The state is located in the northwest extremity of the United States West Coast, just across the Bering Strait from Asia.
Alaska borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and territory of Yukon to the east and southeast and has a maritime border with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the west.
To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of the Arctic Ocean, while the Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest.
Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area and the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-lease populous and the most sparsely populated state.
It is also by far the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with an estimated population of 738,432 as 2015—more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland.
Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. The state capital of Juneau is the second largest city in the United States by area, comprising more territory than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware.
Not only is Alaska the largest state, but it is also home to the highest mountain peaks in the country, including Mt. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley).
In August 2015, 44th U.S. President Obama announced on a Sunday that Mt. McKinley was being renamed Mt. Denali, using his executive power to restore an Alaska Native name with deep cultural significance to the tallest mountain in North America.
However, the central Alaska mountain has officially been called Mt. McKinley for almost a century.
With a height of 20,310 feet above sea level, is the third most prominent and third most isolated peak on Earth, after Mt. Everest and Aconcagua.
Alaska is also home to the northernmost city in the United States, and the ninth northernmost city in the world. It is located 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle at 71.2906° N, 156.7886° W.
In Alaska, it’s possible to test the theories associated with the Bering Land Bridge. Check out the remote and intriguing location of North America’s history.
Populated by Inuit, Yupik, Tlingit, and others long before Russian and European explorers found their way to the Arctic land, Alaska supported the indigenous people with sufficient whale fat, beaver, and fish.
Alaska's indigenous population is proportionally the highest of any U.S. state, at over fifteen percent. Close to two dozen native languages are spoken, and Alaskan Natives exercise considerable influence in local and state politics.
The Land of the Midnight Sun led to the next great gold rush. In the Yukon, many would venture into the rugged North expecting to find riches in the Klondike. Those who did, would find it difficult to get it back out again…alive.
The Iditarod takes place in Alaska and runs 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome in honor of Leonhard Seppala. In 1925, he along with several other mushers delivered much-needed anti-diphtheria serum to Nome.
The immense Denali National Park and Preserve is home to glaciers, fossil records, and a study in geology.
All along the Alaska Range, the pristine wilderness provides hikers the most well-marked trails outstanding views and peaceful vistas.
Venture into Glacier Bay for glimpses of an icy blue you’ll see nowhere else on Earth. Listen for the rugged mountains of ice collapsing into the bay or seek the humpback whales breaking the surface. Sights and sounds of the bay are as abundant as the history as well.
The most reliable chances to see Alaska's northern lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) are in Fairbanks, and above the Arctic Circle.
If you visit Alaska in November, December or January, you will experience a very short period of daylight providing a unique experience in the high northern hemisphere.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Join National Day Calendar® as we celebrate National Alaska Day. Discover the wildest places and peaceful spaces. Go where the land meets the sky.
Find adventure in The Land of the Midnight Sun and use #NationalAlaskaDay to share on social media.
Hidden Treasures
Dr. Seuss House – Wasilla
Santa Claus House – North Pole
Totem Bight State Historical Park – Ketchikan
Chicken of Chicken – Chicken
We also observe these famous figures of whom were born in Alaska of whom are still recognized today for their past accomplishments, heroics, talents, ingenuity and innovations: Elizabeth Jean Wanamaker Peratrovich, Marie Smith Jones, Virgil Franklin Partch, John Paragon, Velma Wallis, Curt Schilling and Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers.
Visit the link below to see those of notable birth who were not mentioned on the list above:
Here's to The Last Frontier!
#NationalAlaskaDay
#YouNeedAlaska
#MetlakatlaIndianCommunity
@Alaskafootballleague
@DenaliNPS
@KlondikeGoldRushAlaska
@Theiditarod
@GlacierBayNationalPark
@BeringLandNPS
@alaskatravel
@AlaskaStateParks
@santaclausehouse
@ChickenAlaska
@Tripadvisor
@atlasobscura
@nichecinema
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