🏔️ Alaska – The Last Frontier
Alaska is the largest and most northwestern state in the United States, known for its dramatic wilderness, rich wildlife, and diverse Indigenous cultures. Covering more than 663,000 square miles, Alaska is larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined, offering vast mountain ranges, glaciers, forests, and Arctic tundra.
📍 Geography and Landscape
Alaska is home to Denali, the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet. Its landscape includes over 100,000 glaciers, more than 3 million lakes, and a coastline longer than the rest of the U.S. combined. Regions range from the temperate rainforests of the southeast to the Arctic plains of the north.
🌦️ Climate
Alaska’s climate varies widely. The southeast is wet and mild, while the interior experiences harsh winters and warm summers. The far north, above the Arctic Circle, endures polar conditions, including months of darkness or daylight. Climate change has had a significant impact on Alaska’s glaciers, permafrost, and ecosystems.
🧑🤝🧑 Population and Culture
Alaska has a population of around 730,000 people. Indigenous communities—including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit, Haida, and Athabaskans—have lived here for thousands of years, shaping the state’s culture and traditions. Many still rely on subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering.
💰 Economy
Alaska’s economy is driven by oil, gas, fishing, and tourism. The Prudhoe Bay oil field is one of the largest in North America. Visitors flock to Alaska for cruises, hiking, wildlife viewing, and national parks like Denali, Kenai Fjords, and Glacier Bay. The state has no personal income or state sales tax, relying on oil revenues and federal aid.
📚 Learn More
Alaska (/əˈlæskə/ ⓘ ə-LASS-kə) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost (the Aleutian Islands cross the 180th meridian into the eastern hemisphere) state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border, in the Bering Strait, with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. Technically, it is a semi-exclave of the U.S., and is the largest exclave in the world.
Alaska
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|---|---|
| Nickname: The Last Frontier | |
| Motto: North to the Future | |
| Anthem: Alaska's Flag | |
_(%2Bgrid)_(W3).svg) Location of Alaska within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Territory of Alaska |
| Admitted to the Union | January 3, 1959 (49th) |
| Capital | Juneau |
| Largest city | Anchorage |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Anchorage |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Mike Dunleavy (R) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Nancy Dahlstrom (R) |
| Legislature | Alaska State Legislature |
| • Upper house | State Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Alaska Supreme Court |
| U.S. senators |
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| U.S. House delegation | Nick Begich III (R) (list) |
| Area | |
• Total | 665,384 sq mi (1,723,337 km2) |
| • Land | 586,412 square miles sq mi (1,518,800 km2) |
| • Water | 91,316 sq mi (236,507 km2) 13.77% |
| • Rank | 1st |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 1,420 mi (2,285 km) |
| • Width | 2,261 mi (3,639 km) |
| Elevation | 1,900 ft (580 m) |
| Highest elevation (Denali) | 20,310 ft (6,190.5 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total |  740,133 |
| • Rank | 48th |
| • Density | 1.10/sq mi (0.42/km2) |
| • Rank | 50th |
| • Median household income | $86,600 (2023) |
| • Income rank | 12th |
| Demonym | Alaskan |
| Language | |
| • Official languages | Ahtna, Alutiiq, Dena'ina, Cup'ig, Deg Xinag, English, Eyak, Gwich'in, Haida, Hän, Holikachuk, Inupiaq, Koyukon, Lower Tanana, Middle Tanana, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Tanacross, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Unangax̂, Upper Kuskokwim, Upper Tanana, Yup'ik, Wetał |
| • Spoken language |
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| Time zones | |
| east of 169°30' | UTC– 09:00 (AKST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC– 08:00 (AKDT) |
| west of 169°30' | UTC– 10:00 (HST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC– 09:00 (HDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | AK |
| ISO 3166 code | US-AK |
| Latitude | 51°20'N to 71°50'N |
| Longitude | 130°W to 172°E |
| Website | alaska |
| List of state symbols | |
|---|---|
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| Living insignia | |
| Bird | Willow ptarmigan |
| Dog breed | Alaskan Malamute |
| Fish | King salmon |
| Flower | Forget-me-not |
| Insect | Four-spot skimmer dragonfly |
| Mammal |
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| Tree | Sitka Spruce |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Fossil | Woolly Mammoth |
| Gemstone | Jade |
| Mineral | Gold |
| Sport | Dog mushing |
| State route marker | |
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| State quarter | |
 Released in 2008 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the following three largest states of Texas, California, and Montana combined, and is the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and most sparsely populated U.S. state; however, with a population of 740,133 as of 2024, it is the most populous territory in North America located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. The state contains the four largest cities in the United States by area, including the state capital of Juneau. The state's most populous city is Anchorage, and approximately half of Alaska's residents live within its metropolitan area. Indigenous people have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as the entry point for the initial settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russian Empire was the first to actively colonize the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state and promoted and maintained a native Alaskan Creole population. The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to $162 million in 2024). 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.
Abundant natural resources have enabled Alaska— with one of the smallest state economies—to have one of the highest per capita incomes, with commercial fishing, and the extraction of natural gas and oil, dominating Alaska's economy. U.S. Armed Forces bases and tourism also contribute to the economy; more than half of the state is federally-owned land containing national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. It is among the most irreligious states and one of the first to legalize recreational marijuana. The Indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the second highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent, after only Hawaii.