The American state of Alaska, located on the peninsula of the same name, is associated with the majority of US residents with constant frost, snow and ice. In part they are right, but only in part – the short northern summer in these parts is amazingly beautiful. But, if you are not indifferent to the northern nature, then this corner of the planet should also be included in your list of places to visit.
Interesting facts about Alaska
- It entered the US 49th in a row.
- Alaska has a maritime border with Russia, and it is separated by only 4 kilometers (interesting facts about Russia).
- In terms of area, Alaska ranks first among all 50 US states, but in terms of population it is only the third from the end.
- The state capital, the city of Juneau, grew up around a gold deposit, and was named after a successful gold prospector.
- During the gold rush in Alaska, only one in 200 gold miners achieved success on average, and those who sold equipment to them and provided the rapidly growing infrastructure were the most enriched.
- The area of Alaska is twice the area of Turkey (interesting facts about Turkey).
- According to local laws, anyone, even a foreigner, can search for gold in Alaska. Nothing prevents a tourist from trying to independently look for grains of precious metal in the gold-bearing sand of local rivers.
- Earthquakes often shake Alaska. The second strongest tremor in history hit precisely these regions, and it was so strong that it was recorded by seismographs located in Africa.
- The northernmost city of Alaska is Barrow, notable for the fact that the polar night and day last here for almost 3 months.
- Alaska once belonged to the Russian Empire, but was sold to the United States, since it is not easy to control such remote lands, and gold has not yet been found in those parts (interesting facts about the USA).
- During the long polar day in northern Alaska, local farmers grow huge pumpkins, which in such conditions reach truly incredible sizes.
- The post of mayor of one of the cities of Alaska has long been officially occupied by a domestic cat.
- The width of the Alaska Peninsula reaches 170 kilometers at its widest part and 10 kilometers at its narrowest.
- During the gold rush, prices in Alaska were monstrous. Potatoes, for example, were literally sold for their weight in gold – a kilo of potatoes for a kilo of gold ore.
- There are many volcanoes here. The highest of them, the Veniaminov volcano, rises to a height of more than 2.5 kilometers (interesting facts about volcanoes).
- About 5% of the territory of Alaska is covered by glaciers, of which there are about 10 thousand.
- The aforementioned city of Juneau, the capital of Alaska, can only be reached by air or by sea. There are simply no roads between Juneau and the rest of the mainland.
- Once a record low temperature of -62 degrees was recorded here.
- About 20% of all US oil and gas reserves are located in Alaska.
- Every US state has local laws, and Alaska is no exception. One of these laws prohibits waking a sleeping bear to take a picture with him, as there was once a similar case (interesting facts about bears).
- Population density in Alaska is lower than in any country in the world.
- A third of Alaska’s territory lies above the Arctic Circle.
- One of the local pizzerias delivers pizza on small planes that can land and take off even without a specially equipped runway.
- In 1958, the highest tsunami in the world was recorded in Alaska, with a height of more than 500 meters. It arose when a broken piece of a glacier fell into a narrow lake sandwiched in the rocks. As a result, no one was hurt, only the hunting lodge was washed away, fortunately empty.
- Three times as many people live in the small European country of Slovenia than in the whole of Alaska (interesting facts about Slovenia).
- An interesting species of frog lives in Alaska. These amphibians freeze into the ice in winter, and thaw in the spring and continue to live on.