Alaska Factoids

1. You all know how educational travel is and I have been hungry to learn about every place I have visited. Sometimes I pick up facts on a tour, from a chatty taxi driver or accommodation host, by reading the displays in a museum or a gallery or by asking a question. The following have been gleaned from a range of sources over the last three weeks.

   
   

                              

   
   

   Alaska - US State
2. Alaska, northwest of Canada, is the largest and most sparsely populated U.S. state. It's known for its dramatic, diverse terrain of wide-open spaces, mountains and forests, with abundant wildlife and many small towns. It is a popular destination for many outdoor activities from kayaking to whale watching, fishing to mountain climbing.
4. Capital: Juneau
5. Area: 1,717,854 km²
6. Population: 736,732 (2014)

           

          

   
   

   • In 1867 Russia sold 'Russian America' and the vessels of the Russian American Company to the U.S. for $7,200,000 (2cents an acre). The territory was then named Alaska.
   • Alaska is less than 50 miles from Russia.
   • Whilst Juneau is the state capital, Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska with a population of 278,000. It was established 100 years ago in 1915 with the development of the railway.
   • While it is legal to shoot bears in Alaska, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is against the law!
   • The highest temperature recorded in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Fort Yukon in 1915.
   • The lowest temperature recorded in Alaska was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
   • Alaska accounts for 25 percent of the oil produced in the United States.

                               

   • Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska, including the highest peak in North America (20,320 ft. above sea level), Mt. McKinley.
   • Alaska contains more than 100 volcanoes and volcanic fields which have been active within the last two million years. 80% of the world's active volcanoes are in Alaska.
   • The Aurora Borealis (northern lights) can be seen an average of 243 days a year in Fairbanks.
   • The fishing and seafood industry is Alaska’s largest private industry employer.
   • The largest salmon ever caught was in the Kenai River. It weighed in at 97.5 pounds.
   • There are more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes in Alaska.

                               

   • Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the United States combined (34,000+ miles).
   • Alaska is the only state to have coastlines on three different bodies of water: the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea.
   • The last gold rush in America was in 1897 on the Klondike River. A Seattle newspaper of the day reported that a steamer had docked "carrying a number of prospectors and one ton of gold."
   • The only battle during World War II fought on American soil took place in 1943 after the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands.
   • The state sport in Alaska is dog mushing, once the primary mode of transportation. The Iditarod dog sledding race is Alaska's largest sporting event.
   • More than half the world’s glaciers can be found in Alaska (over 1000).

                          

   • Alaska has the lowest population density in the U.S. at one person per square mile.
   • If New York City had the same population density as Alaska, only 25 people would live in Manhattan.
   • Bennie Benson designed Alaska’s flag in 1926 at the age of 13. It became the official state flag upon Alaska’s adoption into the Union in 1959 - the 49th State. It depicts the Big Dipper constellation (the Plough) and the North Star.

                               

    

   • Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
   • There are over a dozen native tribes in Alaska, from the Athabascans to the Yup'iks. 
   • The town of Barrow, 800 miles south of the North Pole, has both the longest and shortest day. When the sun rises on May 10, it doesn’t set for nearly three months. When it sets on November 18, Barrow residents do not see the sun again for nearly two months.
   • Each year Alaska has about 5,000 earthquakes including 1,000 that measure above 3.5 on the Richter scale. Of the 10 strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the world, three have occurred in Alaska.

                          

   • Alaskan, Kodiak and Polar Bears can grow to 1,400 pounds and 11 feet tall. Moose can grow to 1,350 pounds with antlers spanning up to 6 feet wide.
   • The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on an 800-mile journey across the state.
   • When the Exxon Valdez ran aground, ripping open it's hull - 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil leaked out and polluted the crystal clear waters of the Prince William Sound, killing hundreds of thousands of fish, birds and mammals. 

   Fascinating eh? I've had to stop myself from adding more - but this place is epic.

   Paul