15 interesting facts about Alaska

15 interesting facts about Alaska

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Alaska was the 49th state to join the United States of America on January 3, 1959.

The state has an unofficial nickname "the last border", "the land of the midnight sun", and "Icebox of Seward".

It has a population of 710,000 people, making it the 48th most populous state.

Alaska does not share borders with any of the US states, and instead borders the Canadian states of Yukon and British Columbia.

With a total of 663,268 sq mi (1,717,856 km²) of land and water, it is the largest state in the entire United States.

Enough facts for now, though - we're here to learn more about this monolithic state and the secrets it conceals all the way north!

Humans have lived in Alaska for more than 15,000 years.

More than 15,000 years ago, the first humans began crossing the Bering Strait, from what is now the easternmost point of Russia to the westernmost point of Alaska.

When humans made this great migration, the Bering Strait was actually a land bridge due to the lower global sea level.

Many of these continued their journey south, eventually settling in both North and South America.

However, some settled in Alaska, long before the Europeans arrived.

Alaska means "Great Land" in Aleutian language.

Aleut people are indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, and that's their name for Alaska has become what we use today.

More than 24% of Alaska's population is Alaskan native.

There are six main groups of Aboriginal Alaskans - Inupiat, Yuit, Athabascans, Tlingit, Haida and Aleut, all with their own language and dialect.

Although they are part of the same pattern of migration across the Bering Strait, they are not closely related to migrants continuing south to settle in South America, as they arrived in later waves.

Alaska was once part of the Russian Empire.

According to some researchers, the Russian Empire's invasion of Alaska began in the 17th century.

It is believed that some boats of Russian Explorer Semyon Dezhnyov arrived on the coast of Alaska and established a settlement there.

Whether that was true or not, Russia actually occupied Alaska in the following days, with the first permanent settlement established in 1784.

While the Russian Empire's Alaskan colonization was not so successful for the Empire, the US has their own ideas.

The United States bought Alaska outside of the Russian Empire for $ 7.2 million on October 18, 1867.

40% of all Alaska lives in one place.

There is a section of highways and railways called Railbelt that runs from the southern coast of Alaska to the depths of the state's center.

More than two-thirds of Alaska's population have settled in communities, towns and cities on this strip.

At the southern end of Railbelt is the city of Anchorage - Alaska's largest city.

With an area of 1,944 square miles (5,035 km²), this city houses approximately 291,000 people - a massive 40% of Alaska's population!

Alaska residents are paid to live there.

Alaska has a lot of natural resources that in 1976, Alaska Permanent Fund was established, managing surpluses of state oil and gas revenue from the oil and gas industry.

This state fund was created to grow through investments in other areas, and a dividend is paid each year to eligible Alaska residents.

To be eligible, you must live in the state for more than 12 months and maintain permanent residence or have a certain criminal record.

Dividends change annually, but for 2019 it is $ 1,606.

Russia is so close to Alaska that you can swim there.

The part of the Bering Strait that separates Russia from Alaska is much narrower than you might think.

At its narrowest point, it is only 51 miles (82 km) wide.

The Russian island is called Big Diomede, and Alaska is called Little Diomede.

The islands are only 2.5 miles apart - so close that you can see someone on the other side!

In fact, in 1987, a long-distance swimmer named Lynne Cox swam across the canal and onto the shores of the Soviet Union!

Dog sled is the official sport of Alaska.

One of the most famous transportation methods used in Alaska through the ages is the use of sled.

Dog Sleedding, or mild, is a method of pulling a snowboard on a snow with a one or more dogs, while Musther stands at the back of the sleigh.

However, today, this is done more like a sport than transporting, through ski racing.

Every year drag racers from around the world traveling to Anchorage to compete in the Iditarod Sled Dog race, which covers a distance of 1,150 miles (1,850 km)!

Alaska has some of the highest mountains of the United States.

Alaska is home to some amazing scenery and the mountains there definitely don't disappoint!

In fact, the five highest mountains in the entire United States are located in this great northern land.

Mount Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) has the highest peak, reaching 20,310 feet (6,194 m)!

Denali really means "tall people" in local indigenous language Koyukon.

There are more than 130 active volcanoes in Alaska.

In the south of Alaska there is an archipelago known as the Aleutian Islands.

The area is located on one of the most active Earthquake belts in the world, stretching over a major area of the Pacific Ocean.

As a result, the Aleutian Islands are not only home to frequent seismic activity, but also with many active volcanoes.

The largest island of the Aleutian archipelago, Unimak Island, is home to a particularly spectacular volcano - Mount Shishaldin.

This volcano has the most perfect circular volcanic cone on earth, more than Japan's Mount Fuji.

Alaska is home to the largest national forest in the US.

Tucked away on the southeast coast of Alaska is the Tongass National Forest.

This forest is the largest forest in the United States and it's a wonder not so small.

That's a staggering 16.7 million acres (68,000 km²) - almost half the size of Florida!

Tongass National Forest is a temperate rainforest and home to many endangered wildlife and plants.

Fruits and vegetables grow larger in Alaska than elsewhere.

Thanks to its north position on the planet, Alaska gets more sunshine each day, with more than 20 hours.

This in turn is very beneficial for plants, allowing them to grow larger and sweeter.

This is because the long hours of sunshine allow them to produce more energy than usual due to photosynthesis.

Seeds have to be carefully selected to grow under these conditions, but if carefully selected, the vegetables will reach enormous size.

You can even get a glimpse of these monolithic vegetables at the Alaska State Fair every August.

The world's fourth busiest air transport airport is in Anchorage, Alaska.

Anchorage is roughly equal distance between Tokyo, Frankfurt and New York City.

This means that 90% of industry in the world can be reached from Anchorage on a 9.5 hour flight.

As a result, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a free-to-air and air freight destination.

As a result, a large FedEx warehouse and a key part of its global network calls Anchorage home.

An average of 2,250 people are reported missing every year in Alaska.

Some of you may know the story of Christopher McCandless, who disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness in the true story of Into the Wild.

What you can do not know is a higher disappearance than more common in Alaska's vast north wilderness, although not all like McCandless.

Authorities began to hold the records of missing people in 1988, and as of 2018, there were 60,700 cases reported so far.

In fact, the number of missing persons reported in Alaska is more than double the national average.

Alaska has its very own "Bermuda Triangle".

There is a large area in Alaska, from Anchorage to Barrow, to Juneau, to Anchorage, that seem to have more than just disappearances and strange events.

Alaska has had such a high proportion of people missing, but a much larger part of it seems to have happened in Alaska's "Bermuda Triangle".

A town in Alaska used to have a cat for a mayor.

Well, it may not be the official mayor, but the cat Stubbs has been the honorary mayor of Talkeetna town for 20 years.

Stubbs ginger cat was born on April 12, 1997 and served as mayor from 1998 until his death on July 21, 2017.

The owners of Stubbs found him and a few other kittens in a box and he was then voted on by a letter-writing campaign by the townspeople, a town so small that it wasn't.

Everyone knows Alaska is a wonderful wilderness and there are lots of truths about it.

It is due to its rough beauty and unaffected, scanned forests, and skyrocketing peaks that have such a high travel rate after all.

Hopefully this still happens for many years to come, but maybe it's best to make a quick trip to this wonderful state while it's still pristine and splendid!