The
first white man known to have visited was a Dane, Vitus Bering, in
1728, shortly after that Russians came
Alaska has the northernmost, westernmost and easternmost points in
the USA
Alaska is only three miles from Russia
Barrow, America's northernmost city, has 84 straight days during
which the sun never sets; in Winter, it has 67 straight days when
the sun never rises
The
USA paid 2 cents per acre to buy Alaska from Russia in 1867.
The purchase was regarded as a folly - until gold was discovered.
The
Malaspina Glacier is larger in area than Rhode Island
Some
90% of all American bald eagles (about 40,000) live in Alaska
Alaska has more than 1400 miles of ferry routes, known as "marine
highways"
Alaska has more planes and pilots per capita than any other US state
The
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, held every
February, is the world's longest and richest dog-sledding event.
Anchorage is almost equidistant between New York and Tokyo
Sitka
was once the largest city on the west coast of North America
Turnagain Arm, in the Cook Inlet near Anchorage, had a tide that can
approach 39 feet - the second greatest in North America
The
Trans Alaska Pipeline pumps 1.9 million barrels of oil a day from
Prudhoe Bay to Valdez
About
40% of Alaska consists of federally protected wildlife refuges and
national forests, parks and preserves
