Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. Alaska is the 4th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's 722,718 residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area.
Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($120 million in today's dollars) at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²).
Alaska went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized (or incorporated) territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state of the United States on January 3, 1959.
The name "Alaska" (Аляска) was already introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was used only for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland" or, more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.
The name "Alaska" (Аляска) was introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was used only for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland" or, more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.
The flag of the state of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and the North Star, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, an animal indigenous to Alaska. As depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate Polaris and determine true north, which varies considerably from a magnetic north.
The design was created by Benny Benson of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest.
Welcome to Alaska - The Alaska State Flag
U.S. state flag consisting of a dark blue field (background) showing Polaris (the North Star) and the Ursa Major (Great Bear) constellation in gold or yellow.
The territories of the United States typically did not have flags of their own prior to statehood. Alaska nevertheless held a competition in 1926, sponsored by the American Legion, which sought a distinctive territorial flag. The following year the Alaskan legislature approved the winning design, which remained unchanged when the territory became a state in 1959.
The creator of the flag was Benny Benson, a 13-year-old boy living in an orphanage. He chose straightforward symbols that struck a chord with Alaskans of all ages and backgrounds. The flag's dark blue colour symbolizes the Alaskan sky and the ubiquitous forget-me-not flowers that announce the arrival of spring. The stars emblazoned on this background can be seen clearly in the Alaskan sky. The North Star is an appropriate symbol for Alaska as the northernmost part of the United States; the two previously northernmost states, Minnesota and Maine, also show the North Star in their flags.
Wrangell St. Ellias, Alaska
This rural community is blessed with the tranqulility of "Real Alaska". It is set against breathtaking views across Cook Inlet of snowcapped Mt. Iliamna, Redoubt, and Mt. Augustine Island to the southwest. All of these mountains are active volcanoes. Mid-April, 2006, Mt. Augustine last erupted creating spectacular ash plumes in the area.
Ref: 2007 Travel Guide
Welcome to Alaska - Alaska Purchase
(1867), acquisition by the United States from Russia of 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 square km) of land at the northwestern tip of the North American continent.
William Henry Seward, secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson, had as early as 1860 dreamed of acquiring Alaska. The territory was considered an economic liability by the Russians, and in December 1866 Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, Russian minister to the United States, was instructed to open negotiations with Seward for its sale. On March 29, 1867, Stoeckl and Seward completed the draft of a treaty ceding Russian North America to the United States, and the treaty was signed early the following day. The price—$7,200,000—amounted to about two cents per acre.
Few Americans, however, viewed the purchase as a bargain, and Seward was vilified in the press. “Seward's Icebox” and “Seward's Folly” were the two most popular names for the Alaska Purchase, and ratification by the the Senate and funding by the House of Representatives seemed in jeopardy as a result of the public outrage. The treaty was submitted for ratification on March 30. Senator Charles Sumner spoke in its favour, and the treaty was passed on April 9. The House passed the necessary appropriation on July 14, 1868. Extensive propaganda campaigns and judicious use of bribes by Stoeckl secured the required votes in each house of Congress.
Information retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: article #9005366
