdale , beginning Edmonton's start as a permanent population centre. In , Treaty 6 , which includes what is now Edmonton, was signed between First Nations and the Crown , as part of the Numbered Treaties.
The area covered by the treaty represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
