~ In Barrow, Alaska, the longest day starts May 10th and lasts 3 months. The longest night starts on November 18th and continues for 2 months.
~ Alaska offers 0.93 square mile for each resident. In comparison with 0.003 sqaure mile offered by New York!
~ Alaska has more than 33,000 miles of coastline. It is more than all of the combined coastline of the entire continental United States of America.
~ Totaling over 3 million lakes, Alaska houses over 40% of USA's fresh water.
~ Very surprisingly, Alaska's state sport isn't snow skiing, ice skating or even fishing. It is dog mushing!
~ Juneau is the capital of Alaska. Not Anchorage or Fairbanks!
~ Alaska's flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, from the village of Chignik. Bennie received a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch for his winning entry in the flag design contest.
~ The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word "Alyeska", meaning great land.
~ On March 30, 1867, the United States agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars, about two cents an acre; "Seward's Folly" many called it, after Secretary of State William H. Seward. A check for $7,200,000.00 was issued on August 1, 1868 and made payable to Edouard de Stoeckl, the Russian Minister to the United States.
~ At their closest Alaska and Russia are 2.5 miles apart – the distance between Little Diomede Island, Alaska, and Big Diomede Island, Russia.
And that's me!
