Alaska is called the Land of the Midnight Sun, The Last Frontier, The Great Land. Who discovered Alaska and how much did this land cost for the USA? Who now lives on its territory?
Alaska on a world map
Alaska is located in the northwestern United States and is the largest state in the country. The Bering Strait separates it from Russian territory - the Chukchi Peninsula. In the east, the state borders on Canada.
This state is an exclave. It is separated from the rest of the United States by Canadian lands. To get from Alaska to the nearest US state, you need to overcome 800 kilometers of Canadian territory.
The total area of ββthe state is 1,717,854 square meters. km, and the coastline stretched for 10 639 km. The territory of Alaska is represented by the mainland and numerous islands. These include the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago, the islands of Kodiak, Pribyvalova and St. Lawrence.
Cape Barrow, Alaska, is the northernmost point of the United States, and Attu, which is part of the Aleutian Islands, is the westernmost.
Natural conditions
Alaska is washed by the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, creating different climatic conditions. Inland areas are characterized by a subarctic climate with cold winters and relatively warm summers. In the northern part, the climate is arctic: severe cold winters and cold summers. Summer temperatures rarely rise above zero. On the Pacific coast (southeast state), the climate is mild maritime, with a lot of rainfall.
The north of Alaska is covered with tundra, and the south with dense forests. There are many volcanoes and glaciers in this region. The largest is the Bering Glacier, its area is 5800 square meters. m. Volcanic mountain ranges of Alaska are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Shishaldina Volcano is located on Unimak Island and is considered one of the largest Alaskan volcanoes.
The largest rivers in the state are the Yukon and Cuskokwim. In total, Alaska has more than 10 thousand rivers and over 3 million lakes. In the north-eastern part of the state is the Arctic National Reserve, and in the north-west - the territory of the US oil reserve.
Discovery of Alaska
There is an opinion that the first Alaska was discovered by Semyon Dezhnev in the 17th century. But there is no official confirmation of this fact. Therefore, the discovery of the Great Land is attributed to the crew of the ship "St. Gabriel". An expeditionary group, whose members were M. S. Gvozdev, I. Fedorov, D. I. Pavlutsky and A. F. Shestakov, landed on the territory of Alaska in 1732.
After 9 years, the second expedition aboard the ships "St. Peter" and "St. Paul." The ships were headed by Aleksey Chirikov and renowned researcher Vitus Bering.
Dense fog was a significant obstacle to research. At first, the lands of Alaska were seen from the side of "St. Paul", it was the Prince of Wales island. Researchers have noticed that there are a lot of sea otter beavers, whose fur at that time was considered the most valuable. This was the main impetus for the development of new lands.
Sale
In 1799, a Russian-American company was opened, headed by Alexander Baranov. Active hunting with beaver fur takes place (which subsequently led to a significant reduction in the number of animals).
New villages and ports are being established, schools and hospitals are being opened, the Orthodox Church is conducting educational work, the object of which is the population of Alaska. True, land development is limited to fur production and missionary activity.
In addition, relations with Britain were heating up, and the proximity of Russian Alaska with British Columbia made it plague in the event of a military conflict between the countries. So in 1857 thoughts about selling it to America were born.
In March 1867, an agreement was signed in Washington to sell the territory for $ 7,200,000. In October, an official transfer of purchased land took place in the city of Sitka (then it was called Novo-Arkhangelsk).
American alaska
For a long time, the newly acquired land was under the control of the US military and was not particularly developed. In 1896, a real golden boom occurs when gold deposits are found on the Klondike River, in Canada. The easiest way to enter Canadian territory was through Alaska, which provoked the rapid growth of villages.
In 1898, gold was found near the city of Nome and the modern city of Fairbanks in Alaska. The gold rush contributed to the economic development of the region. Alaska's population has grown significantly. Railways were built, minerals were actively mined.
The Great Depression in the 20th century affected Alaska. Residents of the northern states are relocated here to boost the region's economy. During World War II, supplies of military equipment to the Soviet Union go through Alaska.
In 1959, Alaska received the status of the 49th state of the United States. Later, significant oil reserves are discovered here, which again raises its development.
Alaska's population
The number of residents of the state is about 700,000. This indicator puts the state in 47th place in terms of population in the country. Alaska's population density is the lowest at 0.4 people per square kilometer.
The largest population growth in the state was observed after oil fields were discovered. Then the population of Alaska increased by 36%. The largest city in the state is Anchorage, with more than 300,000 inhabitants.
About 60% of the population are white, the indigenous population is about 15%, Asians make up about 5.5%, the rest are other races. The largest national group living in Alaska is the Germans. The Irish and the British account for 10%, followed by the Norwegians, French and Scots.
The mission of the Russian Orthodox Church did not pass without a trace - now in Alaska, about 70% of the inhabitants are Christians. Protestantism is considered the second largest religion, although in general Alaska is the least religious state of America.
Alaska Native
Russians, of course, are considered pioneers, but people began to populate the region long before the researchers arrived. According to scientists, the first inhabitants of Alaska came here from Siberia about 30 thousand years ago, during the freezing of the Bering Strait.
The first nations to find themselves on the "Land of the Midnight Sun" were the Tlingit, Tsimshian, Hail and Atapaski. They are the ancestors of modern American Indians. The tribes had their own language and beliefs, mainly engaged in fishing.
Much later (almost 8 thousand years ago), peoples belonging to the Eskimos or Inuit sailed to the lands of Alaska. These were the tribes of Aleuts, Alutiiks and Inupiat.
With the discovery of Alaska, Russian scholars brought their faith and traditions to the world of the indigenous population. Many locals worked for the Russians. Alaska now has the largest percentage of the indigenous population in the United States, but this figure is gradually decreasing. Therefore, recently, special programs have been carried out to preserve the culture of indigenous people.
Conclusion
Alaska (America) is a rich region with a unique but harsh nature. There are many volcanoes, glaciers, rivers and lakes. This is the largest American state, separated from the United States by Canada. Alaska's population is represented by numerous ethnic groups and nationalities. Descendants of Indians and Eskimos still live here, continuing their traditions and culture.