Alaska

=Alaska=

= Map obtained from [|http://www.nationatlas.gov] = =About Alaska=

**T o 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. ** = = = Source: [|http://usa.usembassy.de/alaska.htm] =

=Symbols of Alaska=



= = =State Flag=

= = = = Alaska adopted the flag for official state use in 1959. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, and mountain lakes, as well as Alaska's wildflowers. Emblazoned on the flag are eight gold stars: seven from the constellation Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper. The eighth being the North Star, representing the northern most state. Alaska's flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, from the village of Chignik. Bennie received a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch for his winning entry in the flag design contest.

Source [|http://www.50states.com/flag] = State seal =

State Facts

Capital City: Juneau Nickname: Last Frontier, Great Land, Land of the Midnight Sun Statehood: January 3, 1959(49th) Land Area: 570,374 sq. mi., Largest state Bird: Willow Ptarmigan Flower: Forget Me Not (myosotis alpestris) Tree: Sitka spruce (picea sitchensis) Song: Alaska's Flag
 * Motto**: North to the Future

Source:[]

Population & Cities

 * Population:** 686,293
 * Largest City:** Anchorage
 * Second Largest City**: Fairbanks
 * Persons Per Square Mile: 1**

Source: [[http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/texas.html|http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/.html

]]Created by Emilee Bean