Alaska Trivia

History Lesson

Europeans first discovered Alaska in 1741 when explorer Vitus Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.

Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island established the first non-native settlement in Alaska in 1784.

On October 18, 1867 Alaska officially became the property of the United States. Many Americans called United States Secretary of State William H. Seward’s $7,200,000 purchase from Russia "Seward's Folly."

Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956 and became effective in 1959 making it the 49th state.

Claims to Fame

Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil field.  25% of the oil produced in the United States comes from Alaska.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800-mile journey to Valdez.

The fishing and seafood industry is the state's largest private industry employer.

The term “Alaska native” refers to Alaska's original inhabitants including Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups.

In 1926, 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Cognac, Alaska designed the state flag, which includes the Big Dipper constellation.

Alaska has been called America's Last Frontier.

The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.

The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation (current population is approximately 640,000 residents). There is .93 square miles for each resident of Alaska.  By comparison, New York has .003 square miles per resident.

Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast and comprises one-fifth the size of the continental U.S..

With 570,373.6 square miles and over 6,600 miles of coastline, Alaska is the United State's largest state.  It is over twice the size of Texas and the state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times. 

Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.  Alaska's geographic center is 60 miles northwest of Mount McKinley.

Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.

The Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States.

17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.  Topping the list is Mt. McKinley at 20,320 feet above sea level.

Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.

The state's largest city is Anchorage; the second largest is Fairbanks.

The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.

In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.

The heaviest annual snowfall of 974.5 inches was recorded at Thompson Pass (near Valdez) during the winter of 1952-53.

Alaska's name is based on the Eskimo word “Alakshak” meaning “great lands or peninsula.”

Alaska is home to the second greatest tide range in North America: 38.9 feet near Anchorage in Upper Cook Inlet.

The world's largest concentration of bald eagles is found along the Chilkat River, just north of Haines. As many as 3,000 bald eagles can gather here in fall and winter months for late salmon runs.

Lake Hood in Anchorage is the world’s largest and busiest seaplane base.  It can accommodate more than 800 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day.

According to 1993 figures, the median age for males is 29.7 years and 29.6 for females. About 52 percent of Alaskans are male, the highest percentage of any state in the U.S..

Official Icons

The wild forget-me-not is the official state flower.

The willow ptarmigan is the official state bird, although many Alaskans jokingly give that title to the mosquito. The official state insect is actually the four-spot skimmer dragonfly.

The Sitka spruce is the official state tree.

Dog mushing is the official state sport.

The state motto is “North to the Future.”

Jade is the official state gemstone.

Gold, first discovered in Alaska in Sitka during 1872, is the official state mineral.