HISTORY: The first people probably came to what is now Alaska about 13,000 years ago. They could have travelled by land, sea, or foot from what is now Russia, which was connected to Alaska by the Bering Land Bridge, a swath of land up to 600 miles wide.
After Russian settlers arrived in this area in 1784, the United States bought the land for two cents per acre in 1867. Before gold was discovered in the harsh environment in 1872, many believed it was a bad investment. Alaska became the 49th U.S. state in 1959.
Indigenous people including the Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Aleuts, Athabascans, and Yup’ik still live here.
WHY’S IT CALLED THAT?
Alaska’s name, Aláxsxaq, is derived from the Aleut word aleeska, which means “great land” in the native tongue.
GEOGRAPHY AND LANDFORMS
Travel north across the contiguous (connected) United States, into Canada, and then west all the way to Alaska, the Union’s largest state by area. The state is bounded to the east by Canada, to the north by the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea, to the west by the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Alaska.
Alaska deserves its reputation for being cold. The largest glacier in North America is found in the state, which has a large area of permanently frozen soil covered in a layer of permafrost. Known as the Bering Glacier, it covers 2,250 square miles, or roughly the area of Delaware. The tundra landscapes of the north and west are flat, barren of trees, and characterised by strong winds. Brr!
See its snow-capped star, Denali, the highest mountain in North America, by visiting Denali National Park.
The taiga forest in the center of the state is filled with evergreen trees, lakes, and meadows. There are even rain forests on the southeast coast. But watch out! Aalaska has over 40 active volcanoes.
WILDLIFE
Polar bears, beluga whales, and whales may be spotted off the coasts of Alaska, both north and west. More big mammals include black bears, moose, Dall sheep, musk oxen, caribou, and the world’s largest brown bear, the Kodiak. Alaska is also home to birds such as albatross, eagles, and loons.
A variety of trees, including Alaska’s state tree, the Sitka spruce, hemlock, pine, and cedar, are visible. The forget-me-not, which only blooms at night, is the official state flower.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Although gold is Alaska’s most well-known export, zinc is the state’s largest mineral export. Alaska is also known for lumber, fish—especially salmon—coal, and jade, the state gem.
FUN STUFF
In 1971, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was -80ºF, recorded in northern Alaska.
The northernmost portion of Alaska is known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun” because for more than two months during the summer, the sun never sets!
Brightly coloured bands of light that dance across the night sky are called the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. They are brought on by solar particles that are electrically charged colliding with gases in our atmosphere.
Aqutak, also known as Eskimo ice cream, is a concoction of snow, seal oil, animal fat, and wild Alaskan berries. Have a bite.
FAST FACTS
- Nickname: The Last Frontier
- Statehood: 1959; 49th state
- Population (as of July 2015): 738,432
- Capital: Juneau
- Biggest City: Anchorage
- Abbreviation: AK
- State bird: willow ptarmigan
- State flower: forget-me-not
Facts about Alaska
The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for just US$7.2 million in 1867.
Alaska is so big you could fit 75 New Jerseys in it.
A cat has been the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska for 15 years.
The largest county in the U.S., located in Alaska, is roughly the size of Germany.
In Alaska, there’s a pizza place that delivers the pizza by plane.
The largest known earthquake in American history occurred in 1964 and had a magnitude of 9.2, striking Prince William Sound in Alaska.
Alaska features sand dunes that rise to heights of more than 150 feet (45 metres).
Every resident of Alaska gets an annual “oil royalty check”, a payment representing their share of revenue from Alaskan oil. In 2008, it was US$2,069.
In Alaska, marijuana has been allowed for personal use since 1975, and this status is still in effect today.
When the Japanese invaded Alaska during World War II, more Americans lost their lives or suffered injuries defending the state than at Pearl Harbour.
On April 1, 1974, black smoke was seen rising from Mount Edgecumbe, a volcano in Alaska. A Coast Guard pilot who was investigating the scene noticed that 70 tyres were burning and that the words “APRIL FOOL” were spray-painted into the snow.
Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people walking to work.
In 1969, a ship that had been abandoned off the coast of Alaska in 1931 was discovered drifting in the Arctic.
A man going by the legal name “Santa Claus” was chosen to serve on the North Pole, Alaska, city council in 2015.
Just 28 people would reside on Manhattan if it had Alaska’s population density.
Alaska is thought to have the highest rate of rape in the United States.
Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska, and Maine have all banned billboards.
The most Eastern and Western and Northern state in the U.S. is Alaska.
Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined.
There are two U.S. states where the temperature has never surpassed 100 °F: Alaska and Hawaii.
Alaska is geographically big enough to fit 19 U.S. states within its borders.
Only 12% of adults in New York are registered as organ donors, compared to over 80% in Alaska.
The Aurora Ice Hotel in Alaska was made entirely of ice. There were ice beds, walls, ceilings, bars, barstools, and even martini glasses. The fire marshal closed it because it lacked smoke detectors.
More money was spent buying Central Park lands than all of Alaska.
