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See Famous
Alaskans
Little Known Alaskan Facts
Alaska’s name comes from the
Eskimo word Alakshak, meaning great lands or peninsula.
A 13-year-old boy, Bennie
Benson, designed the Alaskan Flag in 1926.
Alaska’s coastline, 6,640
miles, is longer than all the other states’ coastlines combined.
It is the United State’s largest state, measuring 1,400 miles long
and 2,700 miles wide; Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.
Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus
Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
Indoor plant leasing and summer annuals are a big business due to
peoples desire for foliage even in the harshest winters climate.
Most Alaskan income is tied directly to fishing with the oil industry
being second. Tourism provides a significant source of seasonal income.
Alaska has more inland water
than any other state, 20,171 square miles.
Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island established the first
settlement in Alaska in 1784.
There
are over three million lakes in Alaska.
The largest, Lake Iliamna, is the size of Connecticut.
Personal Income for the average Alaskan is about $26,00.00
During the Klondike gold rush
in 1897, potatoes were so highly valued for their vitamin C content, that
miners traded gold for them
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in
1867 for $7.2 million or two cents per acre,. On October 18, 1867 Alaska officially became the property of the United
States. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward's Folly."
Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era.
Juneau is the only capital
city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.
It is also the largest U.S. city covering 3,108 square miles.
Los Angeles covers only 458.2 square miles.
In 1943 Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, which started the One Thousand
Mile War, the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War.
During the Klondike gold rush
in 1897, potatoes were so highly valued for their vitamin C content, that
miners traded gold for them.
Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas
industry.
Alaska accounts for 25% of the oil produced in the United States.
More bald eagles gather along
the Chilkat River than at any other place in the world.
Alaska and California have something in common. A fault line that runs up through
California, out into the Pacific and then in to Alaska.
There are more than 100,000
glaciers in Alaska and about 75% of all the fresh water in the state is
stored as glacial ice
Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil
field.
The Malaspina Glacier, at the foot of Mount Saint
Elias, covers an area larger than Rhode Island.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on
its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
The fishing and seafood industry is the state's largest private industry
employer.
The native Aleut population, estimated
at between 15,000 and 20,000 before Europeans
arrived, dropped to 2247 by 1834 largely due to
the introduction of guns and diseases such as
smallpox, measles, and tuberculosis.
Most of America's salmon, crab, halibut, and herring come from Alaska.
The term Alaska native refers to Alaska's original inhabitants including
Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups.
Alaska has the 16 highest
peaks in the United States.
Mount McKinley is the highest mountain peak in all of North America.
The wild forget-me-not is the official state flower. The Territorial
Legislature adopted it in 1917.
The willow ptarmigan is the official state bird. The Territorial
Legislature adopted it in 1955.
The Sitka spruce is the official state tree. The Territorial Legislature
adopted it in 1962.
Dog mushing is the official state sport. The Alaska Legislature adopted it
in 1972.
An unnamed draftsman created the state seal in 1910. It consists of a
rising sun shining on forests, lake, fishing and shipping boats, and
agricultural and mining activities.
The record low temperature is
-80ºF at Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915.
The state motto is North to the Future.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline
moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on a 800 mile journey to Valdez.
he jade is the official state gemstone.
Gold is the official state mineral. It was named the state mineral in
1968.
The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the official state insect.
In 1926 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Cognac, Alaska designed the state
flag.
Alaska has been called America's Last Frontier.
Every four years Alaskans elect a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor to
four-year terms.
The Alaska State Legislature is made up of a Senate and a House of
Representatives.
Twenty senators are elected to four-year terms; forty representatives
serve two-year terms.
Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956 and became effective in 1959
making it the 49th state.
Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during
World War II.
The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation.
The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898. Later gold
was discovered at Nome and Fairbanks.
Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is
superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to
coast.
The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of
Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles
long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.
Agattu, Attu, and Kiska are the only parts of North America occupied by
Japanese troops during World War II.
Oil is the state's most valuable natural resource. The area includes what
is thought to be the largest oil field in North America.
In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage.
Alaska's geographic center is 60 miles northwest of Mount McKinley.
The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United
States.
17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.
At 20,320 feet above sea level, Mt. McKinley, located in Alaska's
interior, is the highest point in North America.
New resident must hunt with a guide for the first 2 years before being
allowed to hunt on their own.
Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by
boat or plane.
The state's largest city is Anchorage; the second largest is Fairbanks.
The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers
from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.
In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit
at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at
Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
The Alaskan malamute sled dog is strong and heavily coated. It was
developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos named the Malemiuts.
Census population 1998 estimate - 614,010
Permanent residents of Alaska receive an allowance from the government
to help overcome the hardships due to the remote nature and harsh weather of
Alaska. This money is derived from oil revenues on government oil
leases.
Alaska's name is based on the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning great lands or
peninsula.
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