Alaska – The Last Frontier

By | July 5, 2022

The Last Frontier – icy El Dorado

A vacation in Alaska is a very special experience for everyone. Alaska means “Big Country” in the Inuit language. The size of the US state of Alaska is actually over 1,710,000 km²; Alaska is the largest state in the USA. Alaska does not directly border the other US states, the “Lower 48”. The North American state of Canada lies in between. Apart from the larger settlements and cities, Alaska can be described as almost deserted. The gigantic strength, power and beauty of nature, to experience the unique flora and fauna up close, is in the wide plains and the high, glaciated mountains from Alaska very possible. Those who get involved in Alaska will not be disappointed.

The Byron and Portage Glaciers at Portage Lake

 

The Byron and Portage Glaciers at Portage Lake

Alaska – a bargain buy from the Russian tsar

Alaska is thus located in the northwest of the North American continent and is one of the western states of the USA. In 1867, the United States acquired what is now Alaska from the Russian Empire, the Tsar of Russia, for what is now a ridiculously small amount of money. In 1959, Alaska finally became a full and equal member of the United States of America.

Alaska – the cold “paradise”

The capital of the mostly cold country in the northern polar region is Juneau. Alaska’s nickname is ” The Last Frontier “, which means “the last outer frontier”, “the last outpost”. About 550,000 Americans live in Alaska. Alaska can thus be described as almost deserted; therefore the country still has its original nature for the most part. Alaska offers incredibly beautiful natural landscapes with green forests. In the southwest, Alaska has very massive glaciers. The highest point in the country is Mount McKinley at 6,193 meters.

Watchful brown bear family in Alaska

Gold Rush in Alaska

Alaska became the focus of world attention because of the gold rush at the end of the 19th century. Few people got rich from the gold found in Alaska; many people died in the cold of the vast ice desert. Larger cities were springing up in Alaska at this time; but fell into disrepair after the gold-seeking crowds left Alaska. Near Skagway on the Klondike there are still a few sights to be discovered, or rather remnants that date back to the days of the gold rush.

Boat tours along the Alaskan coastline

Alaska is very popular with hunters, anglers and hikers. Boat tours are available along Alaska’s navigable coastline. Ships call at Alaska’s largest settlements such as Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. From there you can take the train, bus or drive through Denali National Park to Fairbanks.

Bald eagle with a caught fish in its claws

Soft tourism as a rescue for Alaska?

Agriculture and forestry play a minor role in Alaska. Tourism, with about 1 million visitors a year, is the second most important industry in Alaska. A large economic sector is still the catching of fish and other seafood. But at some point the food reserves of the sea will also be gone. Conservationists are also fighting in Alaska to preserve nature and Native people’s livelihoods, although this is mostly an uphill battle against “windmills.”

Black gold

Huge amounts of oil and natural gas are stored in the frozen ground of Alaska. The greed for “black gold” is so great in the United States that oil is drilled and pumped even in otherwise strictly protected areas of Alaska. The oil pipeline runs right across the country. If there is a leak in the pipeline, and this is not uncommon, other parts of nature are damaged. Alaska’s strongest industry is oil and gas production. In addition, huge coal and mineral deposits are suspected in the soil of Alaska, the extraction of which has not really started yet. A real danger to Alaskan nature.

Picturesque town of Ketchikan with a boat dock in southern Alaska

Paradise for anglers

Angling and fishing is a particular highlight in Alaska. The sea around Alaska and the countless lakes and rivers are known for their abundance of fish. More than 600 species of fish feel at home there. Apart from the Arctic Sea, Alaska has about three million lakes and 3,000 rivers. The country’s remote fishing grounds can also be reached by boat and seaplane. As a visitor to the mostly icy US state, fishing requires a purchase of a fishing license, nothing more.

Alaska landmarks

  • Matanuska Glacier
  • Tracy Arm
  • Hatcher pass
  • Chilkoot Pass
  • Chilkoot River
  • Kodiak Island
  • Keystone Canyon
  • Columbia Glacier
  • Juneau Icefield
  • Knik Glacier
  • Husky homestead
  • Mount McKinley
  • Misty Bay
  • reindeer farm
  • Bodenburg Butte
  • Russian River
  • Crescent Lake
  • Byers Lake
  • Davidson Glacier
  • Resurrection Bay
  • Revillagigedo Island
  • Portage Glacier
  • Tongass National Forest
  • Misty Fjords
  • St George Island
  • Native Heritage Center Alaska
  • Fox Islands
  • Chichagof Island
  • St Paul Island
  • Chugach State Park
  • Mount Roberts Tramway
  • Prince William Sound
  • Nugget Falls
  • Mendenhall Glacier
  • Potlatch Totem Park
  • Chena River

National Parks in Alaska

  • Denali
  • Gates of the Arctic
  • Glacier Bay
  • Katmai
  • Kenai Fjords
  • Kobuk Valley
  • Lake Clark
  • Wrangell St Elias

Cities in Alaska

  • Anchorage
  • Fairbanks
  • Juneau
  • College
  • Sitka
  • Ketchikan
  • Vasilla
  • Kenai
  • Kodiak
  • Bethel
  • palmers
  • Homer

See Countryaah for more cities in the state of Alaska.

National Monument and Preserve

  • Admiralty Island National Monument
  • Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
  • Cape Krusenstern National Monument
  • Misty Fiords National Monument
  • Haines Highway

Map of Alaska – United States

The map of Alaska in the northwest of the North American continent. The map shows the neighboring states, the largest cities in the country, as well as the rivers and lakes of the US state. The strait called the Bering Strait in the Arctic Sea forms the transition from the North American continent to Eurasia, to neighboring Russia. The area of ​​Alaska is 1,717,854 km². Around 740,000 people currently live in Alaska.