Alaska - the largest state of the USA (about 663,268 sq mi). It is situated in the northwest of North America. Alaska shares the border with Canada in the east and with Russia in the west.

The City and Borough of Juneau (look on the map below) has been the capital of Alaska since 1906. It’s named after the gold prospector Joe Juneau, the founder of the city.

Other big cities in Alaska: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Sitka, Ketchikan, Kenai, Kodiak, Bethel, Wasilla, Barrow.

Joe Juneau

The City and Borough of Juneau

Alaska was discovered in 1741 by Vitus Bering and Alexander Chirikoff. It was purchased from Russia by American government in 1867 which cost about 762 millions dollars. The developing of the state was quite slow until the Klondike gold rush in 1896.

Vitus Bering

In 1962 Alaskan students in grades 7-12 competed to create the flag of the state. The winner, 13-year old Benny Benson, came up with an idea of the Big Dipper and the North Star on a field of blue. The design was adopted as an official flag on May 2, 1927.

The first seal of the state was made in 1884. It was used until 1910 when Governor Walter E. Clark decided to change it because the design placed too much emphasis on northern lights, icebergs and native people. He wanted the seal to portray industrialization, agriculture, crafts and working people. The new seal was ready for use early in 1911 and is used up till now.

The word “Alaska” is a derivative from an Aleut word “alaxsxaq” which roughly means “the mainland”.

Every state in the USA has an official name and one or few nicknames. The nicknames of Alaska are “The Last Frontier”, because of its opportunities and many lightly settled regions, and “The Land of the Midnight Sun” because in summer the sun shines here nearly around midnight.

This motto was created by a newsman Richard Peter in 1967. He said that the motto of the state must be “a reminder that beyond the horizon of urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath our flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this century’s ‘huddled masses yearning to be free’ ”.*

*

The quote from the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus engraved inside the Statue of Liberty.

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Sitka spruce (adopted as a symbol in 1962)

Willow ptarmigan (adopted as a symbol in 1955)

Wild forget-me-not ( adopted as a symbol in 1917)

These forms of life can be found throughout the whole state and are known to every Alaskan. They must represent the strong spirit of the people who survived against all the odds.

Willow ptarmigan Forget-me-notSitka spruce

The anthem of Alaska is called “The Flag of Alaska”. You may listen to it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QMmayU3Bzw

Lyrics:Eight stars of gold on the field of blue –

Alaska’s flag. May it mean to youThe blue of the sea, the evening sky,

The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,The precious gold of the hills and streams;

The brilliant stars in the northern sky,The "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,

The great North Star with its steady light,Over land and sea a beacon bright.

Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,The simple flag of a last frontier.

The native people of Alaska are called Eskimos. This is an American Indian word which means “eaters of raw meat”. Alaskan Eskimos call themselves “Inupiat” or “Yupik” which means simply “people”. Until the white men came, Eskimos used to live on hunting and gathering. They lived a wandering life in communities consisted of several large families.

Nowadays most Eskimos live an usual modern life in settlements. They work mostly in manufacture and tourist industry. Most of them don’t finish high school.

According to surveys, the population of Native Alaskans is about 25%. Most of the Alaskans people are descendants of the Europeans.

The educational system in Alaska isn’t different from that in the whole USA. The most famous university in Alaska is the Statewide University of Alaska which was founded as Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1917 near Fairbanks.