A brief history of Alaska
Population: 606.000
Capital: Juneau (only to be reached by plane and/or boat)
Largest city: Anchorage
Area: 1.522.596 km2 / 587,878 square miles (1400 miles north/south, 2400 miles east/west)
Highest point: Mount McKinley, 6.095 m / 20,320 feet
State flower: Forget-me-not
State tree: Sitka Spruce
State bird: Willow Ptarmigan
State motto: "North in the future"
Major industries: tourism, petroleum, fishing, lumber
The first Alaskans migrated from Asia to North America from 30000 to 40000 years ago during an Ice Age that lowered the sea level and gave rise to a 900mile land bridge spanning Siberia and Alaska. Four ethnic groups remained in Alaska and made the harsh wilderness their homeland: Athabascans, Aleuts, Inuit and coastal tribes of Tlingits and Haidas.
Several European countries explored the region. The Spanish admiral Barthileme de Fonte is credited by many to be the first one making a trip into Alaskan waters in 1640. Vitus Bering, a Danish sailing for the Russian tsar came there 1728 and proved that America and Asia were two different countries. 13 years later he was the first European to set foot in Alaska. He died during that journey but his man came home with fur pelts and tales of seal and otter colonies. So it didn't take much time until Russian fur traders went there. Also Spanish people claimed a part of Alaska as did Captain James Cook for the British in 1778 and Jean de la Perouse for France.
When some US adventurers begin to arrive, four nations had a foot in the Panhandle of Alaska. Spain and France were squeezed out by the early 1899s while British were reduced to leasing land from the Russians. By 1860 the Russians had problems with their national treasury and so they decided to sell Alaska.
The U.S. purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867. They paid $ 7,2 Million, less than 2 cents an acre. In the beginning years this great land remote and unaccessible to all but a few hardy settlers remained a dark, frozen mystery to most people. Whaling and salmon fishing brought people and prosperity to Alaska. Gold was discovered in the 1880s and soon many Gold rushes took place. By 1900 the State population was estimated to be 60000 including 30000 non indigenous people.
In WWII many army and air-force bases where build and the famous Alcan (Alaskan Highway), a 1520-mile road, was build to become the only overland link between Alaska and the USA and to supply military hardware to protect the North-West of the country. The road was built in 8 months and 12 days and was opened on 25 October 1942.
On January 3rd, 1959 Alaska became the 49th State. Alaska is the largest of all American States (twice the size of Texas), but ranks 49th in population. Only Wyoming has fewer residents. Around 15% of all inhabitants are Native: Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian.
In 1968 massive oil deposits where discovered underneath Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Ocean. There had to be a pipeline build to transport it to the warm-water port of Valdez. The oil began to flow in 1977. (See also Dalton Highway)
In Alaska there are 17 of the 20 highest mountains in the United States, including the highest peak in North America: Mount McKinley (Denali).
Alsaka has 5000 glaciers with one longer than Switzerland.
Alaska has lots of wildlife. You find information on animals on the "Denali Park"-page.