Facts and Information for Alaska

Map of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuges in Alaska

Reference: www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/Alaska.html

Official Alaska State Website	http://www.state.ak.us/
State Capital	Juneau
Origin of State Name	Alaska is the Russian version of the Aleutian word Alakshak, which means great lands or peninsula. The Aleuts are people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands and western Alaska, closely related physically and culturally to Eskimos. Many state names trace their origin to native American Indian languages.
Joined the Union	Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959
State Bird	Willow Ptarmigan, also known as Willow Grouse
Fish	King Salmon
State Mammal	Moose
State Marine Mammal	Bowhead Whale
State Insect	Four-spot Skimmer Dragonfly
State Tree	Sitka Spruce
State Flower	Forget-me-not
State Mineral	Gold
State Gemstone	Jade
State Soil	Tanana
Sport	Dog Mushing
State Fossil	Wooly Mammmoth
State Song	“Alaska's Flag”
State Motto	"North to the future"
State Nickname	"The Last Frontier”
State Holidays	Seward's Day - Last Monday in March Alaska Day - October 18
Time Zone Location	Most of Alaska is in the AKST - Alaskan Time Zone (GMT -8 Hours) St. Lawrence is in the HST - Hawaiian-Aleutian Time Zone (GMT - 10 Hours)
Population projected estimate for year 2010 based on U.S. Census 2000 results.
Male	354,234
Female	339,875
Total	694,109
Crime Information	Crime Statistics for 1997 - 2006
Median Household Income (latest figures available)	54,627
Unemployment Rate	6.4
10 Largest Cities by Population	Anchorage Fairbanks Juneau Sitka Wasilla Kenai Ketchikan Palmer Kodiak Bethel
Cities and Towns	Alaska Cities & Towns
Counties	Alaska Counties
Major Universities	Major Alaska Universities
Major Rivers	Major Alaska Rivers
Major Lakes	Major Alaska Lakes
Total Land Area	571,951.26 Square Miles
Total Water Area	91,316.00 Square Miles
Total of Both Land And Water Area	663,267.26 Square Miles
General Coastline	6,640 Miles
Lowest Elevation	Sea Level
Highest Elevation	Mt. McKinley, 20,320 ft/span>

REFERENCES
• State of Alaska, 2/1/2008, http://www.state.ak.us/
• Alaska Office of Economic Development | State Symbols, 02/24/2008 , http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/student_info/student_printer.htm
• NWRS - Refuge Locator Map, 2/1/2008, http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/
• Interim Projections of the Male Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/1/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA2.pdf
• Interim Projections of the Female Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/1/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA3.pdf
• United States Crime Rates 1960 - 2006, 2/1/2008, http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
• Alaska, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alaska&oldid=191090828 (last visited Feb. 16, 2008).