ALASKA THE LAST FRONTIER verything is big in Alaska Twice the size of Texas this most northern state is one fifth as big as the Lower 48 states combined It has the tallest mountain peak in North America It has the most lakes and wetlands the most forestland and the most shoreline There are more than 100 000 glaciers in Alaska and an ice field about the size of the state of Delaware People who love the outdoors love Alaska There are vast areas of unspoiled wilderness to be explored including mountains valleys volcanoes glaciers lakes windswept shores and frozen tundra The state's land and water teem with wildlife Parts of northern Alaska are permanently frozen while parts of the southeast get rain on more than half the days of the year Alaska is called the last frontier Its name comes from the native Aleut word Alyeska which means the great land It is home to less than 750 000 people but for the Many who live in Alaska find it hardy folk who live in this big bold to be a harsh but beautiful state place Alaska is a great land indeed ALASKA
A caribou grazes at the base of Denall formerly Mount McKinley in Alaska's Denall National
ALASKA QUICK FACTS Name The word Alaska comes from the Native Alaskan Aleut people The Aleut word Alyeska means the great land State Capital Juneau population 32 406 Date of Statehood January 3 1959 49ch state Population 736 732 48ch most populous state Area Total Land and Water 665 384 square miles 1 723 337 sq km the largest state Largest City Anchorage population 301 010 Nicknames The Last Frontier The Great Land Land of the Midnight Sun Seward's Folly Seward's Icebox Forget Me Nots Motto North to the Future State Bird Willow Ptarmigan State Flower Forget Me Not ALASKA
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Gold State Mineral Gold State Tree Sitka Spruce State Song Alaska's Flag SOUDA Highest Point Denali formerly known as Mount McKinley 20 310 feet 6 190 m Lowest Point Pacific Ocean 0 feet 0 m Denall Average July High Temperature 64°F 18°C in Juneau 60°F 16°C in Cook Inlet Anchorage area 73°F 23°C in Fairbanks 58°F 14°C in Nome Record High Temperature 100°F 38°C in Fort Yukon on June 27 1915 Average January Low Temperature 24°F 4°C in Juneau 9°F 13°C in Cook Inlet Anchorage area 16°F 27°C in Fairbanks 2°F 19°C in Nome Record Low Temperature 80°F 62°C in Prospect Creek on January 23 1971 Average Annual Precipitation 11 inches 28 cm in the north to more than 172 inches 437 cm in parts of the central Panhandle Pacific Ocean Number of U S Senators 2 PÁSKA Number of U S Representatives 1 U S Postal Service Abbreviation AK QUICK FACTS N
