Alaska was the 49th state to join the alliance on January 3, 1959.
Main info[]
- Capital: Juneau
- Population: 741,894
- State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan
- State Flower: Forget-Me-Not
- State Tree: Sitka Spruce
- State Song: Alaska's Flag
- States that border it: None, except for the Canadian states of Yukon and British Columbia
- Most Popular Attraction: Tongass National Forest
- Local Restaurant: Glacier Brewhouse
- Top 3 Celebrities: Bob Ross, Jewel, and Bristol Palin
- Hypothetical Law: A moose cannot be viewed from an airplane.
- State Sandwich: Wild Alaskan Salmon Sandwich
- Best Sports Team: Alaska Aces
- Governor: Mike Dunleavy
Fun Facts[]
- The state of Rhode Island would be able to fit into Alaska 425 times.
- The jade was Alaska's official state gemstone.
- Nearly one third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
- Alaska is the biggest state in the United States.
History[]
The Canadian administrative divisions of British Columbia and Yukon border the state to the east, its most extreme western part is Attu Island, and it has a maritime border with Russia (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas–the southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. It is the largest state in the United States by area and the seventh largest subnational division in the world. In addition, it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States; nevertheless, it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America, its population (the total estimated at 738,432 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015) more than quadrupling the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oilindustries, resources which it has in abundance. Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy.
The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for 7.2 million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.