Fun Easy English - Travel the United States of America

CAPITAL CITY: Juneau

BACKGROUND

To the Aleut peoples, Alaska was “Alyeshka”, meaning the great land. Alaska, the 49th state, officially became a state on January 3, 1959. It was purchased from Russia for $7 million in 1867 and was made a territory of the United States in 1912. It is the largest state in area, almost a fifth as large as all the rest of the United States. It remained largely unexplored until the Gold Rush in the 1880s. Fur trade was the main economic activity in Alaska for more than 150 years after 1741. In the 1880s and 1890s major gold deposits were discovered. In addition, other minerals, particularly copper, tin, mercury, and silver, were also mined. During the 1940s and 1950s large military bases were built. Beginning in the late 1970s, the economy underwent a fundamental change as the state's enormous oil deposits were exploited. Almost a third of Alaska is north of the Arctic Circle.

At Point Barrow, Alaska's northernmost point, the sun never sets between May and August. Tourists come to see Alaska's mountain scenery, historic coastal towns and the state's vast areas of untamed wilderness. Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet and one of the greatest challenges for mountain climbers.

QUICK FACTS

Nickname: Last Frontier, Great Land, Land of the Midnight Sun

Motto: North To The Future

Statehood: January 3, 1959 (49th)

Origin of State's Name: Russian version of Aleutian word "Alakshak" meaning "great lands" or "peninsula."

Largest Cities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, Soldotna

Border States: None

Land Area: 570,374 sq. mi., Largest state

State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan

State Flower: Forget Me Not (myosotis alpestris)

State Tree: Sitka spruce (picea sitchensis)

State Song: Alaska's Flag

USEFUL LINKS

Miscellaneous

Travel and tourism site for Alaska - This state travel and territorial tourism site provides ideas for your vacations, meetings, and more.