ALASKA, one of the Pacific states, and
the northernmost state of the U.S., occupying the NW extremity of North
America; it is bounded on the N by the Arctic Ocean; on the E by the Yukon
Territory and British Columbia; on the SE, S, and SW by the Pacific Ocean; and
on the W by the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Arctic Ocean. The state includes
two major island groups, the Aleutian Islands, which extend in an arc W from
the SW corner of the mainland, and the Alexander Archipelago, adjacent to the
SE coast of the mainland.
Sometimes called the Last Frontier, Alaska
entered the Union on Jan. 3, 1959, as the 49th state. The wild grandeur of
Alaska has fascinated people for several hundred years. Its economy,
traditionally dominated by the exploitation of natural resources, entered a new
phase in 1977, when production of petroleum began at the vast Prudhoe Bay oil
field on the Arctic coast. The name of the state is derived from an Aleut word
meaning "mainland."
Slightly less than one-third of Alaska is forest
covered, and the state contains the two largest national forests in the nation.
Lush coniferous forests, located in the Panhandle and on the coast of the Gulf
of Alaska, are dominated by hemlock and spruce trees, with an understory of
mosses and shrubs. Much of the interior is covered by taiga, or northern
forest, consisting largely of spruce and birch; these forests are slow growing
and of limited commercial value. Over much of W and N Alaska is the treeless
tundra, with a vegetation ranging from shrubs to mosses and sedges. Alaska's
many flowers include fireweed, lupine, and the state flower, forget-me-not.
Alaska has a rich and diverse fauna.
Surrounding waters are renowned
for whale, fur seal, walrus, and sea otter, as well as salmon, halibut, crab,
shrimp, and other marine life. Bears, including polar, brown, and black, are
well represented. Great herds of caribou still migrate across the Brooks Range,
followed by packs of wolves. Other mammals include moose, as well as such
furbearers as beaver, wolverine, mink, otter, and muskrat. Several species of
ptarmigan are widespread, and large numbers of ducks and geese spend summers on
the Arctic slope. Mosquitoes swarm in vast numbers in summer; also present are
flies and "no-see-ums," as the biting midges are known. |
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