FUN FACTS ABOUT ALASKA

FUN FACTS ABOUT ALASKA

The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.

Dog mushing is the official state sport. State Sport is Dog Mushing It once was the primary form of transportation in most of Alaska. Today dog sled racing is a popular winter sport. It was adopted as the state sport in 1972.

The state motto is “North to the Future.”

The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the oficial state insect.

Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.

The state’s coastline extends over 6,000 miles.

17 out of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.

The record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon in 1915; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.

The Alaskan state flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old named 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.------------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There are more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes in Alaska.

The state flower is Forget-me-not.The plant grows well in most of Alaska's varied climate.

The state bird is Alaska Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus alascensis Swarth).It can change it's color from light brown to snow white. The willow ptarmigan was named Alaska's state bird in 1955. --------------------------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>

State Tree is Sitka spruce (picea sitchenensis)
The evergreen is found throughout the southeastern and central areas of Alaska.
The state marine mammal is Bowhead whale
State Fish is King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) King salmon weighing up to 100 lb. have been caught in Alaska. The king salmon is also known as the chinook salmon and is a popular sport fish. It became the state fish in 1962.

State Gem: Jade ------------------------------->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Alaska has a large deposit of jade, including an big mountain filled with dark green jade on the Seward Peninsula.

The State Mineral is Gold

The search for gold played a major role in shaping the history of Alaska, from the discovery of gold in Juneau to the great gold rush at Nome. Gold was named the state mineral in 1968.

State Insect is Four spot skimmer dragonfly

Alaska Day is celebrated on 18th October every year.

It is a legal holiday in the US State of Alaska and a parade is held in Sitka, Alaska whilst the people have a day off paid holiday.

Alaska Day commemorates the anniversary of the transfer of Alaska from being part of Russia to being a part of the USA in 1867.

America purchased Alaska from Russia on 30th March 1867 for $7.2million, just 2 cents per acre! This purchase date is celebrated on Sewards Day on the last Monday in March each year.It took until October for the official transfer to happen.

On 18th October 1867, 250 US soldiers witnessed the Russian flag being lowered and the US flag being raised.  This is re-enacted in Sitka each year.

The Russians sold Alaska to America because they were in financial difficulty at that time. Because Alaska was so difficult to defend, Russia was worried that Great Britain (who were aggressively taking over much of Canada at that time) would take the territory easily in a future conflict, with no compensation paid to Russia.They asked both the US and Great Britain whether they would like to purchase Alaska – perhaps hoping they could instigate a bidding war.Unfortunately for Russia, Great Britain was not interested and so America was able to purchase the land cheaply.
Now it is the 49th State of America.

Alaska's name comes from the Eskimo word Alakshak meaning “great lands” or “peninsula”.

Alaska is not physically connected to the rest of the USA – it's separated by Canada.

Alaska didn't become a State of the modern day USA until 1959.  Before this it was classed as a territory.

Alaska is the largest State in America by land mass – twice the size of Texas.Despite being so large, not so many people live in Alaska.  It is the least densely populated State in America.

Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other American States combined.

Juneau is the State Capital of Alaska.It used to be Sitka.

The weather in Alaska is generally pretty cold with plenty of snow and ice but in the South of the State the summers can get up to temperatures of 26°C/80°F.The coldest day on record in Alaska was recorded at -62°C/-79.8°F!

Because Alaska is so close to the North Pole, its daylight hours are extreme.In the summer, some towns in Alaska do not see any night at all.It's daylight all day every day.The same towns, when winter arrives, see no daylight at all.  It's dark all day every day.