Alaska

Alaska
Alax̂sxax̂ (Aleut)
Alaaskaq (Inupiaq)
Alaskaq (Central Yupik)
Anáaski (Tlingit)
Alas'kaaq (Alutiiq)
Аляска (Russian)
State of Alaska
Nickname
The Last Frontier
Motto
North to the Future
Anthem: Alaska's Flag
Map of the United States with Alaska highlighted
Map of the United States with Alaska highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodTerritory of Alaska
Admitted to the UnionJanuary 3, 1959 (1959-01-03) (49th)
CapitalJuneau
Largest cityAnchorage
Largest metro and urban areasAnchorage
Government
 • GovernorMike Dunleavy (R)
 • Lieutenant GovernorNancy Dahlstrom (R)
LegislatureAlaska Legislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryAlaska Supreme Court
U.S. senators
U.S. House delegationMary Peltola (D) (list)
Area
 • Total665,384[1] sq mi (1,723,337 km2)
 • Land571,951[2] sq mi (1,481,346 km2)
 • Water91,316 sq mi (236,507 km2)  13.77%
 • Rank1st
Dimensions
 • Length1,420 mi (2,285 km)
 • Width2,261 mi (3,639 km)
Elevation
1,900 ft (580 m)
Highest elevation20,310 ft (6,190.5 m)
Lowest elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020[5])
 • Total733,391
 • Rank48th
 • Density1.10/sq mi (0.42/km2)
  • Rank50th
 • Median household income
$77,800[4]
 • Income rank
12th
DemonymAlaskan
Language
 • Official languagesAhtna, Alutiiq, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, English, Eyak, Gwich'in, Haida, Hän, Holikachuk, Inupiaq, Koyukon, Lower Tanana, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Tanacross, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Unangax̂, Upper Kuskokwim, Upper Tanana, Yup'ik
 • Spoken language
Time zones
east of 169°30'UTC−09:00 (Alaska)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−08:00 (ADT)
west of 169°30'UTC−10:00 (Hawaii-Aleutian)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−09:00 (HADT)
USPS abbreviation
AK
ISO 3166 codeUS-AK
Latitude51°20'N to 71°50'N
Longitude130°W to 172°E
Websitealaska.gov
State symbols of Alaska
List of state symbols
Living insignia
BirdWillow ptarmigan
Dog breedAlaskan Malamute
FishKing salmon
FlowerForget-me-not
InsectFour-spot skimmer dragonfly
Mammal
TreeSitka Spruce
Inanimate insignia
FossilWoolly Mammoth
GemstoneJade
MineralGold
SportDog mushing
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Alaska quarter dollar coin
Released in 2008
Lists of United States state symbols
Map
Interactive map showing border of Alaska (click to zoom)

Alaska (/əˈlæskə/ ə-LASS-kə) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. It borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory to the east; it shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. Technically a semi-exclave of the U.S., it is the largest exclave in the world.

Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states of Texas, California and Montana combined, and is the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and most sparsely populated U.S. state, but is, with a population of 736,081 as of 2020, the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland.[6] The state capital of Juneau is the second-largest city in the United States by area. The former capital of Alaska, Sitka, is the largest U.S. city by area. The state's most populous city is Anchorage. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area.

Indigenous people have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as the entry point for the initial settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russian Empire was the first to actively colonize the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state, and promoted and maintained a native Alaskan Creole population.[7] The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to $151 million in 2022). 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.[8]

Abundant natural resources have enabled Alaska—with one of the smallest state economies—to have one of the highest per capita incomes, with commercial fishing, and the extraction of natural gas and oil, dominating Alaska's economy. U.S. Armed Forces bases and tourism also contribute to the economy; more than half the state is federally-owned land containing national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. It is among the most irreligious states, one of the first to legalize recreational marijuana, and is known for its libertarian-leaning political culture, generally supporting the Republican Party in national elections. The Indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the second highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent, after only Hawaii.[9]

  1. ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". Census.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "Geography of Alaska, Alaska Kids' Corner, State of Alaska".
  3. ^ "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "US Census Bureau QuickFacts". Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "2020 Census Apportionment Results". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Black, Lydia (2004). Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867. University of Alaska Press. pp. 217, 218.
  8. ^ Video: 49th Star. Alaska Statehood, New Flag, Official, 1959/01/05 (1959). Universal Newsreel. 1959. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Alaska". census.gov. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2020.