Alaska state Alaska - the largest in the territory of the U.S. state, on the northwestern outskirts of North America. Includes self-titled Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, a narrow strip of Pacific coast, along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along the west of Canada and the mainland.

Symbols of Alaska Flag of AlaskaPrinting of Alaska

Geography Staff located in the extreme north-west of the continent, is separated from the Chukchi Peninsula (Russia), the Bering Strait to the east by Canada, to the west in a small area of Bering Strait - with Russia. Consists of the mainland and the large number of islands: Alexander Archipelago, Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, Kodiak Island, the island of St. Lawrence. Washed by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. On the Pacific Coast - Alaska Range, the inner part - plateau of 1200 m in the east to 600 m in the west, passes into the lowlands. In the north - Brooks Range, beyond which lies the Arctic lowlands.

Juneau, the capital of Alaska Juneau - a city in the U.S., the capital of Alaska. Population (2005). The city was founded in 1881, shortly after the discovery of gold deposits. Named in honor of the prospector Joseph Juneau (born Joseph Juneau). In the city fishing, tourism, pulp and paper industry. Roads to the city not only can get on the ferry or plane.

Anchorage city Anchorage-city in the U.S., located in the southeastern part of Alaska. Population - over 277 thousand people (2005). Is the largest city in Alaska. 42% of the state's population lives in Anchorage, only New York has a higher percentage of residents living in the largest city in the state. A major transport hub (port).

Opening Alaska In the Western tradition to assume that the first white man to set foot on the ground in Alaska, was GV Steller. The book Bernhard Grzhimeka "From Cobra to a grizzly bear," says Steller first noticed on the horizon of the mountainous contours Alaskan islands, and he was impatient to continue his biological research. However, the captain of the ship MV Behring had other intentions and was soon ordered to weigh anchor and go back. Steller was extremely angered by this decision and eventually insisted that the captain gave him at least ten hours on a survey of the island kayak, where the ship will still have to stick to replenish stocks of fresh water. Article about his research deed-raid Steller called "Description of the plants collected for 6 hours in America". But in fact the first Europeans who visited Alaska on Aug. 21, 1732 were members of the team bot "St. Gabriel "at the beginning of the surveyor, MS and Gvozdev podshturmana Fedorov during the expedition, AF Shestakov and D. And. Pavlutskogo years [3]. In addition, there is anecdotal information about the visit by the Russian people of America in the XVII century. Vitus Bering

Russian America and the sale of Alaska Since July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867 Alaska with the adjacent islands were under control of the Russian-American Company. However, after Russia had abolished serfdom in order to pay compensation to landowners, Alexander II was forced in 1862 to take the Rothschilds 15 million pounds sterling at 5% per annum. Debt Rothschilds had returned, and the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich - younger brother of the Emperor - offered to sell Alaska.

U.S. State Since 1867 Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the military and the U.S. Department named "District of Alaska, in ," district ", then" the territory "( ), from the U.S. state. Five years later, gold was discovered. The region grew slowly until the beginning of the Klondike gold rush in Over the years, the gold rush in Alaska had produced about one thousand tons of gold [5] that the prices in April 2005 corresponded to billion dollars. Alaska declared a state in Since 1968, there developed various mineral resources, particularly in the Gulf of Prudhoe Bay, south-east of Point Barrow. In 1977 oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay-Bay to the port of Valdez. In 1989 oil spill from the tanker Exxon Valdez caused serious environmental pollution.

Economy In the north of extraction of crude oil (in the Prudhoe Bay area and Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska pipeline length of 1250 km to the port Valdiz), natural gas, coal, copper, iron, gold, zinc, fishing, reindeer breeding, forestry and hunting business; air transport ; military airbase. Tourism. Oil production has begun to play a huge role in the 1970's. after the discovery of oil fields and laying of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Alaskan oil field is compared in importance to the oil fields in Western Siberia and in the Arabian Peninsula.

Although the state is one of the least populated country in the 1970's moved here, many new residents, attracted by vacancies in the oil industry and transport, and in 1980 the population growth of over 36 percent. The population growth of recent decades: inhabitants; ,818 inhabitants; ,661 inhabitants ,456 inhabitants ,955 inhabitants. In 2005, the population of Alaska increased from the previous year to 5,906 people, or 0.9%. Compared with the year 2000 the population increased by 36,730 persons (5.9%). This includes a natural increase of population at 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) since the last census, as well as an increase due to migration to the 1181 Human. Immigration from outside the United States has increased the population of Alaska to 5800 people, while internal migration has reduced it to 4,619 people. The population density in Alaska is the lowest among all U.S. states. About 75 percent of the population are white, born in the United States. In the state of about 88 thousand. indigenous inhabitants - the Indians (Athabascan, Haida, Tlingit, simshiane), Eskimos and Aleuts. Live in the state is also a small number of descendants of Russian. Among major religious groups - Catholics, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists. The share the Orthodox element according to various estimates of 8-10%, the highest in the country. Population

McKinley Mountain McKinley - two-headed mountain in Alaska, the highest mountain in North America. Located in the heart of Denali National Park. Named in honor of the 25 th president of the United States, William McKinley. Height of 6,194 meters (according to the USGS [1]). Relative height - 6,138 m (third in the list of the biggest mountains in the relative height).

Denali National Park Denali National Park-Biosphere Reserve (the American sense - the park) in U.S. total area of about 25,000 km ²; located in the heart of Alaska (baro Denali). In the park is the highest peak of America - Mount McKinley (6,193 m). Mount McKinley is part of the Alaska Range, which continues to grow, resulting in an annual earthquake (for the most part pretty weak). Currently, the park attracts more than one million tourists a year.

The Nature of Alaska

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