Facts About the State of Alaska
EducationFacts About the State of Alaska
The state of Alaska is situated on the very north, west extremity of continental North America. It shares a 500 mile land border with Canada and has a 34,000 mile coastline on the Pacific Ocean, making it the only non contigious U.S state within the North American continent.
The state covers 663,000 square miles making it the United State's largest state by area.
The state has an approximate population of around 710,000 people, ranking it the 47th state by population number, but the smallest state by population density.
The state was bought from Russia by the U.S government on March the 30th 1867, where it remained an American territory until it became the 49th state to join the union on the 3rd of January 1959.
Due to Alaska's geographical location, the state is the most northerly and most westerly of all the American states. Due to the location of the state's Aleutian Islands, some of which are located east of the 180th parralel ( International date line ) the state can also be considered as America's most easterly state too.
The name Alaska is an Aluet word which means ' the mainland '.
Location of Alaska.
Alaska was populated for thousands of years by it's native people from the Tlinget, Tsimshian, Aluet, Inuit, Alutiq and Yupik tribes before European colonists found the area in the late 1780's, followed by Russia's military colonising the area from 1804 until 1867.
The great Gold Rush of the 1890's saw Alaska beseiged by both American and European prospectors, many of whom stayed on after the boom years to colonise several settlements.
Unlike other U.S states Alaska is not divided by way of counties, but by boroughs. There are 16 boroughs, but due to it's vast size, the state is generally divided by the five undefined regions of The Aleutian Islands - a group of 300 volcanic islands stretching for 1,200 miles along the North Pacific Ocean between Alaska's mainland and Russia - The Panhandle - the Alaskan region that runs alongside the western coast of Canada's province of British Columbia - The Interior - an uninhabited wilderness - The North Slope - where Alaska's vast oil reserves are located - and The South Central region - the state's most populated area.
Alaska's Panhandle, home of Alaska's state capital and the United State's largest National Forest, Tongass.
Alaska has three climatic zones, Oceanic on it's south coast, Sub - Arctic at it's centre and interior and Polar / Arctic in the north.
Because of this, Alaska has little in the way of agriculture, but the state does have vast oil, gas and fish reserves, from which the revenue from these resources run the state's economy. Alaska also has an up and coming tourism industry, which accounts for 5% of gross state product at this present time.
This figure for tourism however, should be much larger, considering the state consists of - 87 million acres of national parks, national forests and wildlife refuges, including the United States largest National Forest, Tongass, the United State's highest peak, Mount McKinley at 20,320 feet, 22 mountain ranges, 300 volcanic islands, 16,000 miles of glaciers, the highest tidal waters of any American state, 3 million lakes set in stunning, afforested lanscapes and 34,000 miles of dramatic coastline - but because of it's inaccessibilty due to lack of infrastructure most of the state remains, if not exactly unknown, certainly unseen, by most outsiders.
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The volcanic isles of the Aleutian Islands.
The state does have highways and four interstate highways ( the A - 1, A- 2, A - 3 and A - 4 ) although these are only rural, 2 lane highways which do not connect to any other U.S state, but some do connect with neighbouring Canada.
The state has many small airfields but only two international airports, The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ( ANC ) and Juneau International Airport ( JNU ).
The state does have a good rail network however, which was created during the early 1900's, linking most of the state's largest, coastal boroughs and the state's interior, but again, these are not linked to the rest of the U.S.
Alaska can also be accessed by ship along it's vast coastline, weather permitting but it's interior is accessible mainly by way of dog sled and snow mobile.
Map of Alaska.
The state capital is Juneau, with a population of just over 30,00 people.The city is situated on the coast of the Gastineau Channel along the region known as the Panhandle and became state capital in 1906 and was named after gold prospector Joe Juneau in 1931.
Juneau nestles at the base of Mount Juneau, a mountain that is situated along a mountain range of peaks between 3,000 and 4,000 feet high and situated opposite the high peaked, Douglas Island in the Gastineau Channel.
Due to these neighbouring geographical features this makes Juneau's climate much milder than it's geographical latitiude warrants.
The city covers an area of 3,255 square miles, making it the third largest metropolis, by area, in the United States.
The city is home to Juneau International Airport and The University of Alaska, South East.The city is also reknowned for being a haven for art enthusiasts, as it is home to dozens of art galleries and hosts several art and cultural events throughout the year.
The city is unique, in so much as it can only be accesssed by air or sea, there are no roads out side of the city limits, making it an unusual location for such an important city as the state capital.
Although Juneau is the state capital, the state's largest city is that of Anchorage, situated in the South Central region of Alaska.
Anchorage is a four times winner of the All American City award by the National Civic Trust and was voted most tax friendly city by business forecaster and personal financing company, Kiplinger.
The city covers an area of 1,961 square miles and has a resident population of 286, 200 people.
This super, modern urban metropolis is home to a large sea port, the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and two U.S military bases.
Anchorage is generally the first port of call for most of the state's visitors, irreguardless as to where their intended destination in the state may be.
The city is also home to the baseball teams of the Anchorage Blues and the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, who both play their home games at the city's Mulcahy Stadium.
The city and surrounding area boasts 40 % of the entire state's population, and this is evident by way of it's vast recreational, sporting and cultural venues situated within the city, with the city boasting no less than 55 areas of parkland and dozens of cultural, musical and sporting venues.
Alaska consists of 143 towns and cities in all, including major urban centres of Fairbanks, Sitka and Yakutat.
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The state is governed as a republic, with a 40 member House of Representatives and a 20 member state Senate.The state is divided into 16 boroughs that are further divided into 34 recording districts, which are all organised by the state government.
STATE NICKNAMES - The Last Frontier - Land of the Midnight Sun - Seaward's Icebox.
STATE ANTHEM - Alaska's Flag, written by Benny Benson, Marie Drake and Elinor Dusenbury in 1927 and designated as state song in 1955.
STATE FLOWER - Forget - me - not.
STATE POSTAL ABBREVIATION - AK.
STATE TIME ZONE - Alaska's mainland time is situated on the Alaskan Time Zone which is globally situated at UTC - 9 . The Aleutian Islands are situated on the Hawaiian / Aleutian Islands Time Zone which is globally situated at UTC - 10.
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Alaska's state flag.
SOME ALASKAN TOURISM WEBSITES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN -
OTHER AMERICAN STATES FACTS -
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