15 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Alaska

Alaska is one of the fifty US states. It was the second-last state to join the union, the last one being Hawaii. The capital of Alaska is Juneau. It’s located in the northwest of North America and borders Canada’s province of British Columbia. If you want to learn more about Alaska, here are ten surprising facts about this beautiful state.

Alaska’s Name

The name Alaska comes from the word Alyeska from the Aleut language, which means ‘The Great Land’.

Tribes and Languages

There are about 224 federally recognized tribes in Alaska. About 20 indigenous languages are spoken in the state.

Northern Lights

The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, is a beautiful sight to see. It can be seen between August and April. It is a very popular activity for tourists visiting Alaska.

Highest Peaks

Out of the 20 highest mountains in the United States, 17 are in Alaska, including the highest peak of North America called Denali.

Rivers and Lakes

Alaska has about 3,000 rivers and about 3 million lakes.

Coastline

It has the largest coastline compared to all the other states. It has more coastlines than the coastlines of all the states combined. Moreover, it’s the only state that has a coastline with different seas: Bering Sea, Arctic Sea, and Pacific Sea.

Glaciers

About 3% of the state is covered with glaciers. It has more than half of the entire world’s glaciers.

Volcanoes

It has more than 100 volcanoes but just one or two eruptions since the 1900s.

Seismically Active

Alaska is very seismically active. There have been around 150,000 earthquakes in Alaska in the last five years.

Forests

Two of the largest US forests are located in Alaska: Tongass and Chugach.

Fishing

Alaska has the record for the biggest salmon ever caught. It was 97 pounds and four ounces and was caught in the Kenai River. The state is known for both commercial and recreational fishing, with anglers coming to Alaska, especially for their fishing trips.

Agriculture

Huge vegetables are a common sight in Alaska. This is due to the extremely long days in summer. The farmers here pride themselves on growing the largest vegetables. The Alaska State Fair allows farmers in Alaska to show off their huge vegetable growing skills by showcasing their giant vegetables.

Minerals

Although the largest mineral export of the state is Zinc, Alaska is known for its gold deposits. There are gold panning activities in the state for the tourists interested in looking for gold themselves.

Wildlife

There is about one bear to 21 people in Alaska. It has a wide variety of wildlife species you can find in Alaska. Some common ones are black bear, brown bear, elk, moose, wolf, fox, otter, whales, seals.

Population

Alaska has the highest percentage of men compared to all other US states, i.e., 52%.

Alaska is a popular hotspot for tourists. With its varied topography and a huge number of water bodies, it’s the perfect place for sightseeing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, surfing, etc. If you’re planning to visit Alaska to enjoy any of these, make sure to check out Lost on Land, Found at Sea. We’re an Alaskan clothing store that has the best nautical clothing for men.