Alaska
The Last Frontier
Capital: Juneau
Statehood: 1959 (the 49th state)
Size: About 665,384 square miles (1,723,337 sq km), the biggest state by far.
Capital population: Juneau has about 32,000 people.
State population: About 733,000 people (2023).See the 10 biggest cities →State bird: Willow Ptarmigan
State tree: Sitka Spruce
State flower: Forget-me-not
Climate
Cold, with long dark winters and short cool summers. The far north is frozen much of the year, and even summer days are mild rather than hot.
Main industries
Built on oil and natural gas, fishing for salmon and crab, and some mining, with tourism growing each year.
Top places for tourists
Denali, the highest mountain in North America, plus huge glaciers, whales along the coast, and Glacier Bay National Park.
Places of interest
The Northern Lights, colorful curtains of light in the winter sky, and the endless summer days when the sun barely sets.
A little history
The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, and it became the 49th state in 1959.
Fun fact
Alaska is the biggest state, and Denali is the tallest mountain in all of North America.