Area:  591,004 square miles

Population: 634,892 (2001)

State Capital: Juneau

People: American

Official Language:  English

Government: Democratic

Head of State: Governor Sean Parnell

Former Governor:
Sarah Palin

Major Industries: Oil & Natural Gas, Mining, Construction, Education, Native Corporations. Forestry, agriculture & fishing are important.

Natural resources including oil (petrol), natural gas, coal, uranium, and platinum.

Time Zone: Alaska

Admission to union: The 49th State

Date entered the union: January 3, 1959

Origin of state name: Named from the Aleut word Al-ay-ek-sha meaning main-land.

Original Name:  
Alyeska - an Aleut term which means "The Great Land"
Nicknames: "The Great Land" and "The Last Frontier"

State Motto: "North To The Future"

State Song:  Alaska Flag Song

Points of Interest:

Alaska is the largest state in the United States. It is about the size of California, Montana and Texas combined together. A fossil of the great Woolly Mammoth was discovered in Alaska. Over 100 volcanoes No bordering US states, bordering country Canada and water Arctic Ocean, Beaufort Sea, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska Highest point Mr. McKinley – 20,320 feet (6,194m) above sea level located in Denali National Park.

Introduction to Alaska:

On January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state. The population of the state is 634,892 as of 2001. It's bordered by Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

"Alayeska" The Great Land the natives called it - with good reason. It is the largest state in the United States and contains the tallest mountain in the U.S., Mount McKinley, which stands at 20,320 feet. Alaska also goes by "The Last Frontier". Bordering Canada and the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, Alaska is very close to the north pole which dramatically affects its climate and daily calendar.

Northern Alaska is often referred to as the "Land of the Midnight Sun" since the sun does not set, providing 24 hours of daylight, from early May to early August. On the other extreme, the Sun does not rise from late November to late January.

"North To The Future" is the motto of the state that became home to settlers during the Klondike gold rush in 1896. Salmon fishing and dog sledding are two major tourist attractions.

Alaska is large and extremely diverse and its communities reflect this diversity. Its differences in climate, people, geography, and economy are as great as those between the Rocky Mountains and the Middle West, or between Massachusetts and California.

Alaska can be divided into six regions: Southeast Alaska, South-Central, the Interior, Western Alaska, Southwest Alaska and the Arctic or Far North.