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Quick Facts

• Statehood Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959
• Size Alaska’s 570,373 square miles is one-fifth the size of the continental U.S. and over twice the size of Texas.
• Mountains Of the nation’s 20 highest peaks, 17 are in Alaska. That includes the legendary Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet. Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak.
• Glaciers Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, which cover almost five percent of the state. There are more active glaciers in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world.
• Pipeline The Trans-Alaska Pipeline transports approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil a day from the North Slope to the port of Valdez in Prince William Sound. Oil moves at a rate of five to seven miles per hour and takes under six days to travel the 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to tankers in the port of Valdez.
• Time Zones Alaska has its own time zone, which is one hour earlier than Pacific Time. The westernmost Aleutian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Time, two hours earlier than Pacific Time.
• Alaska Marine Highway System Alaskan ferries travel a route covering 3,500 miles and serving 30 Alaskan ports.
• Bald Eagles The largest known concentration of bald eagles, over 3,000, converges near Haines from October through January to feed on late run salmon in the Chilkat River.
• Water Alaska has 3 million lakes, over 3,000 rivers and more coastline (47,300 miles) than the entire continental United States.
• Parklands Alaska has 15 National Parks, Preserves and Monuments, and 3.2 million acres of State Park lands.

Quick Trivia

• Lake Hood, located in Anchorage, is the world’s busiest floatplane base. It averages 800 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day.
• The state’s record snowfall in a single season was recorded at Thompson Pass north of Valdez in 1952-53 at 974.5 inches.
• The nation’s two largest national forests are located in Alaska. The Tongass in Southeast includes 16.8 million acres, and the Chugach in Southcentral has 4.8 million acres.
• There are more than three million lakes in Alaska. Lake Illiamna in Southwest Alaska is the second largest freshwater lake in the U.S.
• The 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline has transported over 13 billion barrels of oil from the North Slope to the port of Valdez in Prince William Sound since its completion on May 31, 1977. Oil moves at a rate of 5.5 miles per hour and takes under six days to travel to tankers in the port of Valdez.
• Nearly three-quarters of Alaska sport fishing is done in the Southcentral region of the state where most of the state’s population resides.
• Alaska is home to 80 percent of all the active volcanoes in the U.S.
• Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is the number one producing commercial fishing port in the nation.
• Alaska has 12 species of big game, including moose, caribou, black bear, Dall sheep, musk ox, wolverine, brown bear, wolf, mountain goat, black-tailed deer and elk.
• The highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was 100° at Fort Yukon in 1915, and the lowest recorded temperature was -80° at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.

Quick History

Alaska is rich with Native, Russian, gold rush and natural history. It is believed the first inhabitants of Alaska crossed a land bridge from Siberia nearly 20,000 years ago. Danish explorer Vitus Bering first encountered Alaska in 1741 on a voyage from Siberia.

Russian whalers and fur traders established the first white settlement in Alaska in 1784 on Kodiak Island and later in Sitka. Much of the Russian influence still remains in Southwest and Southeast communities today.

In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward’s Folly" and considered it a waste of money. But it wasn’t long before gold was discovered, triggering several prospector stampedes north.

After the gold rush and during the depression era, most of America was preoccupied and thought very little of the vast Alaska territory. But during World War II, Alaska again became a valuable asset as a strategic staging area in the North Pacific. On June 3, 1942 the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor and proceeded to occupy the islands of Attu and Kiska. The yearlong war on American soil was just as much a war against the harsh weather as it was against the enemy. During this time the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Alaska Highway in only eight months to supply a land route for military equipment and supplies.

Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959, creating the largest state in the union (more than twice the size of Texas). The nation again recognized the assets in this young state when oil was discovered and confirmed in 1968 at Prudhoe Bay, North America’s largest oil field. Today, Alaska is treasured for it’s breathtaking beauty and vast supply of natural resources.

Native Culture

In many rural villages and communities throughout Alaska, visitors can learn about the Native lifestyle through guided tours and cultural centers. Authentic Native arts and crafts, including ivory carvings, totems, beadwork and baskets, are widely sought as gifts and souvenirs. Traditionally these products were produced for ceremonial purposes, but today many Natives craft their items for sale.

Alaska’s Native peoples can be divided into five principal groupings: Aleuts, Northern Eskimos (Inupiat), Southern Eskimos (Inuit), Interior Indians (Athabascans) and Southeast Coastal Indians (Tsimshain, Tlingit and Haida). Nearly 16 percent of the state’s population is Native. You may experience the Native lifestyle by visiting the many cultural centers and exhibits. Many of the centers provide live performances of dance and storytelling as well as exhibits of artists’ work.

Russian Heritage

The Russians were interested in the flourishing fur markets during their ownership of Alaska, and were typically not well liked by the Natives. Battles between indigenous peoples and Russians were disastrous for Alaska Natives, as were the foreign diseases that white explorers brought to the land.

Although Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, the Russian influence is still seen today in the communities of Sitka, Kodiak, Unalaska and Kenai, where onion-domed Russian Orthodox churches still remain.

State Parks, National Parks and Monuments, National Forests

Alaska’s parks, monuments and forests offer extensive recreational possibilities - hiking, backpacking, camping, wildlife photography, canoeing, kayaking or just sitting and taking in the breathtaking scenery and crystal clear waters. Not surprisingly, Alaska’s state park system is America’s largest, boasting almost 3 million acres and one-third of the country’s state park lands.

Clam Digging

Clam digging is a popular local activity in Clam Gulch, just south of Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral. The season is open year-round. Check local listings for low tides. A fishing license is required.

Dog Mushing

Visitors travel from around the world to witness one of Alaska’s famous sled dog races, including the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, sprint races held during Anchorage’s Fur Rendezvous, the Kuskokwim 300 and the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Thousands of spectators gather to watch the excited sled dog teams race down the trail.

If you would like to experience dog mushing for yourself, you can take tours ranging from half-hour rides to weeklong excursions into remote areas. The ultimate mushing experience is the "Iditarider" program. Winning bidders in a telephone auction get to ride in a musher’s sled for the first 8-9 miles of the Iditarod. 

Statewide Attractions 15 Alaska Icons Cruising Alaska

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