Alaska

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the U.S. state of Alaska. For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation).

"Alaskan" redirects here. For other uses, see Alaskan (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 64°N 150°W^[1]

State of Alaska
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Last Frontier
Motto(s): North to the Future
State song(s): "Alaska's Flag"
Official language	English, Inupiat, Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Aleut, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich’in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Coast Tsimshian
Spoken languages	English 86.3% Alaska Native languages 5.2% Tagalog 3.4% Spanish 2.9% Others 2.2%
Demonym	Alaskan
Capital	Juneau
Largest city	Anchorage
Area	Ranked 1st
• Total	663,268 sq mi (1,717,856 km2)
• Width	2,261 miles (3,639 km)
• Length	1,420 miles (2,285 km)
• % water	13.77
• Latitude	51°20'N to 71°50'N
• Longitude	130°W to 172°E
Population	Ranked 48th
• Total	738,432 (2015 est)[2]
• Density	1.26/sq mi  (0.49/km2) Ranked 50th
• Median household income	$75,112 [3] (2nd)
Elevation
• Highest point	Denali[4] 20,310 ft (6190.5 m)
• Mean	1900 ft  (580 m)
• Lowest point	sea level
Before statehood	Territory of Alaska
Admission to Union	January 3, 1959 (49th)
Governor	Bill Walker (I)
Lieutenant Governor	Byron Mallott (D)
Legislature	Alaska Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Lisa Murkowski (R) Dan Sullivan (R)
U.S. House delegation	Don Young (R) (at-large) (list)
Time zones
• east of 169° 30'	Alaska - UTC -9/-8
• west of 169° 30'	Aleutian - UTC -10/-9
ISO 3166	US-AK
Abbreviations	AK
Website	www.alaska.gov

[show]Alaska state symbols

Alaska (ⁱ/əˈlæskə/) is a U.S. state located in the northwest extremity of North America. The Canadian administrative divisions of British Columbia and Yukon border the state to the east; its most extreme western part is Attu Island; it has a maritime border with Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas–the southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 3rd least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's residents (the total estimated at 738,432 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015^[2]) live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance. Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy.
The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for 7.2 million U.S. dollars at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.^[5]