Alaska is the largest state in the US and is located in the northwestern part of North America. The Bering Strait separates Alaska from Asia by only 82 km (51 miles).
Includes the peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along western Canada and the continental part.
STATE NAME
There is an assumption that Alaska got its name from its indigenous people – the Aleuts. In their language, Alaska was the name of the great land located on the border territories of Earth and Night.
GEOGRAPHY
The state of Alaska is located in the extreme northwest of the American continent and borders Canada – with British Columbia in the southeast and Yukon in the east and northeast. In addition to the continental territory, the state of Alaska includes: the Alexander Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, the islands of Kodiak (Kodiak Island English), Nunivak (Nunivak Island English), St. Lawrence and other smaller islands. In the north, Alaska is washed by the waters of the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean. The Bering Sea, together with the Bering Strait connecting it with the Chukchi Sea, wash Alaska from the west, separating it from the Chukotka Peninsula of Russia (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug). The ridge of the Aleutian Islands separates the Bering Sea from the Pacific Gulf of Alaska, which washes the territory of the state in the southwest.
Geology
The Alaska Range stretches along the Pacific coast of Alaska. It is here that the highest mountain in the United States is located – McKinley (6,194 meters above sea level). To the north of the Alaska Range, in the interior of Alaska, there is a plateau with a height of 600 meters in the west to 1200 meters in the east. Further north, beyond the Arctic Circle, is the Brooks Ridge, which is over 950 kilometers long and 2,000 to 2,500 meters above sea level on average. In the very north of Alaska is the Arctic Lowland.
Alaska’s mountain ranges are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a volcanic mountain range that is also prone to earthquakes. Among the largest is the Shishaldin volcano on Unimak Island, the highest mountain in the Aleutian Islands.
HYDROGRAPHY
There are over twelve thousand rivers in Alaska, the largest of which are the Yukon, Kuskokwim and Colville. There are also more than three million lakes, many wetlands.
Huge areas in Alaska are covered with glaciers. The largest of them, the Bering Glacier, occupies 5,800 km2.
CLIMATE
Alaska is characterized by a variety of climatic zones, depending on the region.
Juneau area and South Pacific: Humid climate; mild winter (temperature around 0 C) and cool summer (+10-15C). Juneau receives up to 1270 mm of precipitation in summer.
Anchorage: The climate is also mild in terms of the north. There is not much rain in summer, but in winter there is a large amount of snow – about 1900 mm.
Continental Alaska: the climate is sharply subarctic. In summer, the temperature here reaches +30C, in winter it drops to -52C. Summer is quite dry, in winter there is a lot of snow.
Northern Alaska: Arctic climate with long, cold winters and short, cold summers. Even in July, the air temperature rarely rises above + 1 C; snow lies all year round.
When is the best time to go
May to September is the best time to visit Alaska.
ECONOMY
Alaska’s economy is based on mining. Alaska ranks second in the US (after Nevada) in terms of gold production. The state provides about 8% of silver mining in the United States of America. The Red Dog Mine in northern Alaska is the largest zinc mine in the world and provides about 10% of the world’s production of this metal, as well as significant amounts of silver and lead. There are a number of US military installations in Alaska, the largest of which is Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage.
TOURISM
Alaska is attractive for tourists who want to get unusual travel experiences. Rest here is called by many “experimental”, and this attracts fans to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, individual tourism has become widespread in Alaska. Many people spend a lot of time and money to get to the most remote corners of Alaska, which is the largest and, at the same time, the most sparsely populated of all the states of America. A variety of landscapes, from dense impenetrable forests to snow-capped mountain peaks, gives great scope for travel for lovers of extreme tourism.
For supporters of a more traditional and measured holiday, locals can offer tourists to get acquainted with their authentic culture, taste local cuisine, fish, watch whales in their natural habitat or see the famous Northern Lights with their own eyes. And given the decent hotel service and excellent quality of service, guests of Alaska will be able to spend time in these amazing and beautiful places with comfort and benefit.
Cities and Towns in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska
Aleutians East Borough Overview Aleutians East Borough is located in the southwestern region of Alaska, extending across the western end of the Alaska Peninsula and a portion of the eastern Aleutian Islands. The borough is characterized by its remote, rugged…
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