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alaska
📅 Updated:2026-05-25
🕒 Created:2026-05-24
🆔 ID:103406
Description
Alaska is the northernmost state in the United States. The United States originally purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7.2 million, and it was formally granted statehood on January 3, 1959. It is only one of two non-contiguous states, the other being Hawaii.
Alaska is known for its cold climate, mountains, glaciers, nature, wildlife, and seafood harvesting.
Despite being the largest state in the United States (~663,268 square miles, or 1,717,856 square kilometers), Alaska is the third-least populous state, in part due to the harsh climate and geography.
Geographically, the only land border Alaska has is with Canada. At their closest point, Alaska and Russia are only 2.4 miles apart, from Little Diomede (U.S.) to Big Diomede (Russia).
Its state capital is Juneau, and its largest city is Anchorage.
