Alaska ( ( listen); Aleut: Alax̂sxax̂; Inupiaq: Alaasikaq; Alutiiq: Alas'kaaq; Tlingit: Anáaski; Russian: Аляска, romanized: Alyaska) is a U.S. state in the northwest extremity of the United States West Coast, just across the Bering Strait from Asia. The Canadian province of British Columbia and territory of Yukon border the state to the east and southeast. Its most extreme western part is Attu Island, and it has a maritime border with Russia (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas—southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. It is the largest U.S. state by area and the seventh largest subnational division in the world. In addition, it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States; nevertheless, it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America: its population—estimated at 738,432 by the United States Census Bureau in 2015—is more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance. United States armed forces bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy.
On March 30, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire for 7.2 million U.S. dollars, or approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). 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. Read more...
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The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (772–1,543 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores currently in existence, rivaled only by the Kodiak bear. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. Their scientific name means "maritime bear" and derives from this fact. Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. Because of their dependence on the sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals.
Because of expected habitat loss caused by climate change, the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. For decades, large-scale hunting raised international concern for the future of the species, but populations rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of circumpolar peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures. Historically, the polar bear has also been known as the white bear. It is sometimes referred to as the nanook, based on the Inuit term nanuq. Read more...
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[nil edit] General images
The following are images from various Alaska-related articles on Wikipedia.
Alexandr Baranov, "Lord of Alaska."
Oil pooled on rocks on the shore of Prince William Sound after the oil spill.
Alaska map of Köppen climate classification.
Earthquake damage in Anchorage
Spanish contact in British Columbia and Alaska.
The check that paid for Alaska
1860 map of Russian America.
Alaska's area compared to the 48 contiguous states
St. Michael's Cathedral in Sitka. The original structure, built in 1848, burned in a fire on January 2, 1966. The cathedral was rebuilt from plans of the original structure and contains artifacts rescued from the fire.
Map of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
Featured articles
Good articles
Featured pictures
File:2010-kodiak-bear-1.jpg
File:Alaska Purchase (hi-res).jpg
File:Alaska wild berries.jpg
File:Heinrich Berann NPS Panorama of Denali without labels.jpg
File:Russian-American Co - 1 Ruble (7559).jpg
File:Whales Bubble Net Feeding-edit1.jpg
Former featured pictures
File:Grizzly Denali edit.jpg
- 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:
- 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
- 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.
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