Admitted to Union: January 3, 1959
Capital: Juneau
Nickname: The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun
Motto: North to the Future
Total Area: 656,424 square miles
Total Land Area: 570,374 square miles
Total Water Area: 86,051 square miles
Length: 1,480 miles
Width: 810 miles
Highest Point: 20,320 feet (Mount McKinley)
Lowest Point: Sea level
Highest Temp: 100 degrees, June 27, 1915 at Fort Yukon
Lowest Temp: -80 degrees, January 23, 1971 at Prospect Creek Camp
Highest Monthly Avg Temp: 71.8 degrees
Lowest Monthly Avg Temp: -21.6 degrees
Population: (U.S. Census, April 1, 2000) 626,932

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.

Alaska Travel