Alaska

Capital	Juneau
Population	626,932 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Sarah Palin (R, to December 2010)
Entered the Union	January 3, 1959 as the 49th state
Motto	North to the Future
Nicknames	The Last Frontier, The Land of the Midnight Sun
Flower	Forget-me-not
Bird	Willow Ptarmigan
Song	"Alaska's Flag"
Professional Sports Teams (sports listing policy)
Origin of Name	From the Aleut word meaning "great land," or "that which the sea breaks against"
Major Industries	Oil, Fisheries, Wood
Historical Sites	Sitka National Historical Park Totem Pole Collection
Points of Interest	Denali National Park, Mendenhall Glacier in North Tongass National Forest, and the active volcanoes in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes at the Katmai National Park
Bordering States	Alaska does not border any U.S. states. However, it does border the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, as well as Canada, specifically Canada's Yukon territory, and the Canadian province of British Columbia!
Flag

Follow these links to read articles about Alaska from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• Alaska!: The State of Alaska
  http://www.state.ak.us//
  This is the official website for the State of Alaska.
• Alaska State Library
  http://www.library.state.ak.us/
  Here is the homepage for the Alaska State Library.
• Alaska Historical Society
  http://www.alaskahistoricalsociety.org/
  Here is the homepage for the Alaska State Historical Society.
• Alaska State Museum
  http://www.museums.state.ak.us/asmhome.html
  Here is the homepage for the Alaska State Museum.
• Alaska State Archives
  http://www.archives.state.ak.us/
  Here is the homepage for the Alaska State Archives.
• Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation
  http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/
  Here is the homepage for Alaska State Parks.
• Alaska Office of Tourism Development
  http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/toubus/home.cfm
  Here is the official state tourism website for Alaska.
• Alaska Road Traveler Information Service
  http://511.alaska.gov
  Here is the official state website for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Safety. Use it to check on driving conditions, construction projects, urgent messages, ferry locations, and current and forecasted weather reports.
• State of Alaska Kids Sites
  http://www.state.ak.us/kids/
  Here's a list of official Alaska state sites for kids.

• 50states.com: Alaska
  http://www.50states.com/alaska.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Alaska. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Alaska
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/AK/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Alaska's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Alaska Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ak.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Alaska.
• AlaskaOne.com: Travel Planning Information for Alaska
  http://www.alaskaone.com/
  This interactive internet travel site offers comprehensive online Alaska travel information.
• I Love Alaska.com
  http://www.ilovealaska.com/
  I Love Alaska.com offers daily Alaska news, information about Alaska communities, the Alaska Jobs Online, and other descriptive information about the state.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Alaska
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/02000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Alaska.
• The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
  http://www.iditarod.com/
  Learn more about what some call "The Last Great Race on Earth," the Alaskan Iditarod, the world’s most famous dog sled race, which covers more than 1,150 miles!
• The Yukon Quest International Dog Sled Race
  http://www.yukonquest.com/
  Known for its excellent care of sled dogs, this incredible race of a 1,000 miles follows a historic trail between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon territory.

• The state flag was designed by a 13 year old student from Chignik, Alaska. The design was chosen from 142 entrants and was adopted as the territorial flag in 1927. The blue field is for the sky and the Forget-Me-Not, the state flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear - symbolizing strength.
• One-fifth the size of the United States, Alaska has an area of 571,951 square miles and measures 2,400 miles east to west and 1,420 miles north to south. This makes it larger than Texas and the next three largest states combined. In fact, if Alaska was cut into two states, each state would still be larger than Texas!
• Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, has a height of 20,320 feet above sea level and is located 60 miles from the geographic center of the state. Denali, the Native American name for the peak, means "The Great One."
• The Yukon River, almost 2,000 miles long, is the third longest river in the U.S. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over 3 million lakes. The largest, Lake Iliamna, encompasses over 1,000 square miles.
• There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles.
• There are at least two world-famous dog sled races that occur in Alaska: the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest International Dog Sled Race. The Iditarod is the longest and most famous. It starts off in Anchorange (south central Alaska) and finishes over 1,150 miles later in Nome, Alaska on the coast of the Bering Sea. The Yukon Quest follows the Yukon river and runs 1,000 miles between Whitehorse in Canada's Yukon territory and Fairbanks, Alaska. Which city is the start and which city is the end of the race alternates each year. Both races are run outdoors in temperatures well below freezing. Look under Other State Links above for links to more information about these races.

• Aleksandr Baranov, first governor of Russian America
• Benny Benson, designed state flag at age 13
• Susan Butcher, sled dog racer
• Jewel, singer and musician