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Alaska "The Last Frontier"
Abbreviation: AK
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To
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.
GOVERNMENT:
Capital City:
Juneau
Governor: Frank
H. Murkowski, R (to Jan. 2007)
Senators: Lisa
Murkowski, R (to Jan. 2005); Ted
Stevens, R (to Jan. 2007)
House of Representatives:
1 district |
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STATISTICS:
Population (July 2001):
625,000; National Rank: 47; Percent change since April 2000: 1.3%
Land Area: 570,833 sq. mi.(131,443
sq km): Largest state
Largest Cities (1999 est.): Anchorage, 257,808; Fairbanks,
32,769; Juneau, 30,192; Sitka, 8,193; Kenai, 8,184; Ketchikan, 7,861;
Kodiak, 7,680; Bethel, 6,517; Wasilla, 6,118; Homer, 4,887
ECONOMY:
Total Gross State Product 1999
(millions of dollars): 26,253; National rank: 46; Percent Change
(Growth Rate) since 1990: 6% ; National Rank based on Growth
Rate: 51 (Including Washington, DC)
Per Capita Personal Income 2001: $31,027; National Rank: 15 (102%
of national average)
State Exports 2001 (millions of dollars): 2,418; National
Rank: 37
Agriculture: Seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables,
livestock.
Industry: Petroleum and natural gas, gold and other mining, food
processing, lumber and wood products, tourism.
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