Facts and questions

Alaskan Facts

Safety Tip: Powerful and unpredictable, bears should be treated with respect and caution. Follow park guidelines while in the back country. Bears are seen through out Alaska, even in city parks in Anchorage.

There are five species of salmon harvested in Alaska: king (chinook), coho (silver), sockeye (red), pink (humpies) and chum (dog/keta).

Alaska is considered a coastal state with 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, has 33,904 miles of shoreline. The coastline of Alaska is longer than the coast line of the entire United States

Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is 20,320 ft. above sea level. Denali, the Indian 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.

Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. 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. Five percent of the state, or 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers. The Malaspina Glacier is larger in area than Rhode Island.

Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow), the easternmost (Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island in the Aleutians), and the westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States.

Wrangell is the only Alaskan city to have existed under four nations and three flags. The Stikine Tlingit Nation, the Russians, the British and the Americans.

There are six distinct natural regions that make up the state of Alaska: The Interior; The Arctic; The Bering Sea Coast: The Alaskan Peninsula: The Aleutian Chain: South Central Alaska: South Eastern Alaska.

Known as the "Emerald Isle", Kodiak is the largest island in Alaska and the second largest in the United States. Kodiak is home to the oldest permanent European settlement in Alaska.

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Serious

When did Alaska become a State?
On January 3rd, 1959 President Eisenhower signed Alaska's Statehood Act.

True or False? Juneau is only accessible by boat or plane.
True, Juneau is the only capital city in the United States that is only accessible by boat or plane.

What is Alaska's state fish?
King Salmon

How big is the world record king salmon?
97 pounds 4 oz.

When was it caught?
In 1985 on the Kenai River

Who caught it?
Les Anderson of Soldotna

What is a shorter term for the commercial fishermen who use driftboats and nets to catch their fish?
Drifters

What is a shorter term for the commercial fishermen who set the nets from or near the beach?
Set Netters

In fall and winter, Alaska hosts the world's largest group of __________.
Bald eagles, More than 3,500 bald eagles gather along the Chilkat River each fall and winter. They're attracted by the large number of salmon in this spot. There is also a large winter population on the Homer Spit.

What is Alaskan Libby Riddles noted for?
First woman to win the Iditarod. In 1985 she won the Iditarod, Alaska's famous 1,049-mile dogsled race. Her time, from Anchorage to Nome, was 18 days, 2 minutes, 17 seconds.

What was the capital of Alaska when it belonged to Russia?
Sitka

The Alaskan point nearest Russia is which of the following?
The island of Little Diomede is just 2.5 miles from Russian-owned Big Diomede. The Russian influence is still seen in Alaska. For visitors, this is especially true in the town of Sitka, with its onion domed churches and Russian style buildings.

Which Alaskan National Park is the nation's largest?
Wrangell- St. Elias, it encompasses 12.4 million acres, including ten of America's highest peaks.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was built in the 1970s. How long is this great engineering feat?
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System transports crude oil from the north slope of Alaska to Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port, 800 miles away. The pipe diameter is 48 inches. Because of permafrost, much of the pipeline could not be buried. To accommodate moose and other animals who might not be able to cross or might damage the Pipeline, it is six to eight feet above ground in some areas.

In 1943 Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands which started the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War. The name of this battle was:
The One Thousand Mile War.

The Alaska Highway was originally built as:
A military supply road during World War II.

On the Funnier Side

What are saltwater charter boats called by the locals?
Pukers, because many tourists and locals spend more time leaning over the rail than with their fishing rods in hand.

What does the local hospital keep track of during the fishing season?
The fishing hooks that they have removed from both the locals and tourists.

Which state is Bigger Texas or Alaska?
Alaska, of course. Alaska has an area of 656,424 sq mi (1,700,135 sq km), including 86,051 sq mi (222,871 sq km) of water surface. Alaska is two and one half times larger that the state of Texas.

What's the meaning of the term 'Cheechako'?
Newcomer to Alaska, term meaning first-time Alaskan traveler or newcomer to the area.

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