Alaska Almanac: Facts and Figures

Quick Facts and Figures on the State

Alaska Almanac furnishes quick facts and figures on the state pertaining to the state of Alaska that can be found online.

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Alaska is one of the Pacific states in the northernmost state of the US, occupying the Northwest extremity of North America. The tremendous land mass of Alaska - equal to one-fifth of the continental US only a few miles from the Russian Far East.

The state includes two major island groups, the Aleutian Islands, which extend in an arc West from the Southwest corner of the mainland, and the Alexander Archipelago, adjacent to the Southeast coast of the mainland.

In 1867 the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for just over $7,000,000. It was one of the greatest land deals every recorded.

The Gold Rush of the late 19th century put the state on the map, then followed by the Prudhoe Bay oil and gas reservoir discovery in 1968, Alaska quickly began its incredible economic contribution to the US economy.

Alaska Almanac: Facts and Figures
Official Name	Alaska
Capital	Juneau
Nick Name	The Last Frontier
Motto	North to the Future (Official)
Location & Region	58.38858 N, 134.13342 W			Alaska
Constitution Ratified	April 24, 1956
Statehood	January 03, 1959			49th State
Population	626,932		1.10 sq mi.	48th
Largest City (by population)	Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, Sitka, Ketchikan, Kenai, Kodiak, Bethel, Wasilla, and Barrow
Bordering States	North: Arctic Ocean East: Yukon Territory and British Columbia Southeast, South, and Southwest: Pacific Ocean West: Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Arctic Ocean Coastline: 5580 mi.
Number of Boroughs	27 Boroughs and 11 Geographical Census Areas in Alaska
Largest Borough (by population)	Anchorage	260,283		1,698 sq mi.
Electoral Votes	3
US Congress	2 Senators; 1 Representative
Time Zone	Alaska Standard Time On September 15, 1983, Secretary Elizabeth Dole signed a plan to reduce the number of time zones in Alaska from four to two; two weeks later, the plan became effective. Since that date, 90 percent of Alaska residents set their clocks to Alaska Standard Time (same as Yukon), only one hour behind the West Coast. The far reaches of the Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island are in the next zone, Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. Alaska does participate in the Daylight Savings program from April to October along with most other states in the US. Before this change, Alaska's time zones were Pacific time (southeastern Alaska), Yukon time (Yakutat), Alaska time (from just east of Cold Bay and west of Yakutat northward, including Nome), and Bering time (the north coast of Alaska and the Aleutian chain).
Alaska Climate and Weather
Extremely varied weather throughout the state. Damp, rainy and somewhat mild conditions south, southeast and central, while the far north is extremely dry with very cold (Arctic) winter conditions. Heavy winter snows common central and north.
Highest Temperature	100 degrees June 27, 1915 - Fort Yukon
Lowest Temperature	-80 degrees January 23, 1971 - Prospect Creek Camp
Avg Temp: High - Low	71.8 degrees		-21.6 degrees
Alaska Highest, Lowest, and Mean Elevations (Feet)
Mean Elevation	1,900
Highest Point	Mt. McKinley	20,320
Lowest Point	Pacific Ocean	Sea level
Alaska Land Area (Square Miles)
Geographic Center	60 miles NW of Mt. McKinley
Total Area	663,267.26	1st
Land Area	571,951.26	66.24%
Water Area	91,316.00	13.76%
Forested Land Area			34.9%
Dimensions (Length - Width)	1,480 miles		810 miles
Source:(US Census, April 1, 2000)

Almanac Online

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Almanac: Facts and Figures

The origin of the almanac can be traced back to ancient Babylonian astronomy, when tables of planetary periods were produced in order to predict lunar and planetary phenomena.

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