25 Interesting Facts about Alaska

Want to know more about Alaska? Here are 25 Interesting Facts about Alaska that you probably didn’t know before reading this!

To make this even more fun, you can challenge yourself and friends as well. How many of these Alaska facts did you know before reading this? Share your results in the comment section!

There are more than 3,000,000 lakes in Alaska

It is estimated that Alaska has 3000 rivers and some 3 million lakes. With a population of fewer than 800,000 people in the whole state, it means that each person could have more than 3 lakes on average on their own. 

17 of the 20 highest peaks in the U.S. are located here

The highest peak in North America is found in the state of Alaska, namely on top of Mount Denali, which was formerly known as Mount McKinley. In addition to the highest mountain, 17 of the 20 tallest peaks in the U.S can be found here. 

The Alaskan fruits and vegetables are huge

The summers of Alaska are long with midnight sun occurring for two months. This means that the sun never sets, and this has given rise to extraordinary growth for fruits and vegetables. 

There is no sun from late November to mid-January

Just like the sun never sets for some limited period in the summer, the sun will also never rise between late November to mid-January. This phenomenon is known as polar night where it’s more or less pitch black outside. 

Fairbanks is one of the best places to see the northern lights

Alaska is one of the best destinations to travel in the world to see the northern lights. And Fairbanks is especially considered as one of the best places to visit for aurora borealis. 

Dog mushing is the official state sport

Sled dogs have been used for centuries as a means of transportation. The bred used is called malamute, and they are known for their strength and agility.

Since 1972, the official state sport has been dog mushing.

There are 100,000 glaciers in Alaska

About 5% of Alaska’s area is covered by glaciers, and 616 of them are officially named. In total, experts estimate that there are more than 100,000 glaciers.

However, this might change in the future, and according to leading scientists, the majority of the Alaskan glaciers are melting. 

-80 degrees Fahrenheit is the lowest temperature recorded

In Prospect Creek Camp in 1971, the mercury plummeted and showed -80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the United States.

However, it’s not always cold in Alaska, and during the summer, temperatures can get relatively warm as well. In 1915, in Fort Yukon, the temperature reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

There are 100 volcanoes in Alaska

Most people tend to think about glaciers, snow and cold temperatures as well as vast wilderness. So it might come as a surprise that the state of Alaska has the highest number of active volcanoes in all of the U.S. 

In fact, there are 100 volcanoes and at least 40 of them are active today. 

Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million

In 1867, on October 18, President Andrew Johnson signed the treaty which formally transferred the ownership rights to the United States. By today’s value, the 7.2 million USD would be equal to $109 million. 

Juneau is the only state capital which is inaccessible by road

Juneau is the state capital of Alaska, and in addition to being one of the largest American cities by size, it’s also the only state capital that can’t be accessed by driving. You can only get to Juneau by boat or airplane. 

The Alaskan coastline is 6,640 miles

Did you know that the coastline of Alaska is longer than the rest of the United States’ coastline combined? It’s also the only state that has coastlines on three different seas: the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Bering Sea.

Most of the salmon consumed in the U.S comes from Alaska

The majority of the salmon, crab, halibut, and herring consumed in the United States originates from Alaskan waters. The wild salmon is especially sought after and is considered one of the world’s best. 

It’s the least densely populated state in the U.S

Alaska has approximately 1 person per square mile, which makes it the least densely populated state in the U.S. It’s also one of the least populated states with less than 800 000 inhabitants. 

The indigenous people are known as Eskimo

Eskimos are the indigenous people in Alaska and include both Yupik and Iñupiat. They are also referred to as Alaska Native, which makes up some 15% of the Alaskan population.

5 x Fun Facts about Alaska

• Alaskans compete in an outhouse race each year
• It is illegal to whisper in someone’s ear while they are moose hunting
• Waking a sleeping bear to take a photo is prohibited
• There is one bear for every 25 Alaskans
• Alaska is the only state name that you can type on one row of a keyboard

5 x Alaska Facts for Kids

• The state flag was designed by a 13-year-old boy
• Alaska is less than 50 miles from Russia
• It’s the coldest place in the United States
• There are some 4700 polar bears living in the Alaskan state
• Tongass in Alaska is the largest national forest in the U.S

General Facts about Alaska

Below is some general info such as total population, land area, biggest lake, highest mountain and other general facts about Alaska that might be interesting to know.

• Total Population: 710,249
• Demonym: Alaskan
• Median household income: $73,181
• State nickname: The Last Frontier
• Capital: Juneau
• Largest City: Anchorage
• Life expectancy: 77.7 years
• Highest Point: Mount Denali (Mount McKinley) at 20,310 feet (6,190 m)
• Total area: 663,268 sq mi (1,717,856 km2) 
• Largest Lake: Iliamna Lake
• Governor: Mike Dunleavy
• State song: “Alaska’s Flag”
• Time zone: East of 169° 30′ UTC-09:00 • Summer (DST) UTC-08:00 and West of 169° 30′ UTC-10:00 (Hawaii-Aleutian) • Summer (DST) UTC-09:00
• Abbreviation: AK

The Biggest Cities in Alaska

If you’re looking for facts about Alaska, it might also be interesting to know which are the biggest cities. Sitka is the biggest city in the U.S by size with a total area of 2,870.3 square miles. 

Anchorage	Fairbanks
Juneau	Sitka
Ketchikan	Wasilla
Kenai	Kodiak
Bethel	Palmer

Flag of Alaska

The Alaskan flag has eight gold stars which represent the “Great Bear” constellation and the Polaris.

Map of Alaska

Below, you can see the state territory. It’s the only non-contiguous U.S. state in North America, with a land border to Canada and a maritime border to Russia. 

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How many of these Alaska Facts did you know beforehand? Share your result in the comment section below!