Portal:Alaska

Introduction The flag of Alaska Location of Alaska The seal of Alaska Alaska (/əˈlæskə/ ə-LASS-kə) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost (the Aleutian Islands cross the 180th meridian into the eastern hemisphere) state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border, in the Bering Strait, with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. Technically, it is a semi-exclave of the U.S., and is the largest exclave in the world. Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the following three largest states of Texas, California, and Montana combined, and is the seventh-largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and most sparsely populated U.S. state, but is, with a population of 736,081 as of 2020, the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. The state contains the four largest cities in the United States by area, including the state capital of Juneau. The state's most populous city is Anchorage, and approximately half of Alaska's residents live within its metropolitan area. Indigenous people have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as the entry point for the initial settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russian Empire was the first to actively colonize the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state and promoted and maintained a native Alaskan Creole population. The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to $157 million in 2023). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. Abundant natural resources have enabled Alaska— with one of the smallest state economies—to have one of the highest per capita incomes, with commercial fishing, and the extraction of natural gas and oil, dominating Alaska's economy. U.S. Armed Forces bases and tourism also contribute to the economy; more than half of the state is federally-owned land containing national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. It is among the most irreligious states, one of the first to legalize recreational marijuana, and is known for its libertarian-leaning political culture, generally supporting the Republican Party in national elections. The Indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the second highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent, after only Hawaii. (Full article...) Recognized content - Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards. Location of the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska The military history of the Aleutian Islands began almost immediately following the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States in 1867. Prior to the early 20th century, the Aleutian Islands were essentially ignored by the United States Armed Forces, although the islands played a small role in the Bering Sea Arbitration when a number of British and American vessels were stationed at Unalaska to enforce the arbitrators' decision. By the early 20th century, a number of war strategies examined the possibility of conflict breaking out between the Empire of Japan and the United States. While the Aleutian Islands were seen as a potential staging point for invasions by either side, this possibility was dismissed owing to the islands' dismal climate. In 1922, the Washington Naval Treaty was signed, after which the United States Navy began to take an interest in the islands. However, nothing of significance was to materialize until World War II. In June 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy invaded and captured Attu Island and Kiska. This marked the first time in 130 years that United States soil was under occupation by a hostile country and was the only two invasions of the United States during World War II. The Americans wanted to recapture the two islands, and in January the following year began their advance by capturing Amchitka without opposition. On March 26, the Battle of the Komandorski Islands ensued after the United States Navy imposed a naval blockade on the two islands to reduce the opportunities for the Japanese to keep their Attu and Kiska bases supplied. In May, Attu Island was recaptured, with a total of almost 3,000 deaths from both sides combined. The Americans then prepared to attack Kiska in August, only to find that the entire island had been evacuated by the Japanese in late July. During the recapture of Kiska by the United States, 92 men died as a result of friendly fire and a mine, despite no Japanese soldiers being present on the island. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) executed a number of nuclear tests on the island of Amchitka in the face of vehement opposition from environmental and local indigenous groups. The first test, conducted in 1965, caused significant damage to the surrounding area, although the details of this damage were not released to the public until 1969. In 1969, the AEC executed a 'calibration shot' to determine whether Amchitka would be suitable for future tests. In 1970, the AEC announced plans to detonate a bomb named 'Cannikin', set to release a blast 385 times that released by the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. After a United States Supreme Court challenge to the testing failed by one vote, the testing proceeded as scheduled in November 1971. (Full article...) List of recognized articles 2008 Tanana Valley flood Akutan Zero Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act Amchitka Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System History of Fairbanks, Alaska Klondike Gold Rush Maritime fur trade Mike Gravel Mount Redoubt Rampart Dam Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Yukon Quest List of National Natural Landmarks in Alaska Last voyage of the Karluk List of cities in Alaska Bob Marshall (wilderness activist) List of Yukon Quest competitors Alaska-class cruiser List of governors of Alaska Alaska Airlines Willow ptarmigan Joseph Hazelwood Eskimo (film) Portage Glacier Highway Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Jean Keene Binky (polar bear) Curtis Glencross Mount Cleveland (Alaska) Wyatt Earp Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council USS Alaska (CB-1) Rika's Landing Roadhouse Hope Highway Glacier Bay Basin Alaska marmot Topics Categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Alaska Alaska-related lists Alaska Native Alaska culture Economy of Alaska Education in Alaska Environment of Alaska Geography of Alaska Government of Alaska Health in Alaska History of Alaska Military in Alaska Organizations based in Alaska People from Alaska Politics of Alaska Alaska society Transportation in Alaska Works about Alaska Images of Alaska Alaska stubs Selected article - Northwest Passage routes The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Siberia is accordingly called the Northeast Passage (NEP). The various islands of the archipelago are separated from one another and from Mainland Canada by a series of Arctic waterways collectively known as the Northwest Passages, Northwestern Passages or the Canadian Internal Waters. For centuries, European explorers, beginning with Christopher Columbus in 1492, sought a navigable passage as a possible trade route to Asia, but were blocked by North, Central, and South America, by ice, or by rough waters (e.g. Tierra del Fuego). An ice-bound northern route was discovered in 1850 by the Irish explorer Robert McClure whose expedition completed the passage by hauling sledges. Scotsman John Rae explored a more southerly area in 1854 through which Norwegian Roald Amundsen made the first complete passage entirely by ship in 1903–1906. Until 2009, the Arctic pack ice prevented regular marine shipping throughout most of the year. Arctic sea ice decline, linked primarily to climate change, has rendered the waterways more navigable for ice navigation. The contested sovereignty claims over the waters may complicate future shipping through the region: the Canadian government maintains that the Northwestern Passages are part of Canadian Internal Waters, but the United States claims that they are an international strait and transit passage, allowing free and unencumbered passage. If, as the head of a Canadian mining company claims, parts of the eastern end of the Passage are barely 15 metres (49 ft) deep, the route's viability as a Euro-Asian shipping route is reduced. In 2016, Chinese shipping line COSCO expressed a desire to make regular voyages of cargo ships using the passage to the Eastern United States and Europe, after a successful passage by Nordic Orion of 73,500 tonnes deadweight tonnage in September 2013. Fully laden, Nordic Orion sat too deep in the water to sail through the Panama Canal. (Full article...) List of selected articles 1925 serum run to Nome Anchorage, Alaska Exxon Valdez oil spill Climate of Alaska Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Juneau, Alaska History of Alaska Nome, Alaska Alaska Purchase Sitka, Alaska Ted Stevens Fairbanks, Alaska Kodiak bear Arctic Refuge drilling controversy Cordova, Alaska Morse v. Frederick Star Air Service Minnesota Drive Expressway Siberian Yupik Deadliest Catch Augustine Volcano McGee Airways William Moore (steamship captain) Tlingit language Legal education in Alaska Salmon Creek Dam Ruth A. M. Schmidt Sand Point, Alaska Governorship of Sarah Palin Skagway, Alaska Eielson Air Force Base Cook Inlet Shootout on Juneau Wharf Alaska Railroad Henry Tureman Allen George Alexander Parks Alaska Road Commission Jewel (singer) Ice Road Truckers Alaskan king crab fishing Distant Early Warning Line Juneau Mountain Rescue Inuit Seward Highway Hubbard Glacier Caines Head State Recreation Area Alaska Native religion Kobuk River Inuit languages Fairway Rock Wrangell Bombardment Tanana Athabaskans Volcanic history of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province Richard Proenneke Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport Tom Anderson (politician) Yup'ik clothing Red Dog mine Utqiagvik, Alaska St. Lawrence Island Wildlife of Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Highway Diomede, Alaska Denali National Park and Preserve COVID-19 pandemic in Alaska LGBT rights in Alaska Alaska marmot Eskimo Selected picture - Cruise ship tourists observing Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay. Photo credit: User:Nvvchar General images The following are images from various Alaska-related articles on Wikipedia. Miners and prospectors climb the Chilkoot Trail during the Klondike Gold Rush. (from History of Alaska) Kenai River on the Kenai Peninsula (from Geography of Alaska) Aleksandr Baranov, "Lord of Alaska" (from History of Alaska) 1860 map of Russian America (from History of Alaska) Spanish contact in British Columbia and Alaska (from History of Alaska) Propaganda poster, World War II, depicting Alaska as a death trap for Japan. (from History of Alaska) Ketchikan, one of the places affected by COVID-19 during the 2020 outbreak in Alaska (from History of Alaska) Köppen climate types of Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) Nushagak River in Southwest Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) Buildings burning after the first Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor, June 3, 1942. (from History of Alaska) Earthquake damage in Anchorage (from History of Alaska) An Inupiaq woman, Nome, Alaska, c. 1907 (from History of Alaska) Alaska's area compared to the 48 contiguous states (from Geography of Alaska) Calving glacier (from Geography of Alaska) Map of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (from History of Alaska) Oil pooled on rocks on the shore of Prince William Sound after the oil spill. (from History of Alaska) St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka. The original structure, built in 1848, burned down in a fire on January 2, 1966. The cathedral was rebuilt from plans of the original structure and contains artifacts rescued from the fire. (from History of Alaska) Alaska has more acreage of public land owned by the federal government than any other state. (from Geography of Alaska) Alaska in 1895 (Rand McNally). The boundary of southeastern Alaska shown is that claimed by the United States before the conclusion of the Alaska boundary dispute. (from History of Alaska) Mount Sanford in the Wrangell Mountains (from Geography of Alaska) The check that paid for Alaska (from History of Alaska) Matanuska glacier (from Geography of Alaska) Near Little Port Walter in Southeast Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) Recognized content Featured articles Akutan Zero Alaska-class cruiser Cutthroat trout Inuit clothing Bob Marshall (wilderness activist) Polar bear Rainbow trout Rampart Dam Last voyage of the Karluk Yukon Quest Good articles 1973 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election 2008 Tanana Valley flood USS Alaska (CB-1) Alaska marmot Mount Aniakchak Lake Atna Balto Laura Bergt Binky (polar bear) Frederick Russell Burnham Mount Churchill Mount Cleveland (Alaska) Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Wyatt Earp Eskimo (1933 film) Espenberg volcanic field Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Glacier Bay Basin Curtis Glencross Mike Gravel Joseph Hazelwood History of Fairbanks, Alaska History of Inuit clothing Hope Highway Kaktovik numerals Jean Keene Klondike Gold Rush Maritime fur trade Military history of the Aleutian Islands Mount Okmok Colton Parayko Portage Glacier Highway The Proposal (2009 film) Mount Redoubt Research on Inuit clothing Rika's Landing Roadhouse Salmon Creek Dam Stikine River Jeremy Swayman Kenneth M. Taylor Trans-Alaska Pipeline System White-tailed ptarmigan Willow ptarmigan Featured pictures 1971-CANNIKIN-2 2010-kodiak-bear-1 Alaska Purchase (hi-res) Alaska wild berries Anchorage White Raven Heinrich Berann NPS Panorama of Denali without labels Malaspina-panorama-no-type MtRedoubtedit1 Parque estatal Chugach, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-22, DD 94 Russian-American Co - 1 Ruble (7559) Whales Bubble Net Feeding-edit1 Yukon Delta Former featured pictures Grizzly Denali edit Related Portals  Alaska •  Puerto Rico •  Hawaii •   Oklahoma •  Arizona •  California  •  Florida •  Illinois  •  Indiana •  Kansas •  Maryland •  Michigan •  Mississippi •  Nevada •  New Jersey •  New York •  Ohio •  Oregon •  Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) •  Texas •  Utah •  Virginia American football • Baseball •  • North America  Canada •  Russia Related WikiProjects Alaska U.S. States  Alaska Project Divisions People Physical geography History Economy Communities Government Transportation Culture Alaska Natives State facts Nicknames: The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun, Land of the Noonday Moon, Seward's Folly Capital: Juneau Governor: Michael J. Dunleavy (R) Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer (R) Attorney General: Kevin G. Clarkson Senators: Dan Sullivan (R), Lisa Murkowski (R) Representatives: Mary Peltola (D) Total area: 663,268 mi2 Land: 571,936 mi2 Water: 91,332 mi2 Highest elevation: 20,310 ft (Denali) Population 741,894 (2016 est) Admission to the Union: January 3, 1959 (49th) State symbols: Dog: Alaskan Malamute Bird: Willow Ptarmigan Insect: Four-spot Skimmer Dragonfly Colors: None Fish: King Salmon Flower: Alpine Forget-me-not Gem: Jade Sport: Dog Mushing Songs: Alaska's Flag Tasks Open tasks for Wikipedia:WikiProject Alaska. Edit or discuss these tasks. Shortcuts: Recent changes | Categories | History Urgent: An editor in Alaska able/willing to actively work with the Wikipedia Ambassador Program to provide direction/oversight for any articles within the project which are being improved upon under the program. To Rate: Unassessed Alaska articles, Unknown-importance Alaska articles To Nominate at WP:FAC: To Improve to Featured standard: Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, History of Alaska Collaboration: To Expand: Category:Alaska stubs, Alaskeros, Sheldon Jackson, Scouting in Alaska Governor articles: Steve Cowper, Bill Sheffield, Keith Harvey Miller, Waino Edward Hendrickson To Clean up: Diomede Islands To Merge: To Destub: See: Category:Alaska stubs To Deorphan: To Categorize: To Create: Articles on incoming (2019) legislators (and updating outgoing ones), Articles for new 2010 Census CDPs: Badger, Alaska, Chena Ridge, Alaska, Eureka Roadhouse, Alaska, Farmers Loop, Alaska, Goldstream, Alaska, Loring, Alaska, Point Possession, Alaska, South Van Horn, Alaska, Steele Creek, Alaska, Whitestone, Alaska Lists to de-redlink: List of mayors of Anchorage DoneDavid chamberlain (talk) 20:49, 2 February 2014 (UTC) Lists to complete: List of mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska Wanted Pics/Graphics: Wanted New Pics: See Category:Wikipedia requested photographs in Alaska Common mistakes to avoid (and correct): Knik, Alaska, the ghost town, and Knik River, Alaska, the CDP, are not the same place. In fact, they are approximately an hour's drive away from each other. Despite its name of "City and Borough of Yakutat," this entity is a borough, not a consolidated city-borough. See the talk page (or archives of same) of WP:ALASKA, or of the articles in question, for more information. Maintain: add {{WikiProject Alaska}} to the talk pages of Alaska-related articles and add the articles to Wikipedia:WikiProject Alaska/Recent changes (if not done already by a bot) so related changes link works. 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