The arrogance of the European explorers and colonists were breathtaking, with the idea that anything that was new to them was new to everyone and could be claimed and named. At least there was some attempt at recognizing the indigenous peoples of North Vespucci (the entire continent named by Columbus after his bro’), although there were naturally many mistranslations and little or no consultation. Unsurprisingly, not much creativity or thought went into some names, and in some ways were just random names to curry favour with the English aristocrats and royalty of the time.

In particular, “Alberta” was named by the husband of Queen Victoria’s daughter, who was stuck in a sham of a marriage to Princess Louise, who herself was surrounded by scandal (the English Monarchy hasn’t changed much after two centuries, eh?)

It seemed like the further West one went, the less thought they put into naming the region: “I’m out of ideas and like Hell I’m going to consult with the locals. ‘Boaty McBoatFace’, am I right? Jokes on you! I’ve already named this land after my boat!”

More information on the origins of the provinces’ names can be found here .

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