Alaska has a specific status among the states of the United States – along with the island of Ha, Via is not adjacent to any other state in the United States. It is located in the northwestern tip of the American continent and is by far the largest state in the USA – it occupies about a fifth of the total area. Alaska became the 49th US state in 1959, and is particularly significant for its stunning nature and rich oil fields; its capital is Juneau.

Alaska was first colonized by Russia in the 18th century, but Russia has never been able to completely control Alaska due to indigenous resistance and the vastness of the territory. Especially off the coast, the Russians built several settlements and ran a lively trade, for example with furs. In 1867, an agreement was reached between the United States and Russia to buy Alaska for $ 7.2 million. This business did not find much understanding in the USA at the time and was only gradually appreciated.

• Alaska Zip Codes: Offers a complete list of all postal codes in Alaska by city and county.

Probably for the first time, at the end of the 19th century, when a gold rush broke out in Alaska due to the discovery of deposits, and as a result, the population in this area doubled within a few years. Alaska became an American territory and territory, but the path to the creation of an official state of the Union took almost a hundred years. Gradually, Alaska gained in importance, and in connection with global conflicts or the Cold War, its strategic value also increased. In the 1960s, abundant oil reserves were discovered in northern Alaska, and the construction of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline and the extraction that began began significantly contributed to the region’s economic development.

Due to its location near or even beyond the Arctic Circle, Alaska is often characterized by extreme temperatures, especially inland. The landscape of Alaska is very diverse – there are high mountains and the highest mountain in North America Denali (Mount McKinley), a number of glaciers, thousands of beautiful lakes, vast desolate plains and dense forests. Many species of wildlife find their typical home here, such as brown or black bears, elk or reindeer.

The oil industry is one of the driving forces of the Alaskan economy. Other industries include fishing, logging and tourism. Despite the extreme weather, Alaska is a popular destination for visitors from all over the world, especially due to its unique nature and a number of national parks.

The economic center of Alaska is the area around the largest city of Anchorage; about half of the state’s population lives in this agglomeration. Many large companies, especially oil companies, manage their Alaskan operations from Anchorage. The second largest city is the center of the interior – Fairbanks, then the capital of Alaska Juneau, which lies in the southeastern tip of the state and is interesting in that there is no road to it.

The capital of Alaska

The capital of the state of Alaska is the city of Juneau. This city of about 30,000 lies in the southeastern tip of Alaska and became the capital of this state in 1906.

The Panhandle area, as the southeastern part of Alaska is also called, was inhabited by Native Americans who were primarily engaged in fishing in the Gulf of Gastineau. The first colonization of Europeans took place at the end of the 18th century, but the first permanent settlement did not arise until about a hundred years later due to the gold rush that broke out in Alaska at the end of the 19th century. The city was founded in 1880 by two gold diggers – Joe Juneau and Richard Harris. Their followers first named the city after the second named Harrisburg, and then renamed it Juneau.

The capital of Alaska was originally Sitka; the center of trade of the original Russian colonizers. With the decline of the fur trade, the importance of Sitka also declined, so in 1906 it was decided to move the capital further north to Juneau. Very soon, however, efforts began to move further, this time to the area around the growing city of Anchorage.

In essence, these efforts continue in Alaska to this day. The main reason is mainly poor transport accessibility, when there is no access road to Juneau and you can only get there by plane or boat. The Alaskan people have even decided on the move several times in a referendum and also approved it. However, a problem arose with the financing of the new federal infrastructure, as the population was not approved to issue bonds for this purpose. Juneau remains the capital.

Due to the existence of federal offices, the state is one of the main employers in Juneau. The capital has additional income from fishing and also from tourism, as the port is a frequent stop for large cruise ships.

The flag of the state of Alaska was adopted in 1927.

State information