4 ALASKA Alaska has many glaciers and ice fields North to the Future was adopted in 1967 as Alaska’s state motto The state bird is the willow ptarmigan A small Arctic bird it lives on the tundra and changes color from white in winter to light brown in summer INTRODUCTION Alaska is the most northerly state in the United States It has a cold climate rough land open tundra and few inhabitants Alaska is sometimes called the Land of the Midnight Sun During the summer months the sun sets very late in the day In the northernmost regions the sun does not go below the horizon for almost three months at a time In the winter however daylight is very limited in these areas Alaska’s land forms the largest peninsula in the Western Hemisphere The state is not connected to the other 48 states of the mainland United States Instead it juts westward from Canada into the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea Southwest of Alaska’s mainland stretches the state’s long island chain the Aleutians To the southeast is a strip of land called the panhandle which borders the Canadian province of British Columbia Although many people think that Alaska is always cold it has five different climatic zones Arctic continental transitional and two maritime The Sitka spruce was named the state tree in 1962 These trees are common throughout the central and southeastern parts of the state
INTRODUCTION 5 Alaska is a remote state making it difficult for people to travel to or within the state Travelers reach the state either through a couple of highways through Canada or by plane There are few highways that run through the state The capital city Juneau can only be reached by boat or plane This is also true of many of the smaller cities and towns Nevertheless the largest city in the state Anchorage has all the amenities of a large city planes trains roads museums universities and numerous recreational activities Seaplanes equipped with pontoons are known as floatplanes Floatplanes are often the way people get into and out of Alaska’s remote regions Alaska Location Map The state flag shows the Big Dipper constellation and the North Star The Big Dipper also known as Ursa Major or the Great Bear stands for strength Alaska’s state flag was designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson from Chignik Alaska It was chosen from more than 140 entries and became Alaska’s territorial flag in 1927 0 0 Capital Juneau Population 626,932 Interstate highways none 100 200 161 322 Km Mi Scale Size 587,875 square miles Highest peak Mount McKinley 20,320 feet
Despite its distance from the U S mainland Alaska has played an important part in the history of the nation Alaska was purchased from Russia nearly a century before it became the 49th state in 1959 Miners from the U S mainland traveled to Alaska in search of gold in the 1800s Many of these settlers fell in love with the wilderness and chose to stay These new settlers lived among the Alaska Natives who had inhabited the region for thousands of years Alaska’s immense rain forest contains trees that are hundreds of feet tall and up to a thousand years old 6 ALASKA Alaska’s official nickname is the Last Frontier The state takes its name from the Aleut word Alyeska meaning Great Land The Alaska Highway was designed during World War II as an emergency measure to provide an overland military supply route to Alaska It runs more than 1,500 miles through Canada’s Yukon Territory to Fairbanks
INTRODUCTION 7 The king salmon is the state fish Sometimes weighing more than 100 pounds the king salmon was designated the state fish in 1962 Alaska adopted the forget me-not as the state flower in 1949 This flower grows throughout the state Boating is a popular recreational activity in Alaska Alaska’s scenic beauty offers wonderful outdoor opportunities for residents and tourists alike Among the popular pastimes are hiking in the mountains sailing past glaciers and enjoying the dazzling northern lights Alaska also attracts adventure seekers who glide over the icy tundra in dogsleds Alaska’s landscape contains many mountains and includes 17 of North America’s 20 tallest peaks Mount McKinley at 20,320 feet is North America’s tallest peak attracting expert mountain climbers to scale its snowfield-covered rock Every spring king salmon swim upstream to spawn Adult salmon may swim as far as 2,000 miles
