Capital: Juneau
Population: 626,932
Governor: Sarah Palin (R, to December 2010)
Entered the Union: January 3, 1959
as the 49th state
Motto: North to the Future
Nicknames: The Last Frontier, The Land of the Midnight Sun
Flower: Forget-me-not
Bird: Willow Ptarmigan
Song: "Alaska's Flag"
Sports Teams:
(sport listing policy)
Origin of Name: From the Aleut word meaning "great land," or "that which the sea breaks against"
Major Industries: Oil, Fisheries, Wood
Historical Sites: Sitka National Historical Park Totem Pole Collection
Points of Interest: Denali National Park, Mendenhall Glacier in North Tongass National Forest, and the active volcanoes in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes at the Katmai National Park
Bordering States: Alaska does not border any states. However, it does border Canada and the Pacific Ocean!
Source: State of Alaska
Population, 2006 estimate: 670,053
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 6.9%
Population, 2000: 626,932
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.4%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 27.1%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 6.8%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 48.3%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 70.7%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 3.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 15.4%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 4.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.6%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 4.9%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 5.6%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 66.4%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 46.2%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 5.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 14.3%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 88.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 24.7%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 83,220
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 19.6
Housing units, 2006: 276,571
Homeownership rate, 2000: 62.5%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 27.0%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $144,200
Households, 2000: 221,600
Persons per household, 2000: 2.74
Median household income, 2004: $52,141
Per capita money income, 1999: $22,660
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 10.0%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 12,372,850
Private industries: 10,892,216
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 123,100
Crop and animal production (Farms): 95,858
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 27,242
Mining: 233,330
Oil and gas extraction: 159,577
Mining, except oil and gas: 31,519
Support activities for mining: 42,233
Utilities: 247,992
Construction: 611,114
Manufacturing: 1,512,506
Durable goods: 854,288
Wood product manufacturing: 38,960
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 53,314
Primary metal manufacturing: 61,059
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 130,501
Machinery manufacturing: 111,082
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 135,308
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 47,823
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 95,417
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 71,100
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 37,083
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 72,640
Nondurable goods: 658,218
Food product manufacturing: 175,673
Textile and textile product mills: 23,846
Apparel manufacturing: 16,836
Paper manufacturing: 54,559
Printing and related support activities: 46,937
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 63,462
Chemical manufacturing: 209,237
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 67,669
Wholesale trade: 743,193
Retail trade: 823,532
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 344,636
Air transportation: 40,994
Rail transportation: 32,269
Water transportation: 9,033
Truck transportation: 114,129
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 17,117
Pipeline transportation: 9,324
Other transportation and support activities: 89,071
Warehousing and storage: 32,698
Information: 555,212
Publishing including software: 150,244
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 40,514
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 304,088
Information and data processing services: 60,366
Finance and insurance: 957,690
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 474,713
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 167,388
Insurance carriers and related activities: 296,139
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 19,450
Real estate and rental and leasing: 1,578,378
Real estate: 1,472,558
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 105,820
Professional and technical services: 864,111
Legal services: 180,860
Computer systems design and related services: 140,756
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 542,495
Management of companies and enterprises: 225,827
Administrative and waste services: 368,827
Administrative and support services: 336,554
Waste management and remediation services: 32,273
Educational services: 115,779
Health care and social assistance: 859,567
Ambulatory health care services: 441,942
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 342,200
Social assistance: 75,425
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 114,093
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 53,979
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 60,114
Accommodation and food services: 330,540
Accommodation: 104,643
Food services and drinking places: 225,897
Other services, except government: 282,789
Government: 1,480,634
Federal civilian: 268,847
Federal military: 146,970
State and local: 1,064,817
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Latitude: 54° 40' N to 71° 50' N
Longitude: 130° W to 173° E
Length / Width: Alaska is approximately 1,480 miles long and 810 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Alaska is located approximately 60 miles northest (NW) of Mt. McKinley.
Borders: Most of Alaska is surrounded by water. To the north is the Arctic Ocean, (the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea). To the south is the Gulf of Alaska and Pacific Ocean. To the west is the Bering Sea. Alaska's land borders Canada to the east and south.
Total Area: Alaska covers 656,425 square miles, making it the largest of the 50 states and more than twice the size of Texas, the second largest state.
Land Area: 570,374 square miles of Alaska are land areas.
Water Area: 86,051 square miles of Alaska are covered by water.
Highest Point: The highest point in Alaska is Mt. McKinley (Denali) at 20,320 feet above sea level. In fact, Mt. McKinley is the highest point in North America.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Alaska is sea level where at the state meets the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the Arctic Ocean.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Alaska is 1,900 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Yukon River (Longest river in Alaska; 1,875 miles.), Kuskokwim River, Colville River, Copper River
Major Lakes: Iliamna Lake, Aleknagik Lake, Becharof Lake, Clark Lake, Minchumina Lake (Alaska has over 3 million lakes that are more than 20 acres in size.)
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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