General
We have areas that get
24 hours of daylight in summer &
24 hours of night in winter
We Also have 3 million lakes!
How big are we? Very big!
586,400 Square Miles
We are 2 times the size of Texas
We have 29 volcanoes
33,000 miles of coastline!
1,400 miles North to South
2,700 miles East to West
Over 1/2 the world's Glaciers
55 miles east of Russia
We are the only state to have coastlines on three different seas.
Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea.
Records
Record high temperature: 1915 +100 oF
Record low temperature: Tanana -78 oF
High tides of 37 feet
Snow: 24 Hours; 64 inces
1 year; 974 inches (Thompson Alaska, near Valdez).
Mountains
Mountains Mount Denali (also known as Mt.McKinley to some): 20,320 feet (Tallest in North America)
Mount Elias: 18,008 feet
Foraker - 17,400 feet
Bona - 16,500 feet
Blackburn - 16,390 feet
Sanford - 16,237 feet
Vancouver - 15,700 feet
Churchhill - 15,638 feet
Fairweather - 15,300 feet
Hubbard - 15,015 feet
Bear - 14,831
Islands (largest)
Kodiak - 3,588 square miles
Prince of Wales - 2,770 square miles
Chichagof - 2,062 square miles
Lakes (largest)
Iliamna - 1,000 square miles
Becharof - 458 square miles
Teshekpuk - 315 square miles
Naknek - 242 square miles
Longest River
Yukon - Total of 2,300 miles, 1,875 in Alaska
Wildlife
Kodiak Bear; 1,400 pounds, 11 feet tall
Polar Bear; 1,400 pounds, 11 feet tall
Polar Bear; 1,400 pounds, 11 feet tall
Grizzly Bear (Brown Bear); 800 pounds, 9 feet tall
Moose; 1,350 pounds, 5 feet high to shoulder
Antlers span; 72 inches
History
Purchased from Russia in 1867 for under 2 cents an acre.
Official
State Motto: North to the future.
State Flower: Forget-me-not.
The plant grows well in most of Alaska's varied climate.
State Motto: North to the future.
State Flower: Forget-me-not.
The plant grows well in most of Alaska's varied climate.
State Bird: Alaska Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus alascensis Swarth)
It can change it's color from light brown to snow white. The willow ptarmigan was named Alaska's state bird in 1955.
State Tree: Sitka spruce (picea sitchenensis)
The evergreen is found throughout the southeastern and central areas of Alaska.
State Marine Mammal: Bowhead whale
State Fish: King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
King salmon weighing up to 100 lb. have been caught in Alaska. The king salmon is also known as the chinook salmon and is a popular sport fish. It became the state fish in 1962.
State Sport: Dog Mushing
It can change it's color from light brown to snow white. The willow ptarmigan was named Alaska's state bird in 1955.
State Tree: Sitka spruce (picea sitchenensis)
The evergreen is found throughout the southeastern and central areas of Alaska.
State Marine Mammal: Bowhead whale
State Fish: King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
King salmon weighing up to 100 lb. have been caught in Alaska. The king salmon is also known as the chinook salmon and is a popular sport fish. It became the state fish in 1962.
State Sport: Dog Mushing
It once was the primary form of transportation in most of Alaska. Today dog sled racing is a popular winter sport. It was adopted as the state sport in 1972.
State Gem: Jade
Alaska has a large deposit of jade, including an big mountain filled with dark green jade on the Seward Peninsula.
State Mineral: Gold
The search for gold played a major role in shaping the history of Alaska, from the discovery of gold in Juneau to the great gold rush at Nome. Gold was named the state mineral in 1968.
State Insect: Four spot skimmer dragonfly
State Song
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue -
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.
The flag of the State of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field.
It was designed in 1927 by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Alaskan Native residing at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward, for a contest to create a flag for the then-Alaska Territory. Up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded $1,000 and an engraved watch. Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design, and he submitted this description with it:
“ The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the Forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear—symbolizing strength.
It was designed in 1927 by Benny Benson, a 13-year-old Alaskan Native residing at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward, for a contest to create a flag for the then-Alaska Territory. Up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U.S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded $1,000 and an engraved watch. Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design, and he submitted this description with it:
“ The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the Forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear—symbolizing strength.
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