Alaska

Alaska Facts:

• The name “Alaska” was derived from the Aleut word “Alaxsxaq,” which means “mainland,” or literally, “object to which the action of the sea is directed.”
• Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
• Alaska is the only state that does not collect state sales tax or levy an individual state income tax
• Alaska is home to North America’s highest peak, Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), at 20,320 feet.
• The closest distance between mainland Alaska and mainland Russia is about 55 miles. In addition, the U.S.-owned Small Diomede and Russia-owned Big Diomede, both islands in the Bering Straits, are only about 2.5 miles apart.
• Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline and, including islands, has 33,904 miles of shoreline.
• Alaska has over 3 million lakes, of which 3,197 have an official name.
• Alaska has over 130 volcanoes that have been active within the last two million years.
• Juneau has no road access to the rest of the state. It is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.
• Juneau is also the largest city in the United States, covering 3,108 square miles. Juneau is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
• Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.