Alaska

Alaska is a place blessed by natural wonders including amazing mountains, sparkling lakes and impressive glaciers.

Alaska is a United States state that is located in the northwest tier of North America. It is the largest state in the area and the least populated due to the cold weather.

The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut, the language of the Eskimos, which means “great country”, “mainland” or “great land”.

Alaska leads the nation in the value of its commercial fishing catch—chiefly salmon, crab, shrimp, halibut, herring, and cod.

Around 4,000 years ago the first Alaskans migrated from Asia to North America during an ice age that squeezed a 1449km (900mi) land bridge out of the ocean separating Siberia and Alaska.

Virtus Bering a Danish navigator arrived to Alaska on behalf of the tsar of Russia in 1728, straight away he realized the enormous potential that Alaska had as a land. The Russians established a base to trade fur, later Spanish and British did the same.

With the past of the time Russian interests in Alaska gradually declined and in 1867,Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7,200,000.

Even though Alaska was part of the United States it still remained lawless and unorganized. It was not until after the discovery of gold in the Juneau region in 1880 that Alaska was given a governor and a feeble local administration.

In 1968, massive oil deposits were discovered underneath Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Ocean. A lot of negotiations and claiming happened between the industry and the Native Alaskans.

Area
1,522,595 sq km
587,874 sq miles

Population: 626,930

Capital city: Juneau (population 31,000)

People: 75% Caucasian, 15% Inuit and other indigenous groups, 4% black, 3.2% Asian

Languages: More than 90 languages are spoken in Alaska. English is the main language.

Religion: 82% of people are Christian

Currency: US dollar (USD) (US$)

Major industries: Oil and gas (25% of US production), commercial fishing, mining, tourism

Alaska growth has affected the heritage of Alaskan’s Natives. The state is full of visitors, investors and international influences.

There are three groups of Alaska Natives – Indian, Eskimo and Aleut.

Within the three categories, Native culture is further divided into five cultures based on similarities in tradition, language and proximity.

English is spoken across Alaska but is tinted with Alaskan words and phrases that make it almost a tongue of its own.

Feasts and ceremonial gatherings have always been integral to Native culture. These are often occasions of both social and economic importance to the community. Typically, these gatherings involve dancing and singing, feasting, a gift exchange, and the wearing of clan regalia, which might include elaborately ornamented tunics or robes, intricate headdresses or masks, and jewelry or tattoos and body paint, depending on the traditions of the particular Native culture.

Chilkoot Charlie's, Anchorage
Van Halen and Aerosmith have played concerts here, and Playboy named it the best bar in America in 2000. Known as Koot's among locals, is not to be missed if you're in the mood for a uniquely Alaskan party. This rockin' and at times very crowded club in Anchorage has stages for rock, swing, DJs, and local Alaskan bands. Get a drink at one of the 11 bars, make your way past the three dance floors, and find a tree stump or an empty beer keg to sit on and enjoy the show.
Hammer Museum, Haines
Alaska's most peculiar museum is owned by Dave Pahl, whose collection of more than 1,400 hammers is on display The collection encompasses everything from the bankers' hammers for canceling checks to hammers with 6-foot extensions for hammering posters on barn walls.
Last Train to Nowhere, Nome
Among Alaska's most interesting Bush settlements, Nome was founded following a major gold discovery in 1898, and is still home to summertime gold dredging operations. During the gold rush, the Council City and Solomon River Railroad envisioned a rail system connecting Nome with the Lower 48 -- thousands of miles away. Construction only reached 35 miles before storms destroyed the tracks along the Bering Sea in 1907, and the project was abandoned. The company went under, but visitors still marvel at the engines and several railcars rusting away on the tundra south of Nome.
North Pole, Alaska
Santa Claus House is in the town of North Pole just southeast of Fairbanks. Inside this large red and white store, kids can sit on Santa's lap any time of the year, while parents shop for all sorts of Christmas paraphernalia, from ornaments and musical CDs to certificates that grant you one square inch of land in the Santa Claus subdivision of North Pole. The town was started by Con Miller, who built a trading post here in the 1950s. He and his neighbors incorporated the new town as North Pole.
Surfing in Southeast
The remote town of Yakutat lies along the Gulf of Alaska halfway between Juneau and Cordova. It isn't a major tourist destination, but it does have the state's longest beach, a 70-mi stretch that starts just outside town. It's never crowded, but local surfers and beach bums ride the swells that roll off the Gulf of Alaska throughout the year. The water is cold most of the time, but by mid-summer it can reach 60 degrees. There's even a small surf shop, aptly named Icy Waves.

From June through August is when visitors like to visit Alaska because are the warmest months of the year. Most Alaskan festivals and events take place during the summer periods of 24-hour daylight.

September and early October has some cold, rainy weather.

November through February many visitors love the skiing and dog-sledding trips.

Alaska weather spans record temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. In the far north, summer is a three-month day and winter a two-month night.

With nearly half the state's population, Anchorage is Alaska's biggest city and the state's only true metropolis.

Anchorage combines the conveniences of the modern world with a natural environment that has all but vanished from populated regions of the world. Anchorage is a gateway to adventure.

There are many things to do in Anchorage including fine shops, galleries, historic sites and parks. Here it is a list of places to visit:

Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum and the Alaska Native Heritage Center

Potter Marsh views, from the Seward Highway are beautifully scenic views with many restaurants and shops.

Portage Glacier and the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center, at the south of Girdwood, are places to go if you are looking for Dall sheep and beluga whales.

Alaska Botanical Garden. Development began in 1991 through an entirely volunteer effort. The gardens are continually being expanded and will feature vegetation from Alaska and areas with similar climates throughout the world.

Elmendorf State Hatchery. A visitor viewing area is located within the compound. The best time for viewing coho salmon is October. Hatchery is open year-round.

Lake Hood Air Harbor. One of Alaska's most visited attractions, the Portage Glacier area features the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center with displays and a film that explains glaciers and the history of the area.

Alaskans are people that love celebrations, especially during the summer when the daylight last 24 hours. In June 21st must of the towns have a Summer Solstice festivities.

In July 4th, Independence Day there are a lot of celebrations, of particular note in Ketchikan and Anchorage, including parades, contests and softball games, all rounded off with impressive firework displays.

On the second weekend in July, Talkeetna is the proud host of the Moose Dropping Festival, a high-class bash popular with second-class shot-putters wondering why dropping-tossing isn't an Olympic event.

Golden Days in Fairbanks in late July celebrates the discovery of gold with parades and sports, giving a chance to the less athletic in events like the Hairy Legs Contest.

Aleksandr Baranov: trader, public official, Russia
Margaret Elizabeth Bell: author
Benny Benson: designed state flag at age 13, Chignik
Vitus Bering: explorer, Denmark
Charles E. Bunnell: educator
William A. Egan: first state governor
Carl Ben Eielson: pioneer pilot
Henry E. Gruennig: political leader
B. Frank Heintzleman: territorial governor
Walter J. Hickel: former governor
Sheldon Jackson: educator and missionary, Minaville, NY
Joe Juneau: prospector
Austin Lathrop :industrialist
Sydney Lawrence: painter
John Griffith (Jack) London: author, San Francisco, CA
Ray Mala: actor
John Muir: naturalist, explorer, Scotland
Virgil F. Partch: cartoonist
Joe Redington, Sr. : sled-dog musher and promoter