All About Alaska!

On January 3, 1959, Alaska officially became the 49^th US state after it was bought from Russia on April 16, 1867. Its name originates from the word "Aleut Alaskax" or "Alyeska." You can find Alaska in the very edge of the northwest part of North America. It might be of one of the states with the least population, but it has the largest area at 570, 380 square miles or 1,477, 261 km2. It is two times larger than Texas, which comes second to it. The regions of Alaska are labeled as a way of describing their geography. For instance, the Alaska Panhandle, otherwise known as Southeast Alaska, houses several larger towns. It is also home to the state capital Juneau. Alaska has many islands and it consists of about 34,000 miles or 54,700 km of tidal shoreline. There are 3.5. million lakes in Alaska. It also has multitudes of marshlands and wetland permafrost. Glacier ice or frozen water makes up about 16,000 square miles of land and about 1,200 square miles of tidal zone.

The climate in Alaska is colder than in the other 49 states in the United States. However, thunderstorms are unheard of and tornadoes make very rare appearances. On the other hand, snow can be seen everywhere in Alaska.

Instead of counties, administration in Alaska is through boroughs. Boroughs have two levels only-state and borough, in contrast to counties which have three-state, county, and township. Majority of the lands are situated in the Unorganized Borough because of the low population. Estimated population for Alaska is only 663,661 as of 2005. Administration in this area is handled directly by the state government. The city with the most population in Alaska is Anchorage.

Alaska is mostly inhabited by multiracial and mixed-race people. This group is the third largest among all other population groups, accounting for about 6.9% of the total population. Other residents in Alaska include the following nationalities: German, Alaska Native or American Indian, Irish, British, American, and Norwegian. Alaska houses the largest number of American Indians compared to other states. The Alaska Natives have settled in the northern and western regions of the state. But they are also many of them in the southeast. Whites of northern and western European lineage are usually seem in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of the south-central and southeast of Alaska. The Aleutians is composed mostly of the Filipino population.

English is the most common language in Alaska, followed by Native American languages. Other languages that are used include: Spanish, Tagalog, and Korean.

Because of the varied racial population, religion in Alaska is just as diverse. Alaska is known for its large Eastern Orthodox Christian population, which may have been influenced by early colonization by Russia and missionary work among native Alaskans.

Alaska's economy is mainly dependent on the extraction of petroleum. Aside from natural gas and oil, it's main export product is seafood, most especially salmon, crab, pollock, and cod. Social issues affecting the state are domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, and brain drain.