ALASKA

ALASKA FACTS

• Alaska's nickname is Last Frontier.
• Alaska's total land area is 570,374 square miles.
• Alaska's population is about 626,900 people.
• The largest city in the Alaska is Anchorage.
• One of the landmarks in the state is the Alaskan Pipeline.

LOCATION

• The Arctic Ocean borders Alaska to the north.
• The Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean borders Alaska to the south.
• Canada borders Alaska to the east.
• The Bering Sea and the Bering Strait border Alaska to the west.
• It is the biggest state in the USA.

ALASKA HISTORY

• January 3rd, 1959 was the date of statehood.
• Alaska was the 49th state.
• Sheldon Jackson was from Alaska.
• In 1741, Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirkov are the first Europeans to see Alaska.
• In 1973, the first Iditarod race was held.

STATE SYMBOLS

• The state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan.
• The state flower is the Forget-me-not.
• The state tree is the Sitka Spruce.
• The state fossil is Wooly Mammoth.
• State fish is the King Salmon

INTERESTING FACTS

• Alaska has beautiful northern lights.
• For three months, the sun does not set.
• For three months, the sun does not come out.
• Alaska holds the yearly Iditarod Dog Sled race.
• Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain not just in Alaska, but in North America too!

IDITAROD DOG SLED RACE

• Held every year in March.
• Sometimes called the last great race.
• Officially 1,049 miles long.
• The race starts on the first Saturday in March.
• Takes about 10 days to complete.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

• Can be seen best in Alaska.
• You can see them better in winter.
• Are very unique.
• You can't see them better anywhere else.
• Very beautiful colors.

ALASKA'S FLAG

• Was officially adopted in 1927.
• The stars in a group represent the big dipper.
• The big, lonely star represents the north star.
• The blue field stands for the sky and the state flower, the Forget-me-not.
• The Big Dipper stands for Alaska's strength.

MORE STATE SYMBOLS

• The state land mammal is the moose.
• The state marine mammal is the bowhead whale.
• The state insect is the four-spotted skimmer dragonfly.
• The state mineral is gold.
• The state gem is Jade.

DID YOU KNOW...

• The Big Dipper's Latin name is Ursa Major.
• Alaska has seventeen of America's twenty highest peaks.
• The state capital is Juneau.
• The Eskimos are the largest Native American group.
• If you lived in Alaska, you might have to fly to the grocery store.

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