Calgary, also known as Calgary, Canada's fourth-largest city, is a city located in the southern Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada, with an area of 789.9 square kilometers and an elevation of about 1,048 meters. It is the economic, financial, and cultural center of Alberta. The word Calgary means "clear flowing water".
It was once a ranch, but the discovery of oil and natural gas in the twentieth century led to rapid economic development. With many of the world's oil companies (PetroChina, Sinopec and CNOOC), including China, having a permanent presence here, and many of the energy companies having their Canadian headquarters here, Calgary is the energy center of Canada and the second largest energy center in North America. Calgary has the highest number of Fortune 500 companies per capita in Canada.
Calgary's metropolitan area has a population of 1,195,194 (2014) and the metropolitan area has a population of 1,406,721 (2014) making it the largest city in Alberta. Calgary has the highest density of engineers in Canada and has been repeatedly recognized as the "Cleanest City in the World"; the 15th Winter Olympics were held here in 1988. The 15th Winter Olympics were held here in 1988. Calgary was ranked the fifth most livable city in the world by the Economist from 2012-2014.