Portal:Alaska

Introduction The flag of Alaska Location of Alaska The seal of Alaska Alaska (/ə.ˈlæs.kə/ ⓘ, ə-LASS-kə) is a U.S. state located in the northwestern regions of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and, longitudinally, the easternmost state in the United States. It is a semi-exclave of the U.S., bordering the Canadian territory of Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and is closer to another continent (Asia) than any other U.S. state. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area—comprising more total area than the next three largest states of Texas, California, and Montana combined—and is the world's largest semi-exclave and seventh-largest subnational division. With a population of 740,133 in 2024, it is the third-least populous and most sparsely populated state in the U.S., but the most populous territory in North America located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Alaska contains the four largest cities in the United States by area, including its capital, Juneau. Alaska's most populous city is Anchorage, and approximately half the state's residents live within its metropolitan area. Indigenous people have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as the entry point for the initial settlement of the Americas by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russian Empire was the first to actively colonize the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state and promoted and maintained a native Alaskan Creole population. The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million, equivalent to $166 million in 2025. The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. An abundance of natural resources—including commercial fishing and the extraction of natural gas and oil—has enabled Alaska to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the United States, despite having one of the smallest economies. U.S. Armed Forces bases and tourism also contribute to the economy; more than half of Alaska is federally owned, containing national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. It is among the most irreligious states and one of the first to legalize recreational marijuana. Alaska has the highest proportion of Native Americans of any U.S. state, at 22 percent. (Full article...) Recognized content - Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards. First page of Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act. The Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act of 1956 (Public Law 84-830) was an Act of Congress passed to improve mental health care in the United States territory of Alaska. Initially bipartisan and uncontroversial, it became the focus of a major political dispute after far-right anti-communist activists nicknamed it the "Siberia Bill" and denounced it as being part of a communist plot to hospitalize and brainwash Americans. Campaigners asserted that it was part of an international Jewish, Roman Catholic or psychiatric conspiracy intended to establish United Nations-run concentration camps in the United States. The legislation in its original form was sponsored by the Democratic Party, but after it ran into opposition, it was rescued by the conservative Republican Senator Barry Goldwater. Under Goldwater's sponsorship, a version of the legislation without the commitment provisions that were the target of intense opposition from a variety of far-right, anti-Communist and fringe religious groups was passed by the United States Senate. The controversy still plays a prominent role in the Church of Scientology's account of its campaign against psychiatry. The Act succeeded in its initial aim of establishing a mental health care system for Alaska, funded by income from lands allocated to a mental health trust. However, during the 1970s and early 1980s, Alaskan politicians systematically stripped the trust of its lands, transferring the most valuable land to private individuals and state agencies. The asset stripping was eventually ruled to be illegal following several years of litigation, and a reconstituted mental health trust was established in the mid-1980s. (Full article...) List of recognized articles 2008 Tanana Valley flood Akutan Zero Amchitka Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System History of Fairbanks, Alaska Klondike Gold Rush Maritime fur trade Mike Gravel Mount Redoubt Military history of the Aleutian Islands Rampart Dam Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Yukon Quest List of National Natural Landmarks in Alaska Last voyage of the Karluk List of cities in Alaska Bob Marshall (wilderness activist) List of Yukon Quest competitors Alaska-class cruiser List of governors of Alaska Alaska Airlines Willow ptarmigan Joseph Hazelwood Eskimo (film) Portage Glacier Highway Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Jean Keene Binky (polar bear) Curtis Glencross Mount Cleveland (Alaska) Wyatt Earp Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council USS Alaska (CB-1) Rika's Landing Roadhouse Hope Highway Glacier Bay Basin Alaska marmot Topics Categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Alaska Alaska-related lists Alaska Native Culture of Alaska Economy of Alaska Education in Alaska Environment of Alaska Geography of Alaska Government of Alaska Health in Alaska History of Alaska Military in Alaska Organizations based in Alaska People from Alaska Politics of Alaska Society of Alaska Transportation in Alaska Works about Alaska Images of Alaska Alaska stubs Selected article - The Exxon Valdez offloading oil to the Exxon Baton Rouge as oil leaks into the surrounding waters The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a major environmental disaster that occurred in Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. The spill occurred when Exxon Valdez, an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company, bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, 6 mi (9.7 km) west of Tatitlek, Alaska, at 12:04 a.m. The tanker spilled more than 10 million US gallons (240,000 bbl) (or 37,000 tonnes) of crude oil over the next few days. The Exxon Valdez spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume of oil released. It is the costliest disaster ever with no direct human fatalities. Prince William Sound's remote location, accessible only by helicopter, plane, or boat, made government and industry response efforts difficult and made existing response plans especially hard to implement. The region is a habitat for salmon, sea otters, seals, and seabirds. The oil, extracted from the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, eventually affected 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of coastline, of which 200 miles (320 km) were heavily or moderately oiled. (Full article...) List of selected articles 1925 serum run to Nome Anchorage, Alaska Climate of Alaska Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Juneau, Alaska History of Alaska Nome, Alaska Alaska Purchase Sitka, Alaska Ted Stevens Fairbanks, Alaska Kodiak bear Arctic Refuge drilling controversy Cordova, Alaska Morse v. Frederick Star Air Service Minnesota Drive Expressway Siberian Yupik Deadliest Catch Augustine Volcano McGee Airways William Moore (steamship captain) Tlingit language Legal education in Alaska Salmon Creek Dam Ruth A. M. Schmidt Sand Point, Alaska Northwest Passage Governorship of Sarah Palin Skagway, Alaska Eielson Air Force Base Cook Inlet Shootout on Juneau Wharf Alaska Railroad Henry Tureman Allen George Alexander Parks Alaska Road Commission Jewel (singer) Ice Road Truckers Alaskan king crab fishing Distant Early Warning Line Juneau Mountain Rescue Inuit Seward Highway Hubbard Glacier Caines Head State Recreation Area Alaska Native religion Kobuk River Inuit languages Fairway Rock Wrangell Bombardment Tanana Athabaskans Volcanic history of the Northern Cordilleran Volcanic Province Richard Proenneke Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport Tom Anderson (politician) Yup'ik clothing Red Dog mine Utqiagvik, Alaska St. Lawrence Island Wildlife of Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Highway Diomede, Alaska Denali National Park and Preserve COVID-19 pandemic in Alaska LGBT rights in Alaska Alaska marmot Eskimo Selected picture - An inlet in Misty Fiords National Monument. Photo credit: User:Zarxos General images The following are images from various Alaska-related articles on Wikipedia. An Inupiaq woman, Nome, Alaska, c. 1907 (from History of Alaska) Buildings burning after the first Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor, June 3, 1942. (from History of Alaska) Miners and prospectors climb the Chilkoot Trail during the Klondike Gold Rush. (from History of Alaska) Propaganda poster, World War II, depicting Alaska as a death trap for Japan. (from History of Alaska) Alaska in 1895 (Rand McNally). The boundary of southeastern Alaska shown is that claimed by the United States before the conclusion of the Alaska boundary dispute. (from History of Alaska) Nushagak River in Southwest Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) Alaska's area compared to the 48 contiguous states. (from Geography of Alaska) Mount Sanford in the Wrangell Mountains (from Geography of Alaska) Spanish contact in British Columbia and Alaska (from History of Alaska) Kenai River on the Kenai Peninsula (from Geography of Alaska) The check that paid for Alaska (from History of Alaska) Calving glacier (from Geography of Alaska) Köppen climate types of Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka. The original structure, built in 1848, burned down in a fire on January 2, 1966. The cathedral was rebuilt from plans of the original structure and contains artifacts rescued from the fire. (from History of Alaska) 1860 map of Russian America (from History of Alaska) Ketchikan, one of the places affected by COVID-19 during the 2020 outbreak in Alaska (from History of Alaska) Near Little Port Walter in Southeast Alaska (from Geography of Alaska) Oil pooled on rocks on the shore of Prince William Sound after the oil spill. (from History of Alaska) Matanuska Glacier (from Geography of Alaska) Alaska has more acreage of public land owned by the federal government than any other state. (from Geography of Alaska) Earthquake damage in Anchorage (from History of Alaska) Map of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (from History of Alaska) Aleksandr Baranov, "Lord of Alaska" (from History of Alaska) Recognized content Featured articles Akutan Zero Alaska-class cruiser Cutthroat trout Inuit clothing Bob Marshall (wilderness activist) Polar bear Rainbow trout Rampart Dam Last voyage of the Karluk Good articles 1973 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election 1979 Saint Elias earthquake 2008 Tanana Valley flood USS Alaska (CB-1) Alaska marmot Typhoon Ampil (2024) Mount Aniakchak Lake Atna Balto Laura Bergt Binky (polar bear) Frederick Russell Burnham Mount Churchill Mount Cleveland (Alaska) Cod tongue Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Delta River Eskimo (1933 film) Espenberg volcanic field Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Glacier Bay Basin Curtis Glencross Mike Gravel Joseph Hazelwood History of Fairbanks, Alaska History of Inuit clothing Virgil Hooe Hope Highway Kaktovik numerals Jean Keene Israel Keyes Klondike Gold Rush KYUR Maritime fur trade Military history of the Aleutian Islands Mount Okmok Colton Parayko Portage Glacier Highway The Proposal (2009 film) Mount Redoubt Research on Inuit clothing Rika's Landing Roadhouse Salmon Creek Dam Stikine River Jeremy Swayman Kenneth M. Taylor The Alaska Socialist Tlingit language Trans-Alaska Pipeline System White-tailed ptarmigan Willow ptarmigan Featured pictures 1971-CANNIKIN-2 2010-kodiak-bear-1 Alaska Purchase (hi-res) Alaska wild berries Anchorage White Raven Heinrich Berann NPS Panorama of Denali without labels Malaspina-panorama-no-type MtRedoubtedit1 Parque estatal Chugach, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-22, DD 94 Russian-American Co - 1 Ruble (7559) Whales Bubble Net Feeding-edit1 Yukon Delta Former featured pictures Grizzly Denali edit Related Portals  Alaska •  Puerto Rico •  Hawaii •   Oklahoma •  Arizona •  California  •  Florida •  Illinois  •  Indiana •  Kansas •  Maryland •  Michigan •  Mississippi •  Nevada •  New Jersey •  New York •  Ohio •  Oregon •  Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) •  Texas •  Utah •  Virginia American football • Baseball •  • North America  Canada •  Russia Related WikiProjects Alaska U.S. States  Alaska Project Divisions People Physical geography History Economy Communities Government Transportation Culture Alaska Natives State facts Nicknames: The Last Frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun, Land of the Noonday Moon, Seward's Folly Capital: Juneau Governor: Michael J. Dunleavy (R) Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom (R) Attorney General: Position currently vacant, most recently Treg Taylor Senators: Dan Sullivan (R), Lisa Murkowski (R) Representatives: Nick Begich III (R) Total area: 663,268 mi2 Land: 571,936 mi2 Water: 91,332 mi2 Highest elevation: 20,310 ft (Denali) Population 741,894 (2016 est) Admission to the Union: January 3, 1959 (49th) State symbols: Dog: Alaskan Malamute Bird: Willow Ptarmigan Insect: Four-spot Skimmer Dragonfly Colors: None Fish: King Salmon Flower: Alpine Forget-me-not Gem: Jade Sport: Dog Mushing Songs: Alaska's Flag Tasks Open tasks for Wikipedia:WikiProject Alaska. Edit or discuss these tasks. Shortcuts: Recent changes | Categories | History Urgent: An editor in Alaska able/willing to actively work with the Wikipedia Ambassador Program to provide direction/oversight for any articles within the project which are being improved upon under the program. To Rate: Unassessed Alaska articles, Unknown-importance Alaska articles To Nominate at WP:FAC: To Improve to Featured standard: Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska, History of Alaska Collaboration: To Expand: Category:Alaska stubs, Alaskeros, Sheldon Jackson, Scouting in Alaska Governor articles: Steve Cowper, Bill Sheffield, Keith Harvey Miller, Waino Edward Hendrickson To Clean up: Diomede Islands To Merge: To Destub: See: Category:Alaska stubs To Deorphan: To Categorize: To Create: Articles on incoming (2019) legislators (and updating outgoing ones), Articles for new 2010 Census CDPs: Badger, Alaska, Chena Ridge, Alaska, Eureka Roadhouse, Alaska, Farmers Loop, Alaska, Goldstream, Alaska, Loring, Alaska, Point Possession, Alaska, South Van Horn, Alaska, Steele Creek, Alaska, Whitestone, Alaska Lists to de-redlink: List of mayors of Anchorage DoneDavid chamberlain (talk) 20:49, 2 February 2014 (UTC) Lists to complete: List of mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska Wanted Pics/Graphics: Wanted New Pics: See Category:Wikipedia requested photographs in Alaska Common mistakes to avoid (and correct): Knik, Alaska, the ghost town, and Knik River, Alaska, the CDP, are not the same place. In fact, they are approximately an hour's drive away from each other. Despite its name of "City and Borough of Yakutat," this entity is a borough, not a consolidated city-borough. See the talk page (or archives of same) of WP:ALASKA, or of the articles in question, for more information. Maintain: add {{WikiProject Alaska}} to the talk pages of Alaska-related articles and add the articles to Wikipedia:WikiProject Alaska/Recent changes (if not done already by a bot) so related changes link works. To expand: Rie Muñoz, Rosita Worl Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikispecies Directory of species Wikiversity Free learning tools Wikivoyage Free travel guide Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus Discover Wikipedia using portals List of all portals The arts portal Biography portal Current events portal Geography portal History portal Mathematics portal Science portal Society portal Technology portal Random portal WikiProject Portals