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{{Nofootnotes|date=July 2007}}
{{otheruses}}
{{taxobox
| name=Amphibians  or amphibia
| fossil_range= [[Late Devonian|Late]] [[Devonian]] - Recent
| image = Spea hammondii 1.jpg
| image_width = 300px
| image_caption = [[Spea hammondii|Western Spadefoot Toad]], ''Spea hammondii'' 
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| subphylum = [[Vertebrata]]
| superclassis = [[Tetrapod]]a
| classis = '''Amphibia'''
| classis_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| subdivision_ranks = Subclasses and Orders
| subdivision =
&nbsp;&nbsp; Order [[Temnospondyli]] - ''extinct''<br/>
Subclass [[Lepospondyli]] - ''extinct''<br/>
Subclass [[Lissamphibia]]<br/>
&nbsp;&nbsp; Order [[Anura]]<br/>
&nbsp;&nbsp; Order [[Salamander|Caudata]]<br/>
&nbsp;&nbsp; Order [[Caecilian|Gymnophiona]]}}

{{see also|Prehistoric amphibian}}
'''Amphibians''' (class Amphibia), such as [[frog]]s, [[toad]]s, [[salamander]]s, [[newt]]s, [[gymnophiona]], [[Siren(Amphibian)|Sirens]] and [[amphiuma]]s, are [[cold-blooded]] animals that [[metamorphose]] from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form. Typically, amphibians have four limbs. Unlike other land animals ([[amniotes]]), amphibians lay eggs in water, as their fish ancestors did. Amphibians are superficially similar to reptiles.

In recent decades, there has been a dramatic [[decline in amphibian populations]] around the globe and many species are now threatened or extinct. Scientists do not agree on the cause.

Amphibians evolved in the [[Devonian period]]. They were a top predator in the [[Carboniferous Period]], but proto-crocodiles evolved and took over that niche.

==Taxonomy==
Traditionally, amphibians have included all [[tetrapod]]s that are not [[amniote]]s .  They are divided into three [[Subclass (biology)|subclasses]], of which two are only known as extinct subclasses:

* Subclass [[Labyrinthodontia]] (diverse Paleozoic and early Mesozoic group)
* Subclass [[Lepospondyli]] (small Paleozoic group)
* Subclass [[Lissamphibia]] (frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, etc.)

Of these only the last subclass includes recent species.

With the [[phylogenetic]] revolution, this classification has been modified, or changed, and the Labyrinthodontia discarded as being a [[paraphyletic]] group without unique defining features apart from [[plesiomorphy|shared primitive characteristics]].  Classification varies according to the preferred [[phylogeny]] of the author, and whether they use a [[Cladistic#Cladistic classification|stem-based or node-based]] classification. Generally amphibians are defined as the group that includes the common ancestors of all living amphibians (frogs, salamanders, etc) and all their descendants.  This may also include extinct groups like the [[temnospondyli|temnospondyls]] (traditionally placed in the disbanded subclass "labyrinthodontia"), and the Lepospondyls.  This means that there are a now large number of [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] [[Devonian]] and [[Carboniferous]] [[tetrapod]] groups, described as "amphibians" in earlier books, that are no longer placed in the formal Amphibia.

All recent amphibians are included in the subclass Lissamphibia, superorder Salientia, which is usually considered a [[clade]] (which means that it is thought that they evolved from a common ancestor apart from other extinct groups), although it has also been suggested also that salamanders arose separately from a temnospondyl-like ancestor (Carroll, 2007).

Authorities also disagree on whether Salientia is a Superorder that includes the order Anura, or whether Anura is a sub-order of the order Salientia. Practical considerations seem to favour using the former arrangement now.

The Lissamphibia, superorder Salientia, are traditionally divided into three [[Order (biology)|order]]s, but an extinct salamander-like family, the Albanerpetontidae, is now considered part of the Lissamphibia, besides the superorder Salientia. Furthermore, Salientia includes all three recent orders plus a single [[Triassic]] proto-frog, ''[[Triadobatrachus]]''.

* Subclass [[Lissamphibia]]
*** Family ''[[Albanerpetontidae]]'' - Jurassic to Miocene (extinct)
** Superorder ''[[Salientia]]''
*** Genus ''Triadobatrachus'' - Triassic (extinct)
*** Order ''Anura'' ([[frog]]s and [[toad]]s): Jurassic to recent - 5,453 recent species in 45 families
*** Order ''Caudata'' or ''Urodela'' ([[salamander]]s, [[newt]]s): Jurassic to recent - 560 recent species in 9 families
*** Order ''Gymnophiona'' or ''Apoda'' ([[caecilian]]s): Jurassic to recent - 171 recent species in 3 families

The actual number of species partly also depends on the taxonomic classification followed, the two most common classifications being the classification of the website AmphibiaWeb, University of California (Berkeley) and the classification by [[herpetologist]] Darrel Frost and The American Museum of Natural History, available as the online reference database Amphibian Species of the World (see external links below). The numbers of species cited above follow Frost.


<!--
==Systems==
===Circulatory===
frogs rock
===Respiratory===
===Excretion===
===Nervous===
===Respiratory===
-->

===Reproductive system===
[[Image:Caecilian.jpg|thumb|right|[[Caecilian]] from the [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]] zoo]]

For the purpose of [[Biological reproduction|reproduction]] most amphibians are bound to have [[fresh water]]. A few tolerate [[brackish water]], but there are no true [[seawater]] amphibians. Several hundred frog species in adaptive radiations (e.g., ''[[Eleutherodactylus]]'', the Pacific Platymantines, the Australo-Papuan microhylids, and many other tropical frogs), however, do not need any water whatsoever. They reproduce via direct development, an ecological and [[evolution]]ary adaptation that has allowed them to be completely independent from free-standing water. Almost all of these frogs live in wet [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical rainforests]] and their eggs hatch directly into miniature versions of the adult, passing through the [[tadpole]] stage within the egg. Several species have also adapted to arid and semi-arid environments, but most of them still need water to lay their eggs. [[Symbiosis]] with single celled [[algae]] that lives in the jelly-like layer of the eggs has evolved several times. The larvae (tadpoles or polliwogs) breathe with exterior [[gill]]s. After hatching, they start to transform gradually into the adult's appearance. This process is called [[metamorphosis]]. Typically, the animals then leave the water and become terrestrial adults, but there are many interesting exceptions to this general way of reproduction.

The most obvious part of the amphibian metamorphosis is the formation of four legs in order to support the body on land. But there are several other changes: 

* The gills are replaced by other [[Respiratory system|respiratory organ]]s, i.e., [[lung]]s.
* The skin changes and develops [[gland]]s to avoid [[dehydration]].
* The eyes develop eyelids and adapt to vision outside the water.
* An [[eardrum]] is developed to lock the middle [[ear]].
* In frogs and toads, the [[tail]] disappears.

==Conservation==
{{main|Decline in amphibian populations}}

[[Image:Bufo periglenes1.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Golden Toad]] of [[Monteverde]], [[Costa Rica]] was among the first casualties of amphibian declines. Formerly abundant, it was last seen in 1989.]]

Dramatic declines in amphibian populations, including population crashes and mass localized [[extinction]], have been noted in the past two decades from locations all over the world, and amphibian declines are thus perceived as one of the most critical threats to global [[biodiversity]]. A number of causes are believed to be involved, including [[habitat destruction]] and modification, over-exploitation, [[pollution]], [[introduced species]], [[climate change]], destruction of the [[ozone layer]] (ultraviolet radiation has shown to be especially damaging to the skin, eyes, and eggs of amphibians), and diseases like [[chytridiomycosis]].  However, many of the causes of amphibian declines are still poorly understood, and are a topic of ongoing discussion. A [[global strategy]] to stem the crisis has been released in the form of the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (available at www.amphibians.org). Developed by over 80 leading experts in the field, this call to action details what would be required to curtail amphibian declines and extinctions over the next 5 years - and how much this would cost. The Amphibian Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) is spearheading efforts to implement a comprehensive global strategy for amphibian conservation.

On January 21, 2008, Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE), per chief Helen Meredith identified nature's most [[endangered]] [[species]]: "The EDGE [[amphibians]] are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention." The top 10 endangered species (in the [[List of endangered animal species]]) 
include: the [[Chinese giant salamander]], a distant relative of the [[newt]], the tiny [[Gardiner's Seychelles]], the limbless Sagalla caecilian, [[South Africa]]n [[ghost frogs]], lungless Mexican salamanders, the [[Malagasy]] rainbow [[frog]], Chile's Darwin frog ([[Rhinoderma rufum]]) and the Betic Midwife Toad.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL2038808  Reuters, Giant newt, tiny frog identified as most at risk]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/21/conservation  guardian.co.uk, Drive to save weird and endangered amphibians]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/jan/21/wildlife.conservation?picture=332110244  guardian.co.uk/environment, images of the species]</ref><ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/jan/21/wildlife.conservation  guardian.co.uk/environment, Gallery: the world's strangest amphibians]</ref>

==Evolutionary history==
The first major groups of amphibians developed in the [[Devonian Period]] from fish similar to the modern [[coelacanth]] where the fins had evolved into legs. These amphibians were around five meters long. The land was safe as the giant fish and sharks in the ocean could not come onto land. However, there were two problems with living out their entire lives on land. Primarily, the food that these amphibians consumed was in the water, but also at this point the skin on most of these amphibians was not water-tight.

In the [[Carboniferous Period]], the amphibians moved up in the food chain and began to occupy the ecological position where we now find crocodiles. These amphibians were notable for eating the mega-insects on land and many types of fishes in the water. Towards the end of the [[Permian Period]] and the [[Triassic Period]], the amphibians started having competition with proto-crocodiles which led to their  drop in size in the temperate zones or leaving for the poles. (Amphibians were able to hibernate during the winter whereas crocodiles could not, allowing the amphibians in higher latitudes protection from the reptiles.)

Paleontologists once believed that the kind of lifestyle and adaptations that proto-amphibians was similar to the modern [[mudskipper]].{{Fact|date=July 2007}} (Mudskippers are not closely related to coelocanths.)

{{Expand-section|date=May 2008}}

== See also ==
*[[Chytridiomycosis]]
*[[Fishapod]]s
*[[Frog zoology]]
*[[List of amphibians]]
*[[Prehistoric amphibian]]
*[[Sleep (non-human)|Sleep in nonhumans]]
*[[Tetrapod]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
<div class="references-small">
*{{cite book
 | last = Carroll
 | first = Robert L.
 | title = Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution
 | year = 1988
 | publisher = W.H. Freeman & Co.
 | location = New York
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Duellman
 | first = William E.
 | coauthors = Linda Trueb
 | title = Biology of Amphibians
 | year = 1994
 | publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press
 | isbn = 978-0801847806
}}
*{{cite journal
 | last = Frost
 | first = Darrel R.
 | title = The Amphibian Tree of Life
 | url = http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/handle/2246/5781
 | journal = Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
 | volume = 297
 | pages = 1–291
 | year = 2006
 | month = March
 | coauthors = Taran Grant, Julián Faivovich, Raoul H. Bain, Alexander Haas, Célio F.B. Haddad, Rafael O. De Sá, Alan Channing, Mark Wilkinson, Stephen C. Donnellan, Christopher J. Raxworthy, Jonathan A. Campbell, Boris L. Blotto, Paul Moler, Robert C. Drewes, Ronald A. Nussbaum, John D. Lynch, David M. Green, Ward C. Wheeler
 | doi = 10.1206/0003-0090(2006)297[0001:TATOL]2.0.CO;2
}}
*{{cite journal
 | last = Pounds
 | first = J. Alan
 | title = Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming
 | url = http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7073/full/nature04246.html
 | journal = Nature
 | volume = 439
 | pages = 161–167
 | year = 2006
 | month = January
 | doi = 10.1038/nature04246
 | coauthors = Martín R. Bustamante, Luis A. Coloma, Jamie A. Consuegra, Michael P. L. Fogden, Pru N. Foster, Enrique La Marca, Karen L. Masters, Andrés Merino-Viteri, Robert Puschendorf, Santiago R. Ron, G. Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa, Christopher J. Still and Bruce E. Young
}}
*{{cite journal
 | last = San Mauro
 | first = Diego
 | coauthors = Miguel Vences, Marina Alcobendas, Rafael Zardoya and Axel Meyer
 | title = Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea
 | url = 
 | journal = American Naturalist
 | volume = 165
 | pages = 590–599
 | year = 2005
 | month = May
 | doi = 10.1086/429523
}}
*Solomon Berg Martin, ''Biology''
*{{cite journal
 | last = Stuart
 | first = Simon N.
 | coauthors = Janice S. Chanson, Neil A. Cox, Bruce E. Young, Ana S. L. Rodrigues, Debra L. Fischman, Robert W. Waller
 | title = Status and trends of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide
 | url = http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5702/1783
 | journal = Science
 | volume = 306
 | issue = 5702
 | pages = 1783–1786
 | year = 2004
 | month = December
 | doi = 10.1126/science.1103538
 | pmid = 15486254
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = S.N.Stuart, M.Hoffmann, J.S.Chanson, N.A.Cox, R.J.Berridge, P.Ramani, B.E. Young (editors)
 | first =  Collective work. 
 | title = Threatened Amphibians of the World
 | publisher = Published by [[Lynx Edicions]], in association with [[IUCN-The World Conservation Union]], [[Conservation International]] and [[NatureServe]].
 | date = September 2008
 | url = http://www.hbw.com/lynx/en/lynx-edicions/portada-lynx/MON0017-threatened-amphibians-world.html
 | id = ISBN 978-84-96553-41-5
 | pages = 776 pages
}}

</div>

== External links ==
{{Wikispecies|Amphibia}}
{{Wikibookspar|Dichotomous Key|Amphibia}}
* [http://www.amphibians.org/ Amphibian Specialist Group]
* [http://www.amphibianark.org/ Amphibian Ark]
* [http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html/ Amphibian Species of the World] The online database by Darrel Frost and The American Museum of Natural History
* [http://www.amphibiaweb.org/ AmphibiaWeb]
* [http://www.globalamphibians.org/ Global Amphibian Assessment]
* [http://www.whose-tadpole.net/ Amphibians of central Europe]
* [http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/idguide/index.htm USGS--Online Guide for the Identification of Amphibians in North America north of Mexico]
* [http://www.livingunderworld.org/ General amphibian biology information - Living UnderWorld]
* [http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/conservation/amphibian_research/ Atlanta Botanical Garden Amphibian Conservation Program]

{{Chordata}}
{{Amphibians}}

[[Category:Amphibians| ]]

{{Link FA|fi}}

[[af:Amfibie]]
[[ar:برمائيات]]
[[bn:উভচর প্রাণী]]
[[zh-min-nan:Lióng-chhe-lūi]]
[[bs:Vodozemci]]
[[bg:Земноводни]]
[[ca:Amfibi]]
[[cs:Obojživelníci]]
[[cy:Amffibiad]]
[[da:Padde]]
[[de:Amphibien]]
[[et:Kahepaiksed]]
[[el:Αμφίβια]]
[[es:Amphibia]]
[[eo:Amfibioj]]
[[eu:Anfibio]]
[[fa:دوزیستان]]
[[fr:Amphibia]]
[[ga:Amfaibiach]]
[[gd:Dà-bheathach]]
[[gl:Anfibio]]
[[ko:양서류]]
[[hr:Vodozemci]]
[[io:Amfibia]]
[[id:Amfibia]]
[[is:Froskdýr]]
[[it:Amphibia]]
[[he:דו-חיים]]
[[jv:Amfibi]]
[[pam:Amphibian]]
[[ka:ამფიბიები]]
[[la:Amphibia]]
[[lv:Abinieki]]
[[lb:Lurchen]]
[[lt:Varliagyviai]]
[[li:Amfibieë]]
[[jbo:banfi]]
[[hu:Kétéltűek]]
[[mk:Водоземец]]
[[ml:ഉഭയജീവി]]
[[ms:Amfibia]]
[[nl:Amfibieën]]
[[ja:両生類]]
[[no:Amfibier]]
[[nn:Amfibium]]
[[oc:Amphibia]]
[[nds:Amphibien]]
[[pl:Płazy]]
[[pt:Anfíbios]]
[[ro:Amfibian]]
[[rm:Amphibia]]
[[qu:Allpa yaku kawsaq]]
[[ru:Земноводные]]
[[scn:Anfibbiu]]
[[simple:Amphibian]]
[[sk:Obojživelníky]]
[[sl:Dvoživke]]
[[sr:Водоземци]]
[[sh:Vodozemac]]
[[stq:Amphibien]]
[[su:Ampibi]]
[[fi:Sammakkoeläimet]]
[[sv:Groddjur]]
[[ta:நிலநீர் வாழிகள்]]
[[te:ఉభయచరము]]
[[th:สัตว์สะเทินน้ำสะเทินบก]]
[[to:Monumanu nofo ʻuta mo vai]]
[[tr:İki yaşamlılar]]
[[uk:Земноводні]]
[[ur:جل تھلیل]]
[[wa:Glumiantès biesses]]
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[[zh:两栖动物]]
[[zh-yue:兩棲動物]]


CLEAN PAGE:

[Amphibians (class Amphibia), such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, gymnophiona, Sirens and amphiumas, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form. Typically, amphibians have four limbs. Unlike other land animals (amniotes), amphibians lay eggs in water, as their fish ancestors did. Amphibians are superficially similar to reptiles.
In recent decades, there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations around the globe and many species are now threatened or extinct. Scientists do not agree on the cause.
Amphibians evolved in the Devonian period. They were a top predator in the Carboniferous Period, but proto-crocodiles evolved and took over that niche.
Taxonomy
Traditionally, amphibians have included all tetrapods that are not amniotes .  They are divided into three subclasses, of which two are only known as extinct subclasses:
Of these only the last subclass includes recent species.
With the phylogenetic revolution, this classification has been modified, or changed, and the Labyrinthodontia discarded as being a paraphyletic group without unique defining features apart from shared primitive characteristics.  Classification varies according to the preferred phylogeny of the author, and whether they use a stem-based or node-based classification. Generally amphibians are defined as the group that includes the common ancestors of all living amphibians (frogs, salamanders, etc) and all their descendants.  This may also include extinct groups like the temnospondyls (traditionally placed in the disbanded subclass labyrinthodontia), and the Lepospondyls.  This means that there are a now large number of basal Devonian and Carboniferous tetrapod groups, described as amphibians in earlier books, that are no longer placed in the formal Amphibia.
All recent amphibians are included in the subclass Lissamphibia, superorder Salientia, which is usually considered a clade (which means that it is thought that they evolved from a common ancestor apart from other extinct groups), although it has also been suggested also that salamanders arose separately from a temnospondyl-like ancestor (Carroll, 2007).
Authorities also disagree on whether Salientia is a Superorder that includes the order Anura, or whether Anura is a sub-order of the order Salientia. Practical considerations seem to favour using the former arrangement now.
The Lissamphibia, superorder Salientia, are traditionally divided into three orders, but an extinct salamander-like family, the Albanerpetontidae, is now considered part of the Lissamphibia, besides the superorder Salientia. Furthermore, Salientia includes all three recent orders plus a single Triassic proto-frog, Triadobatrachus.
The actual number of species partly also depends on the taxonomic classification followed, the two most common classifications being the classification of the website AmphibiaWeb, University of California (Berkeley) and the classification by herpetologist Darrel Frost and The American Museum of Natural History, available as the online reference database Amphibian Species of the World (see external links below). The numbers of species cited above follow Frost.
Reproductive system
For the purpose of reproduction most amphibians are bound to have fresh water. A few tolerate brackish water, but there are no true seawater amphibians. Several hundred frog species in adaptive radiations (e.g., Eleutherodactylus, the Pacific Platymantines, the Australo-Papuan microhylids, and many other tropical frogs), however, do not need any water whatsoever. They reproduce via direct development, an ecological and evolutionary adaptation that has allowed them to be completely independent from free-standing water. Almost all of these frogs live in wet tropical rainforests and their eggs hatch directly into miniature versions of the adult, passing through the tadpole stage within the egg. Several species have also adapted to arid and semi-arid environments, but most of them still need water to lay their eggs. Symbiosis with single celled algae that lives in the jelly-like layer of the eggs has evolved several times. The larvae (tadpoles or polliwogs) breathe with exterior gills. After hatching, they start to transform gradually into the adult's appearance. This process is called metamorphosis. Typically, the animals then leave the water and become terrestrial adults, but there are many interesting exceptions to this general way of reproduction.
The most obvious part of the amphibian metamorphosis is the formation of four legs in order to support the body on land. But there are several other changes: 
Conservation
Dramatic declines in amphibian populations, including population crashes and mass localized extinction, have been noted in the past two decades from locations all over the world, and amphibian declines are thus perceived as one of the most critical threats to global biodiversity. A number of causes are believed to be involved, including habitat destruction and modification, over-exploitation, pollution, introduced species, climate change, destruction of the ozone layer (ultraviolet radiation has shown to be especially damaging to the skin, eyes, and eggs of amphibians), and diseases like chytridiomycosis.  However, many of the causes of amphibian declines are still poorly understood, and are a topic of ongoing discussion. A global strategy to stem the crisis has been released in the form of the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (available at www.amphibians.org). Developed by over 80 leading experts in the field, this call to action details what would be required to curtail amphibian declines and extinctions over the next 5 years - and how much this would cost. The Amphibian Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) is spearheading efforts to implement a comprehensive global strategy for amphibian conservation.
On January 21, 2008, Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE), per chief Helen Meredith identified nature's most endangered species: The EDGE amphibians are amongst the most remarkable and unusual species on the planet and yet an alarming 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention. The top 10 endangered species (in the List of endangered animal species) 
include: the Chinese giant salamander, a distant relative of the newt, the tiny Gardiner's Seychelles, the limbless Sagalla caecilian, South African ghost frogs, lungless Mexican salamanders, the Malagasy rainbow frog, Chile's Darwin frog (Rhinoderma rufum) and the Betic Midwife Toad.
Evolutionary history
The first major groups of amphibians developed in the Devonian Period from fish similar to the modern coelacanth where the fins had evolved into legs. These amphibians were around five meters long. The land was safe as the giant fish and sharks in the ocean could not come onto land. However, there were two problems with living out their entire lives on land. Primarily, the food that these amphibians consumed was in the water, but also at this point the skin on most of these amphibians was not water-tight.
In the Carboniferous Period, the amphibians moved up in the food chain and began to occupy the ecological position where we now find crocodiles. These amphibians were notable for eating the mega-insects on land and many types of fishes in the water. Towards the end of the Permian Period and the Triassic Period, the amphibians started having competition with proto-crocodiles which led to their  drop in size in the temperate zones or leaving for the poles. (Amphibians were able to hibernate during the winter whereas crocodiles could not, allowing the amphibians in higher latitudes protection from the reptiles.)
Paleontologists once believed that the kind of lifestyle and adaptations that proto-amphibians was similar to the modern mudskipper. (Mudskippers are not closely related to coelocanths.)
]

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ORI PAGE:

{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{otheruses}}
{{US state
| Name                  = Alaska
| Fullname              = State of Alaska
| Flag                  = Flag of Alaska.svg
| Flaglink              = [[Flag of Alaska]]
| Seal                  = AlaskaStateSealTransparent.png
| Map                   = Map of USA highlighting Alaska.png
| Nickname              = The Last Frontier
| Demonym               = Alaskan
| Motto                 = North to the Future
| Nickname              = "The Last Frontier" and "Land of the Midnight Sun"
| Capital               = [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]
| OfficialLang          = [[English language|English]]
| Languages             = English 89.7%,<br />Native North American 5.2%,<br />[[Spanish language|Spanish]] 2.9%
| LargestCity           = [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]]
| LargestCounty         = Anchorage
| Governor              = [[Sarah Palin]] (R)
| Lieutenant Governor   = [[Sean Parnell]] (R)
| Senators              = [[Ted Stevens]] (R)<br />[[Lisa Murkowski]] (R)
| Representative        = [[Don Young]] (R)
| PostalAbbreviation    = AK
| AreaRank              = 1<sup>st</sup>
| TotalArea             = 1,717,854
| TotalAreaUS           = 663,267
| LandArea              = 1,481,346
| LandAreaUS            = 571,951
| WaterArea             = 236,507
| WaterAreaUS           = 91,316
| PCWater               = 13.77
| PopRank               = 47<sup>th</sup>
| 2000Pop   (old)       = 626,932
| 2005Pop               = 663,661
| 2000Pop               = 683,478 (2007 est.)<ref>http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates</ref>
| DensityRank           = 50<sup>th</sup>
| 2000Density           = 0.46
| 2000DensityUS         = 1.2
| MedianHouseholdIncome = [[United States dollar|US$]]54,627
| IncomeRank            = 6<sup>th</sup> |
| AdmittanceOrder       = 49<sup>th</sup>
| AdmittanceDate        = January 3, 1959
| TimeZone              = [[Alaska Standard Time Zone|Alaska]]: [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]-9/[[Daylight saving time|DST]]-8
| TZ1Where              = east of 169° 30'
| TimeZone2             = [[Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time Zone|Aleutian]]: UTC-10/[[Daylight saving time|DST]]-9
| TZ2Where              = west of 169° 30'
| Latitude              = 51°20'N to 71°50'N
| Longitude             = 130°W to 172°E
| Width                 = 1,300
| WidthUS               = 808
| Length                = 2,380
| LengthUS              = 1,479
| HighestPoint          = [[Mount McKinley]]<ref name=usgs>{{cite web| date =April 29, 2005 | url =http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest| title =Elevations and Distances in the United States| publisher =U.S Geological Survey | accessdate = 2006-11-03}}</ref>
| HighestElev           = 6,193.7
| HighestElevUS         = 20,320
| MeanElev              = 580
| MeanElevUS            = 1900
| LowestPoint           = [[Pacific Ocean]]<ref name=usgs />
| LowestElev            = 0
| LowestElevUS          = 0
| ISOCode               = US-AK
| State song            = Alaska's Flag
| Website               = www.alaska.gov
}}
{{Infobox U.S. state symbols
 |Name               = Alaska
 |Bird               = [[Willow Grouse|Willow Ptarmigan]]
 |Fish               = [[Chinook salmon|King Salmon]]
 |Flower             = [[Forget-me-not]]
 |Insect             = [[Four-spotted Chaser|Four-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly]]
 |Mammal             = [[Moose]], [[Bowhead whale]]
 |Tree               = [[Sitka Spruce]]
 |Fossil             = [[Woolly mammoth]]
 |Mineral            = [[Gold]]
 |StateRock          = [[Jade]]
 |Slogan             = ''Beyond Your Dreams, Within Your Reach''
 |Soil               = [[Tanana (soil)|Tanana]]
 |Song               = ''[[Alaska's Flag]]''
 |Sport              = [[Mushing]]
 |Route Marker       = Alaska 5 shield.svg
 |Quarter            = 2008 AK Proof.png
 |QuarterReleaseDate = 2008
 }}

'''Alaska''' ({{Audio-IPA|en-us-Alaska.ogg|/əˈlæskə/}}, {{lang-ru|Аляска}} ''Alyaska'') is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[United States|United States of America]], in the northwest of the [[North America]]n continent. As of 2007, the population was 683,478 with approximately 50% residing along the [[Anchorage]] metropolitan areas.<ref>http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US02&-ds_name=PEP_2007_EST&-mt_name=PEP_2007_EST_G2007_T001</ref> 

The area that became Alaska was purchased from the [[Russian Empire]] after Congress concluded its resources could be vitally important to the nation's future growth.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} The United States completed the purchase on March 30, 1867, for $7.2&nbsp;million at 2 cents per acre, about 5 cents per hectare. When adjusted for [[inflation]], the total sum paid equates to approximately $360&nbsp;million in 2008 dollars.The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an [[organized territory]] on May 11, 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" was already introduced in the Russian colonial time, when it was only used for the peninsula and is derived from the [[Aleut language|Aleut]] ''alaxsxaq'', meaning "the mainland", or more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed."<ref>Ransom, J. Ellis. 1940. ''Derivation of the Word ‘Alaska’''. American Anthropologist n.s., 42: pp. 550-551</ref> It is also known as [[Alyeska]], the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Alaska}}
Alaska is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state, [[Hawaii]] being the other. Alaska has more [[coastline]] than all the other U.S. states combined.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1404.html |title=Alaska's Size in Perspective |accessdate=2007-11-19 |author=Benson, Carl|date=1998-09-02 |publisher=Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks}}</ref> It is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America; about {{convert|500|mi|km|-1}} of Canada separate Alaska from [[Washington|Washington State]]. Alaska is thus an [[exclave]] of the United States. It is technically part of the [[Continental United States|continental U.S.]], but is often not included in colloquial use; Alaska is not part of the contiguous U.S., often called "the Lower 48".<ref>The other three exclaves of the United States are the [[Northwest Angle]] of [[Minnesota]], [[Point Roberts, Washington]] and [[Alburgh, Vermont]].</ref>  [[Juneau City and Borough, Alaska|Juneau]], Alaska's [[capital city]], though located on the mainland of the North American continent, is inaccessible by land—no roads connect Juneau to the rest of the North American highway system. {{Fact|date=September 2008}}

The state is bordered by the [[Yukon]] Territory and [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]], to the east, the [[Gulf of Alaska]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]] to the south, the [[Bering Sea]], [[Bering Strait]], and [[Chukchi Sea]] to the west and the [[Beaufort Sea]] and the [[Arctic Ocean]] to the north. {{Fact|date=September 2008}}

Alaska is the largest state in the United States in land area at {{convert|570380|sqmi|km2|0}}, more than twice as large as [[Texas]], the next largest state.
It is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

Alaska is larger than the combined area of the next three largest states: Texas, [[California]], and [[Montana]].<!-- Texas (268,820 sq.mi) + California (163,696 sq mi) + Montana (147,165 sq mi)=579,681 sq mi < Alaska (656,424 sq mi) -->

It is also larger than the combined area of the 23 smallest U.S. States and Districts: Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina, Maine, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

Also, compared with territory outside the United States, Alaska is larger than [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]], [[Denmark]], and the [[United Kingdom]] combined.<!-- Sweden (449,964 km²) + Norway (385,252 km²) + Finland (338,145 km²) + Denmark (43,094 km²) + United Kingdom (244,820 km²)=1,461,275 km² < Alaska (1,717,854 km²) -->

[[Image:Looking back to Little Port Walter - NOAA.jpg|thumb|240px|Near Little Port Walter in Southeast Alaska.]]
[[Image:NushagakRiver.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Nushagak River]] in [[Southwest Alaska]].]]
[[Image:Wrangells1.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Mount Sanford (Alaska)|Mount Sanford]] in the [[Wrangell Mountains]].]]
[[Image:Kenai3.jpg|thumb|240px|[[Kenai River]] on the [[Kenai Peninsula]].]]
One scheme for describing the state's geography is by labeling the regions:
*[[South Central Alaska]] is the southern coastal region and contains most of the state's population. [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] and many growing towns, such as [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]], [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]], and [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]], lie within this area. [[Petroleum]] industrial plants, transportation, [[tourism]], and two [[military base]]s form the core of the economy here.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}
*The [[Alaska Panhandle]], also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater [[glacier]]s, the many islands and channels of the [[Alexander Archipelago]] and extensive forests. Tourism, fishing, forestry and state government anchor the economy.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}
*[[Southwest Alaska]] is largely coastal, bordered by both the [[Pacific Ocean]] and the [[Bering Sea]]. It is sparsely populated, and unconnected to the road system, but very important to the fishing industry. Half of all fish caught in the western U.S. come from the [[Bering Sea]], and [[Bristol Bay]] has the world's largest [[sockeye salmon]] fishery.[[Southwest Alaska]] includes [[Katmai National Park and Preserve|Katmai]] and [[Lake Clark National Park|Lake Clark]] national parks as well as numerous wildlife refuges. The region comprises western [[Cook Inlet]], [[Bristol Bay]] and its watersheds, the [[Alaska Peninsula]] and the [[Aleutian Islands]].{{Fact|date=September 2008}} It is known for wet and stormy weather, tundra landscapes, and large populations of salmon, [[brown bear]], [[caribou]], birds, and [[marine mammals]].{{Fact|date=September 2008}}
*The [[Alaska Interior]] is home to [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]]. The geography is marked by large [[braided river]]s, such as the [[Yukon River]] and the [[Kuskokwim River]], as well as [[Arctic]] [[tundra]] lands and shorelines.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}
*The [[Alaskan Bush]] is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns such as [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]], [[Kotzebue, Alaska|Kotzebue]] and, most famously, [[Barrow, Alaska|Barrow]], the northernmost town in the United States, as well as the northern most town on the contiguous North American continent (cities in Greenland, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut that are farther north are on islands).{{Fact|date=November 2007}}

The northeast corner of Alaska is covered by the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]], which covers {{convert|19049236|acre|km2|0}}. Much of the northwest is covered by the larger [[National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska]], which covers around {{convert|23000000|acre|km2|-2}}. The Arctic is Alaska's most remote wilderness. A location in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska is {{convert|120|mi|km|-1}} miles from any town or village, the geographic point most remote from permanent habitation in the USA.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

With its myriad islands, Alaska has nearly {{convert|34000|mi|km|-1}} of tidal shoreline. The [[Aleutian Islands]] chain extends west from the southern tip of the [[Alaska Peninsula]]. Many active [[volcano]]es are found in the Aleutians. [[Unimak Island]], for example, is home to [[Mount Shishaldin]] which is a moderately active volcano that rises to {{convert|9980|ft|m|0}} above [[sea level]]. The chain of volcanoes extends to [[Mount Spurr]], west of Anchorage on the mainland.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

One of North America's largest tides occurs in [[Turnagain Arm]], just south of Anchorage&nbsp;— tidal differences can be more than {{convert|35|ft|m|1}}. (Many sources say Turnagain has the second-greatest tides in North America, but several areas in Canada have larger tides.)<ref>{{cite journal | author = Porco, Peter|date = June 23, 2003 | title = Long said to be second to Fundy, city tides aren't even close | journal = [[Anchorage Daily News]] | pages = A1}}</ref>

Alaska has more than 3 million [[lake]]s.<ref>{{Cite Web | title=Alaska Hydrology Survey | publisher=Division of Mining, Land, and Water; [[Alaska Department of Natural Resources]] | url=http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/water/hydro/ | format=HTML}}</ref><ref>[http://www.knls.org/English/akfact.htm Alaska Facts]</ref> [[Marshland]]s and wetland [[permafrost]] cover {{convert|188320|sqmi|km2|0}} (mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands). Frozen water, in the form of [[glacier]] ice, covers some {{convert|16000|sqmi|km2|-1}} of land and {{convert|1200|sqmi|km2|-1}} of tidal zone. The [[Bering Glacier]] complex near the southeastern border with [[Yukon]], Canada, covers {{convert|2250|sqmi|km2|0}} alone.

The [[International Date Line]] jogs west of 180° to keep the whole state, and thus the entire continental United States, within the same legal day.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}
[[Image:Public-Lands-Western-US.png|thumb|right|Alaska has more acres of public land owned by the [[National Forest Service]] or the [[Bureau of Land Management]] than any other state.<ref>[http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/2007/western-states-data-public-land.htm Western States Data Public Land Acreage]</ref>]]
According to an October 1998 report by the [[United States Bureau of Land Management]], approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] as public lands, including a multitude of [[United States National Forest|national forest]]s, [[national park]]s, and [[national wildlife refuge]]s. Of these, the [[Bureau of Land Management]] manages 87 million acres (350,000&nbsp;km²), or 23.8% of the state. The [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]] is managed by the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]. {{Fact|date=September 2008}}

Of the remaining land area, the State of Alaska owns 24.5%; another 10% is managed by 13 regional and dozens of local Native corporations created under the [[Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act]]. Various private interests own the remaining land, totaling less than 1%.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

{{ussm|alaska.png|ak}}
Alaska is administratively divided into "[[boroughs]]", as opposed to "counties" or "parishes." {{Fact|date=September 2008}} The function is the same, but whereas some states use a three-tiered system of decentralization—state/county/township—most of Alaska uses only two tiers—state/borough. Owing to the low population density, most of the land is located in the [[Unorganized Borough]] which, as the name implies, has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the state government. Currently ([[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]]) 57.71% of Alaska's area has this status, with 13.05% of the population.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} For statistical purposes the [[United States Census Bureau]] divides this territory into [[census area]]s.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} Anchorage merged the city government with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough in 1971 to form the Municipality of Anchorage, containing the city proper and the bedroom communities of Eagle River, Chugiak, Peters Creek, Girdwood, Bird, and Indian. Fairbanks has a separate borough (the [[Fairbanks North Star Borough]]) and municipality (the City of Fairbanks).{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

===Climate===
{{main|Climate of Alaska}}
The climate in Juneau and the southeast panhandle is a mid-latitude [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfb'') in the southern sections and a subarctic oceanic climate (Köppen ''Cfc'') in the northern parts. On an annual basis, the panhandle is both the wettest and warmest part of Alaska with milder temperatures in the winter and high precipitation throughout the year. Juneau averages over {{convert|50|in|mm|-1}} of precipitation a year, while other areas receive over {{convert|275|in|mm|-1}}.<ref name="AK-YK Precip">[http://www.ocs.orst.edu/pub/maps/Precipitation/Total/States/AK/ak_ppt.gif Mean Annual Precipitation in Alaska-Yukon]. Oregon Climate Service at [[Oregon State University]]. Last accessed October 23, 2006.</ref> This is also the only region in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.

The climate of Anchorage and south central Alaska is mild by Alaskan standards due to the region's proximity to the seacoast. While the area does not get nearly as much rain as southeast Alaska, it does get more snow, although days tend to be clearer. On average, Anchorage receives {{convert|16|in|mm|0}} of precipitation a year, with around {{convert|75|in|mm|0}} of snow, although there are areas in the south central which receive far more snow. It is a subarctic climate (Köppen ''Dfc'') due to its short, cool summers.

[[Image:Barrow beach.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Barrow, Alaska]] is the northernmost city in the United States.]]
The climate of Western Alaska is determined in large part by the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. It is a subarctic oceanic climate in the southwest and a continental subarctic climate farther north. The temperature is somewhat moderate considering how far north the area is. This area has a tremendous amount of variety in precipitation. The northern side of the Seward Peninsula is technically a desert with less than {{convert|10|in|mm|-1}} of precipitation annually, while some locations between Dillingham and Bethel average around {{convert|100|in|mm|-1}} of precipitation.<ref name="AK-YK Precip"/>

The climate of the interior of Alaska is best described as extreme and is a good example of a true subarctic climate. Some of the hottest and coldest temperatures in Alaska occur around the area near Fairbanks. The summers can have temperatures reaching into the 90s°F (the low to mid 30s °C), while in the winter, the temperature can fall below −60 °F (-52 °C). Precipitation is sparse in the Interior, often less than {{convert|10|in|mm|-1}} a year, but what precipitation falls in the winter tends to stay the entire winter.

The highest and lowest recorded temperatures in Alaska are both in the Interior. The highest is 100 °F (38 °C) in [[Fort Yukon, Alaska|Fort Yukon]] on June 27, 1915,<ref name="NOAA-All Hazards">{{cite web | title = NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Information&nbsp;— Alaska Weather Interesting Facts and Records | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | format = PDF | url = http://www.arh.noaa.gov/docs/AKWXfacts.pdf | accessdate = 2007-01-03 }}</ref><ref name=DRI>{{cite web | title = State Extremes | publisher = Western Regional Climate Center, [[Desert Research Institute]] | url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/state.extremes.html | accessdate = 2007-01-03 }}</ref> tied with [[Pahala, Hawaii]] as the lowest high temperature in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title = SD Weather History and Trivia for May: May 1 | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=fsdtrivia05 | accessdate = 2007-01-03 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = FAQ ALASKA&nbsp;— Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska: Weather | publisher = Statewide Library Electronic Doorway, [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] | date= 2005-01-17 | url = http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/aksuper.html#wea | accessdate = 2007-01-03 }}</ref> The lowest Alaska temperature is −80 °F (-62 °C) in [[Prospect Creek, Alaska|Prospect Creek]] on January 23, 1971,<ref name="NOAA-All Hazards"/><ref name=DRI/> one degree above the lowest temperature recorded in North America (in [[Snag, Yukon#Snag|Snag, Yukon, Canada]]).<ref>{{cite web | author = Ned Rozell | title = The Coldest Place in North America | publisher = Geophysical Institute of the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] | date= 2003-01-23 | url = http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF16/1630.html | accessdate = 2007-01-03 }}</ref>

The climate in the extreme north of Alaska is as expected for an area north of the [[Arctic Circle]]. It is an [[polar climate|Arctic climate]] (Köppen ''ET'') with long, very cold winters and short, cool summers. Even in July, the average low temperature is barely above freezing in Barrow, at 34 °F (2 °C).<ref>[http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/PABR/2006/7/23/MonthlyHistory.html History for Barrow, Alaska. Monthly Summary for July 2006]. [[Weather Underground (weather service)|Weather Underground]]. Last accessed October 23, 2006.</ref> Precipitation is light in this part of Alaska, with many places averaging less than {{convert|10|in|mm|-1}} per year, mostly in the form of snow which stays on the ground almost the entire year.

==History==
{{main|History of Alaska}}
[[Image:Miners climb Chilkoot.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Miners and prospectors climb the [[Chilkoot Trail]] during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]].]]
The first European contact with Alaska occurred in the year 1741, when [[Vitus Bering]] led an [[second Kamchatka expedition|expedition]] for the Russian Navy aboard the ''St. Peter''. After his crew returned to Russia bearing sea otter pelts judged to be the finest [[fur]] in the world, small associations of fur traders began to sail from the shores of Siberia towards the Aleutian islands. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1784, and the [[Russian-American Company]] carried out an expanded colonization program during the early to mid-1800s. Despite these efforts, the Russians never fully colonized Alaska, and the [[colony]] was never very profitable. [[William H. Seward]], the [[United States Secretary of State|U.S. Secretary of State]], negotiated the [[Alaska purchase|Alaskan purchase]] in 1867 for $7.2&nbsp;million.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

In the 1890s, [[gold rush]]es in Alaska and the nearby [[Yukon Territory]] brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was granted territorial status in 1912.

During World War II, the [[Aleutian Islands Campaign]] focused on the three outer [[Aleutian Islands]]&nbsp;— [[Attu Island|Attu]], [[Agattu Island|Agattu]] and [[Kiska Island|Kiska]]<ref> these three Aleutian outer islands are about {{convert|460|mi|km}} away from continental USSR, {{convert|920|mi|km}} from continental Alaska (U.S.), {{convert|950|mi|km}} from Japan.</ref> - that were invaded by Japanese troops and occupied between June 1942 and August 1943. Unalaska/Dutch Harbor became a significant base for the U.S. Army Air Corps and Navy submariners.

The U.S. [[Lend-Lease]] program involved flying American warplanes through Canada to Fairbanks and thence Nome; Russian pilots took possession of these aircraft, ferrying them to fight the German invasion of Russia. The construction of [[military bases]] contributed to the population growth of some Alaskan cities.

Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959.

In 1964, the massive "[[Good Friday Earthquake]]" killed 131 people and destroyed several villages, many by the resultant [[tsunami]].

The 1968 discovery of oil at [[Prudhoe Bay]] and the 1977 completion of the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]] led to an oil boom. In 1989, the ''[[Exxon Valdez]]'' hit a reef in the [[Prince William Sound]], spilling between 11 and 35 million US gallons (42,000-130,000 m³) of crude oil over 1,100&nbsp;miles (1,600&nbsp;km) of coastline. Today, the battle between philosophies of development and conservation is seen in the contentious debate over oil drilling in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]].

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Alaska}}
{{USCensusPop
|1950=128643
|1960=226167
|1970=300382
|1980=401851
|1990=550043
|2000=626932
|estyear=2007
|estimate=683478
}}
<!---it is a lousy idea to update with census updates. These, for example, do not match the box figures. Better to stick with 2000 figures until the next census--->
In 2006 Alaska had an estimated population of 670,053, an increase of 6,392 (0.96%) from 2005 and 43,121 (6.9%) from 2000. In 2000 Alaska ranked 48th out of 50 states by population.<ref>http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t2/tab01.txt</ref> Alaska is the least densely populated state, at 1.1 people per square mile (0.42/km²), with the next state, Wyoming, at 5.1 per square mile (1.97/km²). It is the largest [[U.S. state]] by [[List of U.S. states by area|area]], and the 6th wealthiest (per capita income). 

===Race and ancestry===
According to the [[2000 U.S. Census]], 69.3% of single-race Alaska residents were White and 15.6% were Native American or Alaska Native,<ref name = Profile>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US02&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U Alaska Profile of General Demographic Characteristics], ''American Fact Finder'', [[U.S. Census Bureau]].</ref> the largest proportion of any state. Multiracial/Mixed-Race people are the third largest group of people in the state, totaling 6.9% of the population. The largest self-reported ancestry groups in the state are [[German-American|German]] (16.6%), Alaska Native or American Indian (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), [[British American|British]] (9.6%), American (5.7%), and [[Norwegian American|Norwegian]] (4.2%).

The vast sparsely populated regions of northern and western Alaska are primarily inhabited by Alaska Natives, who are also numerous in the southeast. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of south-central and southeast Alaska have many whites of northern and western European ancestry. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has many residents of [[Scandinavia]]n ancestry and the Aleutians contain a large [[Filipino American|Filipino]] population. Most of the state's black population lives in Anchorage, though Fairbanks also has a sizable black population.

===Languages===
[[Image:Russian Orthodox Church.jpg|180px|thumb|right|St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Sitka, Alaska.]]
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 85.7% of Alaska residents aged 5 and older speak [[English language|English]] at home. The next most common languages are [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (2.88%), [[Yupik language|Yupik]] (2.87%), [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] (1.54%), and [[Inupiaq language|Iñupiaq]] (1.06%).<ref>[http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=2&county_id=&mode=state_tops&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&a=&ea=&order=&ll=all Data Center Results]</ref>  A total of 5.2% of Alaskans speak one of the state's 22 [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|indigenous languages]], known locally as Native American languages, of which most are [[Language death|moribund]].

===Religion===
Alaska has been identified, along with Pacific Northwest states Washington and Oregon, as being the least religious in the U.S.<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_472.html Adherents.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.adn.com/life/story/463303.html "Believe it or not, Alaska's one of nation's least religious states"] Anchorage Daily News, 2008 July 13.</ref>  According to statistics collected by the Association of Religion Data Archives, only about 39% of Alaska residents were members of religious congregations. Evangelical Protestants had 78,070 members, Roman Catholics had 54,359, and mainline Protestants had 37,156.<ref name = ARDA>{{cite web | title = Religious Affiliations 2000 | work = Alaska State Membership Report | publisher = Association of Religion Data Archives | url = http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/02_2000.asp | accessdate = 2008-03-31 }}</ref>  After Catholics, the largest single denominations are Mormons with 28,956, Southern Baptists with 22,959, and Orthodox with 20,000. The large [[Eastern Orthodox]] population is a result of early [[Russian Alaska|Russian colonization]] and [[missionary]] work among Alaska Natives.<ref>[http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/akchron.html Welcome to SLED :: FAQ Alaska]</ref> In 1795, the First [[Russian Orthodox Church]] was established in [[Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska|Kodiak]]. Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives helped the Russian immigrants integrate into society. As a result, more and more Russian Orthodox churches<ref>http://vilda.alaska.edu/u?/cdmg11,4904 An early Russian Orthodox Church</ref> gradually became established within Alaska. Alaska also has the largest [[Quaker]] population (by percentage) of any state.<ref>http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=201 Association of Religion Data Archive</ref> In 2003 there were 3,000 [[Judaism|Jews]] in Alaska.<ref>http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s0076.xls 76 - Christian Church Adherents, 2000, and Jewish Population, 2004 - States [Excel 27k]</ref> Estimates for the number of Alaskan [[Muslim]]s range from 2,000<ref>[http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/8656236p-8548061c.html First Muslim cemetery opens in Alaska]</ref><ref>[http://engagingmuslims.alaskapacific.edu/ Engaging Muslim: Religion, Culture, Politics]</ref> to 5,000.<ref>[http://www.humanitynews.net/index.php/main/more/alaskan_muslims_avoid_conflict/ Alaskan Muslims Avoid Conflict]</ref>  [[Hinduism|Hindus]] are also represented through a number of temples and associations (such as the Sri [[Ganesha]] Mandir, Anchorage), and adherents number over one thousand.{{Fact|date=September 2008}} Alaskan Hindus often share venues and celebrations with members of other religious communities including [[Sikhism|Sikhs]] and [[Jainism|Jains]].<ref>[http://caia.arctic.us/?Shri_Ganesha_Mandir_of_Alaska Shri Ganesha Mandir of Alaska]</ref><ref>[http://www.hindumandir.us/west-coast.html#AK]</ref><ref>[http://caia.arctic.us/?Holi_%2F_Baisakhi_Celebration%3A Holi & Baisakhi celebrated by Alaskan Hindus and Sikhs]</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:2008 AK Proof.png|thumb|left|150px|Alaska [[50 state quarters|State Quarter]]]]
[[Image:Alaska Pipeline Closeup Underneath.jpg|thumb|185px|The [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]] transports oil, Alaska's most important export, from the [[North Slope, Alaska|North Slope]] to [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]]]]
[[Image:Craft Breweries Per Capita (US).png|thumb|left|200px|Alaska ranks 5th nationally in [[microbrewery|craft breweries]] per capita.<ref>[http://www.beertown.org/craftbrewing/statistics.html Craft Brewing Industry Statistics]</ref>]]
The 2005 [[gross state product]] was $39.9 billion. Its per-capita GSP for 2006 was $43,748, [[List of U.S. states by GDP per capita (nominal)|7th in the nation]]. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the state's revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska's main export product (excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab. Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaskan economy. Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as [[natural resource]] extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Federal subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and [[tourism]] sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.

===Energy===
{{seealso|Natural gas in Alaska}}
[[Image:Alaska Crude Oil Reserves.PNG|thumb|Alaska oil reserves peaked in 1978 and have declined 60% thereafter]]
Alaska has vast energy resources. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. According to the [[Energy Information Administration]], Alaska ranks second in the nation in crude oil production. Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope is the highest yielding oil field in the United States typically producing about {{convert|400000|oilbbl/d|m3/d}}. The [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]] can pump up to {{convert|2.1|Moilbbl|m3}} of crude oil per day, more than any other crude oil pipeline in the United States. Additionally, substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska’s bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. Alaska also offers some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country from its numerous rivers. Large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AK |title= EIA State Energy Profiles: Alaska |date=2008-06-12 |accessdate=2008-06-24}}</ref>

[[Image:Alaska Crude Oil Production.PNG|thumb|Alaska oil production peaked in 1988 and has declined 65% thereafter]]
Alaska's economy depends heavily on increasingly expensive [[diesel]] fuel for [[furnace|heating]], [[transportation]], [[electric power]] and light. Though [[wind power|wind]] and [[hydroelectric power]] are abundant and underutilized, proposals for state-wide energy systems (e.g. with special [[single-wire earth return#Use in Interties|low-cost electric interties]]) were judged uneconomical (at the time of the report, 2001) due to low (<$0.50/Gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population.<ref>[http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/AEIS/PDF_Files/AIDEA_Energy_Screening.pdf Screening Report for Alaska Rural Energy Plan], April, 2001</ref>  The cost of a [[gallon]] of gas in urban Alaska today is usually $0.30-$0.60 higher than the national average; prices in rural areas are generally significantly higher but vary widely depending on transportation costs, seasonal usage peaks, nearby petroleum development infrastructure and many other factors.

Alaska produces 14.3% of domestically produced oil in the United States,<ref>http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_crd_crpdn_adc_mbbl_a.htm</ref> an amount equal to 4.3% of the total oil consumption of the U.S.<ref>http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_crdsnd_adc_mbbl_a.htm</ref>

===Permanent Fund===
The [[Alaska Permanent Fund]] is a legislatively controlled appropriation established in 1976 to manage a surplus in state petroleum revenues from the recently constructed [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline System]]. From its initial principal of $734,000, the fund has grown to $38 billion as a result of oil royalties and capital investment programs.<ref>[http://www.apfc.org Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation]</ref> Starting in 1982, dividends from the fund's annual growth have been paid out each year to eligible Alaskans, ranging from $331.29 in 1984 to $1963.86 in 2000. Every year, the state legislature takes out 8 percent from the earnings, puts 3 percent back into the principal for inflation proofing, and the remaining 5 percent is distributed to all qualifying Alaskans. To qualify for the Alaska State Permanent Fund one must have lived in the state for a minimum of 11 months, and maintain constant residency.<ref>[http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/dividendamounts/index.aspx State of Alaska Permanent Fund Division]</ref>

===Cost of living===
The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage and to a lesser extent in Fairbanks, where the cost of living has dropped somewhat in the past five years. Federal government employees, particularly [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS) workers and active-duty military members, receive a Cost of Living Allowance usually set at 25% of base pay because, while the cost of living has gone down, it is still one of the highest in the country.

The introduction of [[big-box store]]s in Anchorage, Fairbanks ([[Wal-Mart]] in March 2004), and Juneau also did much to lower prices. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods, compared to the rest of the country due to the relatively limited transportation infrastructure. Many rural residents come into these cities and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like [[Costco]] and [[Sam's Club]]. Some have embraced the free shipping offers<ref>See [http://www.iglooalaska.com/AKshippingcosts.html] for examples of companies offering free shipping to Alaska</ref> of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all.

===Agriculture===
Due to the northern climate and steep terrain, relatively little farming occurs in Alaska. Most farms are in either the [[Matanuska Valley]], about 40 miles northeast of [[Anchorage]], or on the [[Kenai Peninsula]], about 60 miles southwest of Anchorage. The short 100-day growing season limits the crops that can be grown, but the long sunny summer days make for productive growing seasons. The primary crops are potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage. Farmers exhibit produce at the Alaska State Fair.<!---and at all state fairs BTW. so what?---> "Alaskan Grown" is used as an agricultural slogan.

Alaska has an abundance of seafood, with the primary fisheries in the [[Bering Sea]] and the [[North Pacific]], and seafood is one of the few food items that is often cheaper within the state than outside it. Many Alaskans fish the rivers during Salmon season to gather significant quantities of their household diet while fishing for subsistence, sport, or both.

Hunting for subsistence, primarily [[caribou]], [[moose]], and [[Dall sheep|sheep]] is still common in the state, particularly in remote [[Bush Alaska|Bush]] communities. An example of a traditional native food is [[Akutaq]], the Eskimo ice cream, which can consist of reindeer fat, seal oil, dried fish meat and local berries.

Most food in Alaska is transported into the state from "outside", and shipping costs make food in the cities relatively expensive. In rural areas, subsistence hunting and gathering is an essential activity because imported food is prohibitively expense. The cost of importing food to villages begins at $0.07/lb and rises rapidly to $0.50/lb or more. The cost of delivering a 7-pound gallon of milk is about $3.50 in many villages where per capita income can be $20,000 or less. Fuel for snow machines and boats that consume a couple gallons per hour can exceed $8.00.

==Transportation==
{{main|Transportation in Alaska}}
===Roads===
[[Image:Sewardhighway.jpg|[[Sterling Highway]]|thumb|250px]]
{{see also|List of Alaska Routes}}
Alaska has few road connections compared to the rest of the U.S. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the [[Alaska Highway]], the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, only a car ferry, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system, or building a road connection from [[Haines, Alaska|Haines]]. The western part of Alaska has no road system connecting the communities with the rest of Alaska.

One unique feature of the Alaska Highway system is the [[Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel]], an active [[Alaska Railroad]] tunnel recently upgraded to provide a paved roadway link with the isolated community of [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] on [[Prince William Sound]] to the [[Seward Highway]] about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage. At nearly {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} the tunnel was the longest road tunnel in North America until 2007.<ref>completion of the 3.5 mile (5.6 km) [[Interstate 93]] tunnel as part of the "[[Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)|Big Dig]]" project in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].</ref> The tunnel is the longest combination [[List of road-rail tunnels|road and rail tunnel]] in North America.

===Rail===
Built around 1915, the [[Alaska Railroad]] (ARR) played a key role in the development of Alaska through the 20th century. It links north Pacific shipping through providing critical infrastructure with tracks that run from [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]] to [[Interior Alaska]] via [[South Central Alaska]], passing through Anchorage, [[Eklutna, Alaska|Eklutna]], Wasilla, [[Talkeetna, Alaska|Talkeetna]], [[Denali]], and Fairbanks, with spurs to [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]], [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]] and [[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]]. The cities, towns, villages, and region served by ARR tracks are known statewide as "The Railbelt". In recent years, the ever-improving paved highway system began to eclipse the railroad's importance in Alaska's economy.

The railroad, though famed for its summertime tour passenger service, played a vital role in Alaska's development, moving freight into Alaska while transporting natural resources southward (i.e., coal from the Usibelli coal mine near [[Healy, Alaska|Healy]] to Seward and gravel from the Matanuska Valley to Anchorage.)

The Alaska Railroad was one of the last railroads in North America to use [[caboose]]s in regular service and still uses them on some gravel trains. It continues to offer one of the last [[Request stop|flag stop]] routes in the country. A stretch of about {{convert|60|mi|km}} of track along an area north of Talkeetna remains inaccessible by road; the railroad provides the only transportation to rural homes and cabins in the area; until construction of the Parks Highway in the 1970s, the railroad provided the only land access to most of the region along its entire route.

In northern Southeast Alaska, the [[White Pass and Yukon Railroad]] also partly runs through the State from [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] northwards into Canada ([[British Colombia]] and [[Yukon Territory]]), crossing the border at [[White Pass]] Summit. This line is now mainly used by tourists, often arriving by cruise liner at Skagway. It featured in the 1983 [[BBC]] television series [[Great Little Railways]].

===Marine transport===
Most cities, towns and villages in the state do not have road or highway access; the only modes of access involve travel by air, river, or the sea.

Alaska's well-developed state-owned ferry system (known as the [[Alaska Marine Highway]]) serves the cities of [[Alaska Panhandle|Southeast]], the Gulf Coast and the Alaska Peninsula. The system also operates a ferry service from [[Bellingham, Washington]] and [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia]] in [[Canada]] via the [[Inside Passage]] to [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]]. The [[Inter-Island Ferry Authority]] also serves as an important marine link for many communities in the [[Prince of Wales Island (Alaska)|Prince of Wales Island]] region of Southeast and works in concert with the Alaska Marine Highway.

In recent years, large cruise ships began creating a summertime tourism market, mainly connecting the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Alaska and, to a lesser degree, towns along the north gulf coast. Several times each summer, the population of [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] sharply rises for a few hours when two ships dock to debark more than a thousand passengers each while four other ships lie at anchor nearby, waiting their turn at the dock.

===Air transport===
[[Image:7377SEA618AS 01.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Alaska Airlines]] [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-700]]]]
Cities not served by road or sea can be reached only by air or by hiking/dogsled, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed [[Alaskan Bush|bush]] air services—an Alaskan novelty. Anchorage itself, and to a lesser extent Fairbanks, are serviced by [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport#Airlines and destinations|many major airlines]]. Air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (in 2000–2001, the latest year for which data is available, 2.4&nbsp;million total arrivals to Alaska were counted, 1.7&nbsp;million via air travel; 1.4&nbsp;million were visitors).<ref>State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. ''[http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/toubus/pub/AVSPSummerArrival111402.pdf Alaska Visitor Arrivals and Profile-Summer 2001]''. November, 2002; retrieved September 11, 2006.</ref><ref>State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. ''[http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/oed/toubus/pub/AVSPWinterArrival111402.pdf Alaska Visitor Arrivals and Profile-Fall/Winter 2001]''. November, 2002; retrieved September 11, 2006.</ref>

Regular flights to most villages and towns within the state are commercially viable are challenging to provide, so they are heavily subsidized by the federal government through the [[Essential Air Service]] program. [[Alaska Airlines]] is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger [[Boeing 737]]-400s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like [[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]], [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], [[Kotzebue, Alaska|Kotzebue]], [[Dillingham, Alaska|Dillingham]], [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]], and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. The bulk of remaining commercial flight offerings come from small regional commuter airlines such as [[Era Aviation]], [[PenAir]], and [[Frontier Flying Service]]. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the [[Cessna Caravan]], the most popular aircraft in use in the state. Much of this service can be attributed to the Alaska bypass mail program which subsidizes [[bulk mail]] delivery to Alaskan rural communities. The program requires 70% of that subsidy to go to carriers who offer passenger service to the communities. Perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the bush seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is [[Lake Hood Seaplane Base|Lake Hood]], located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from stores and warehouse clubs. Alaska has the highest number of pilots per capita of any U.S. state: out of the estimated 663,661 residents, 8,550 are pilots, or about one in 78.<ref>Federal Aviation Administration. ''[http://www.faa.gov/data_statistics/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/2005/ 2005 U.S. Civil Airman Statistics]''</ref> Meaning more than 1% of Alaskans are qualified pilots.<ref>anna.aero - [http://www.anna.aero/2008/10/03/anchorage-dominates-alaskan-airport-landscape/]</ref>

===Other transport===
Another Alaskan transportation method is the [[dogsled]]. In modern times (that is, any time after the mid-late 1920s), dog [[mushing]] is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]], a 1150-mile (1850&nbsp;km) trail from Anchorage to Nome (although the mileage varies from year to year, the official distance is set at 1049 miles). The race commemorates the famous [[1925 serum run to Nome]] in which mushers and dogs like [[Togo (dog)|Togo]] and [[Balto]] took much-needed medicine to the [[diphtheria]]-stricken community of [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] when all other means of transportation had failed. Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige. The "Serum Run" is another sled dog race that more accurately follows the route of the famous 1925 relay, leaving from the community of Nennana (southwest of Fairbanks) to Nome.<ref>[http://www.serumrun.org/ Norman Vaughan Serum Run]</ref>

In areas not served by road or rail, primary transportation in summer is by [[all-terrain vehicle]] and in winter by [[snowmobile]] or "snow machine," as it is commonly referred to in Alaska.

==Law and government==
{{Main|Government of Alaska}}

===State government===
Like all other U.S. states, Alaska is governed as a [[republic]], with three [[separation of powers|branches of government]]: an [[executive branch]] consisting of the [[Governor of Alaska]] and the other independently elected constitutional officers; a [[legislative branch]] consisting of the [[Alaska House of Representatives]] and [[Alaska Senate]]; and a [[judicial branch]] consisting of the [[Alaska Supreme Court]] and lower courts.

The State of Alaska employs approximately 15,000 employees statewide.<ref>http://dop.state.ak.us/employeeOrientation/introduction</ref>

The [[Alaska Legislature]] consists of a 40-member [[Alaska House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and a 20-member [[Alaska Senate|Senate]]. Senators serve four year terms and House members two. The [[Governor of Alaska]] serves four-year terms. The [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Alaska|lieutenant governor]] runs separately from the governor in the [[Primary election|primaries]], but during the [[general election]], the nominee for governor and nominee for lieutenant governor run together on the same ticket.

Alaska's court system has four levels: the [[Alaska Supreme Court]], the court of appeals, the superior courts and the district courts.<ref name="cts">[http://www.state.ak.us/courts/ctinfo.htm About the Alaska Court System]</ref> The superior and district courts are [[trial court]]s. Superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, while district courts only hear certain types of cases, including misdemeanor criminal cases and civil cases valued up to $100,000.<ref name="cts"/>  The Supreme Court and the Court Of Appeals are [[appellate court]]s. The Court Of Appeals is required to hear appeals from certain lower-court decisions, including those regarding criminal prosecutions, juvenile delinquency, and [[habeas corpus]].<ref name="cts"/> The Supreme Court hears civil appeals and may in its discretion hear criminal appeals.<ref name="cts"/>

===State politics===
Alaska has been characterized as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-leaning state with strong [[Libertarianism|Libertarian]] tendencies.<ref>National Journal Alaska State Profile [http://election.nationaljournal.com/states/ak.htm]</ref> Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, [[fishing]], [[tourism]], and [[individual rights]]. [[Alaska Native]]s, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the [[Alaska Native Regional Corporations|Native corporations]]. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship.

Alaska is one of the states with a more relaxed marijuana policy, where possession of up to one ounce is legal.<ref name=seattle_times>{{cite web |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003118645_webpot10.html |title="Judge rules against Alaska marijuana law" |accessdate=2008-05-22 |last=Volz |first=Matt |date=2006-07-11 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |publisher=Frank A. Blethen}}</ref>

The state has possessed an independence movement favoring secession from the United States, with the [[Alaska Independence Party]] labeled as one of the "the most significant state-level third parties operating in the 20th century".<ref>Doughtery, J. (2001, February 25). Alaska party stumps for independence. World Net Daily. Retrieved from http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21840</ref>

Most Alaskan governors have been conservatives, generally Republicans, but some have not always been elected under the official Republican banner. For example, Republican Governor [[Walter Joseph Hickel|Wally Hickel]] was elected to the office for a second term in 1990 after leaving the Republican ship and briefly joining the Alaskan Independence Party ticket just long enough to be reelected. He subsequently officially rejoined the Republican fold in 1994.

===Taxes===
To finance state government operations, Alaska depends primarily on [[petroleum]] revenues and federal subsidies. This allows it to have lowest individual tax burden in the United States,<ref>CNN Money (2005). How tax friendly is your state? Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/taxesbystate2005/index.html</ref> and be one of only five states with no state [[sales tax]], one of seven states that do not levy an individual [[income tax]], and one of two states that has neither. The Department of Revenue Tax Division<ref>[http://www.tax.state.ak.us/ Department of Revenue Tax Division]</ref>  reports regularly on the state's revenue sources. The Department also issues an annual overview of its operations, including new state laws that directly affect the tax division.

While Alaska has no state sales tax, 89 municipalities collect a local sales tax, from 1% to 7.5%, typically 3% to 5%. Other local taxes levied include raw fish taxes, hotel, motel, and [[bed and breakfast|B&B]] 'bed' taxes, severance taxes, liquor and tobacco] taxes, gaming (pull tabs) taxes, tire taxes and fuel transfer taxes. A percentage of revenue collected from certain state taxes and license fees (such as petroleum, aviation motor fuel, telephone cooperative) is shared with municipalities in Alaska.

[[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] has one of the highest property taxes in the state as no sales or income taxes are assessed in the [[Fairbanks North Star Borough]] (FNSB). A sales tax for the FNSB has been voted on many times, but has yet to be approved, leading law makers to increase taxes dramatically on other goods such as liquor and tobacco. 

In 2008 the [[Tax Foundation]] ranked Alaska as having the 4th most "business friendly" tax policy. Superior states were Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota.

===Federal politics===
{| align="right" border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 76%;"
|+ '''Presidential elections results'''
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''61.07%''' ''190,889
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|35.52% ''111,025
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''58.62%''' ''167,398
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|27.67% ''79,004
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1996|1996]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.80%''' ''122,746
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|33.27% ''80,380
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''39.46%''' ''102,000
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|30.29% '' ''78,294
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1988|1988]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''59.59%''' ''119,251
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|36.27% ''72,584
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1984|1984]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''66.65%''' ''138,377
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|29.87% ''62,007
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''54.35%''' ''86,112
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|26.41% ''41,842
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''57.90%''' ''71,555
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|35.65% ''44,058
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1972|1972]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''58.13%''' ''55,349
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|34.62% ''32,967
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''45.28%''' ''37,600
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|42.65% ''35,411
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|34.09% ''22,930
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|'''65.91%''' ''44,329
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|[[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]]
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|'''50.94%''' ''30,953
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|49.06% ''29,809
|}

In presidential elections, the state's [[electoral college]] votes have been almost always won by a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee. No state has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate fewer times. Alaska supported [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the landslide year of [[U.S. presidential election, 1964|1964]], although the [[U.S. presidential election, 1960|1960]] and [[U.S. presidential election, 1968|1968]] elections were close. President [[George W. Bush]] won the state's electoral votes in [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004]] by a margin of 25 percentage points with 61.1% of the vote. The [[The Bush (Alaska)|Alaska Bush]], the city of Juneau and midtown and downtown Anchorage have been strongholds of the Democratic party. Matanuska-Susitna Borough and South Anchorage typically have the strongest Republican showing. As of 2004, well over half of all registered voters have chosen "Non-Partisan" or "Undeclared" as their affiliation,<ref>http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/regbypty.htm</ref> despite recent attempts to close primaries.

Because of its population relative to other U.S. states, Alaska has only one member in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. This seat is currently being held by Republican [[Don Young]], who was re-elected to his 18th consecutive term in 2006.

Alaska's members of the [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]] are all Republican. U.S. Senator [[Ted Stevens]] was appointed to the position following the death of U.S. Senator [[Bob Bartlett]] in December 1968, and has not lost a re-election campaign since. As the longest-serving Republican in the Senate (sometimes nicknamed "Senator-For-Life" and often referred to as "Uncle Ted"), Stevens has been a crucial force in gaining federal money for his state. His seniority in Senate makes him one of the most influential Republican Senate members, however, Stevens received a federal indictment on corruption charges on July 29, 2008. He had previously gained attention for referring to the internet as "a [[series of tubes]]" on the Congress floor.

Republican [[Frank Murkowski]] held the state's other senatorial position. After being elected governor in 2002, he resigned. He then appointed his daughter, State Representative [[Lisa Murkowski]] as his successor. In response to a subsequent ballot initiative, the state legislature attempted to amend the law to limit the length of gubernatorial appointments. She won a full six-year term in 2004. In 2006 Frank Murkowski was defeated in the Republican primary by [[Sarah Palin]], who in 2008 became the Republican nominee for [[Vice President of the United States]]. Palin was the first woman to govern Alaska and the first Alaskan to receive the Vice Presidential nomination of a major party.

==Cities, towns and boroughs==
[[Image:Anchorage1.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.]]
[[Image:Fairbanks05.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Fairbanks]]
[[Image:Mount Juneau Alaska.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Juneau, the capital of Alaska.]]
{{seealso|List of cities in Alaska by population|Alaska locations by per capita income}}
Alaska is not divided into [[County (United States)|counties]], as most of the other U.S. states, but it is divided into ''[[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|boroughs]]''. Many of the more densely populated parts of the state are part of Alaska's sixteen boroughs, which function somewhat similarly to counties in other states. However, unlike county-equivalents in the other 49 states, the boroughs do not cover the entire land area of the state. The area not part of any borough is referred to as the [[Unorganized Borough, Alaska|Unorganized Borough]]. The Unorganized Borough has no government of its own, but the [[U.S. Census Bureau]] in cooperation with the state divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 [[census area]]s solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation.

The state's most populous city is [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], home to 278,700 people in 2006, 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. The richest [[Alaska locations by per capita income|location in Alaska by per capita income]] is [[Halibut Cove, Alaska|Halibut Cove]] ($89,895). Sitka, Juneau, and Anchorage are the three [[List of U.S. cities by area|largest cities in the U.S. by area]].

Also notable is the rapid growth of towns in the [[Mat-Su Valley]]. [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]] and [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]] are projected to experience a huge population growth between 2000 and 2010.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}

{|
 | colspan="5" | '''Cities of 100,000 or more people'''
*[[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]]
 |-
 | colspan="5" | '''Towns of 10,000-100,000 people'''
*[[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]]
*[[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] (State Capital)
|-
 | colspan="5" | '''Towns of 1,000-10,000 people'''
 |-
 | valign="top" |
*[[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]]
*[[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]]
*[[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]]
*[[Kenai, Alaska|Kenai]]
*[[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]]
*[[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]]
*[[Bethel, Alaska|Bethel]]
*[[Barrow, Alaska|Barrow]]
 | width="50px" | &nbsp;
 | valign="top" |
*[[Unalaska, Alaska|Unalaska]]
*[[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]]
*[[Soldotna, Alaska|Soldotna]]
*[[Homer, Alaska|Homer]]
*[[Nome, Alaska|Nome]]
*[[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]]
*[[Wrangell, Alaska|Wrangell]]
*[[Kotzebue, Alaska|Kotzebue]]
*[[Seward, Alaska|Seward]]
 | width="50px" | &nbsp;
 | valign="top" |
*[[Dillingham, Alaska|Dillingham]]
*[[Cordova, Alaska|Cordova]]
*[[Haines, Alaska|Haines]]
*[[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]]
*[[Hooper Bay, Alaska|Hooper Bay]]
*[[Craig, Alaska|Craig]]
*[[Houston, Alaska|Houston]]
*[[Metlakatla, Alaska|Metlakatla]]
|-
 | colspan="5" | '''Smaller towns'''
Alaska has many smaller towns, especially in the [[Alaska Bush]], the portion of the state that is inaccessible by road.
 |-
|}

==Education==
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development administers many [[List of school districts in Alaska|school district]]s in Alaska. In addition, the state operates several boarding schools, including [[Mt. Edgecumbe High School]] in [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]], [[Nenana Student Living Center]] in [[Nenana, Alaska|Nenana]], and Galena High School in [[Galena, Alaska|Galena]].<ref>[http://www.alaskaice.org/material.php?matID=138 Alaska ICE]</ref>

There are more than a dozen [[List of colleges and universities in Alaska|colleges and universities in Alaska]]. Accredited universities in Alaska include the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]], [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]], [[University of Alaska Southeast]], and [[Alaska Pacific University]].<ref>These are the only three universities in the state ranked by [[US News and World Report]].[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php]</ref> 43% of the population attends or attended college.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}

Alaska has had a problem with a "[[brain drain]]". Many of its young people, including most of the highest academic achievers, leave the state after high school graduation and do not return. The [[University of Alaska]] has attempted to combat this by offering partial four-year scholarships to the top 10% of Alaska high school graduates, via the Alaska Scholars Program.<ref>http://www.alaska.edu/scholars/faq.xml#scholars_award</ref><!--I assume the legislature had something to do with this? Is the U of AK private?--->

==Public health and public safety==
Alaska residents have long had a problem with alcohol use and abuse. Many rural communities in Alaska have outlawed its import. This problem directly relates to Alaska's high rate of [[Fetal alcohol syndrome]] (FAS) as well as contributing to the high rate of suicides. This is a controversial topic for many residents.{{Fact|date=August 2008}}

[[Domestic abuse]] and other violent crimes are also at high levels in the state; this is in part linked to alcohol abuse.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

==Culture==
:''See also [[List of artists and writers from Alaska]]''
{{Expand|section|date=April 2007}}
Some of Alaska's popular annual events are the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]] that starts in [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] and ends in [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]], World Ice Art Championships in [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], the Alaska Hummingbird Festival in [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]], the [[Sitka Whale Fest]], and the Stikine River Garnet Fest in [[Wrangell, Alaska|Wrangell]]. The [[Stikine River]] features the largest springtime concentration of American Bald Eagles in the world.

The [[Alaska Native Heritage Center]] celebrates the rich heritage of Alaska's 11 cultural groups. Their purpose is to enhance self-esteem among Native people and to encourage cross-cultural exchanges among all people. The [[Alaska Native Arts Foundation]] promotes and markets Native art from all regions and cultures in the State, both on the internet; at its gallery in Anchorage, 500 West Sixth Avenue, and at the [[Alaska House New York]], 109 Mercer Street in SoHo.<ref> www.alaskanativearts.org </ref>

Alaska Natives -- Inuit, Inupiaq or Yupik drummers and dancers -- give informal performances in the lobby of the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage on weekday evenings.{{Fact|date=September 2008}}

===Libraries===
The four main libraries in the state are the [[Alaska State Library]] in Juneau, the [[Elmer E. Rasmuson Library]] in Fairbanks, the [[Z. J. Loussac Library]] in Anchorage, and the [[UAA/APU Consortium Library]], also in Anchorage. Alaska is one of three states (the others are [[Delaware]] and [[Rhode Island]]) that does not have a [[Carnegie library]].

===Music===
{{main|Music of Alaska}}
Influences on music in Alaska include the traditional music of [[Alaska Natives]] as well as folk music brought by later immigrants from Russia and Europe. Prominent musicians from Alaska include singer [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]], traditional Aleut [[flute|flautist]] [[Mary Youngblood]], folk [[singer-songwriter]] [[Libby Roderick]], and the group [[Pamyua]].

There are many established music festivals in Alaska, including the [[Alaska Folk Festival]], the [[Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival]] the [[Anchorage Folk Festival]], the [[Athabascan Old-Time Fiddling Festival]], the Sitka Jazz Festival, and the [[Sitka Summer Music Festival]]. The most prominent [[symphony]] in Alaska is the [[Anchorage Symphony Orchestra]], though the [[Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Juneau Symphony]] are also notable. The [[Anchorage Opera]] is currently the state's only professional opera company, though there are several volunteer and semi-professional organizations in the state as well.

The official [[List of U.S. state songs|state song]] of Alaska is "[[Alaska's Flag]]", which was adopted in 1955; it celebrates the [[flag of Alaska]].

===Movies filmed in Alaska===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=October 2008}}
Two of the most prominent movies filmed in Alaska were ''[[Into the Wild (film)|Into the Wild]]'' and [[MGM]]'s [[Academy Award]] winning classic ''[[Eskimo/Mala The Magnificent]]'' starring Alaska's own [[Ray Mala]]. In 1932 an expedition set out from [[MGM]]'s studios in [[Hollywood]] to Alaska to film what was then billed as "The Biggest Picture Ever Made." Upon arriving in Alaska, they set up "Camp Hollywood" in Northwest Alaska where they lived during the duration of the filming. [[Louis B. Mayer]] spared no expense in making sure they had everything they needed during their stay -- he even sent the famous chef from the [[Roosevelt Hotel (Hollywood)|Hotel Roosevelt]] on [[Hollywood Blvd]] (the site of the first [[Oscars]]) with them to Alaska to cook for them. When ''Eskimo'' premiered at the famed [[Astor Theatre]] in Times Square, New York, the studio received the largest amount of feedback in the history of the studio up to that time. ''Eskimo'' was critically acclaimed and released worldwide; as a result [[Inupiat]] [[Eskimo]] actor [[Ray Mala]] became an international movie star. ''Eskimo'' is significant for the following: winning the very first [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for [[Best Film Editing]] at the [[Academy Awards]], for forever preserving [[Inupiat]] culture on film, and for being the first motion picture to be filmed in an all native language ([[Inupiat]]).

The psychological thriller, ''[[Insomnia (2002 film)| Insomnia]]'', starring [[Al Pacino]] and [[Robin Williams]] was extensively shot in Canada, but was set in Alaska. The 2007 horror feature ''[[30 Days of Night (film)|30 Days of Night]]'', is set in [[Barrow, Alaska]] but was filmed in New Zealand. Most films and television shows set in Alaska are not filmed there; for example, ''[[Northern Exposure]]'', set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, was actually filmed in Roslyn, Washington.

The 1983 Disney movie ''Never Cry Wolf'' was at least partially shot in Alaska. The 1991 film "[[White Fang (1991 film)|White Fang]]" starring [[Ethan Hawke]] was filmed in and around Haines, Alaska. The 1999 John Sayles film ''[[Limbo (film)|Limbo'' starring David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Kris Kristofferson was filmed in Juneau. Sean Penn filmed large portions of the film ''[[Into the Wild]]'' on location in Alaska. In 2008 the movie ''30 Days of Night'' was filmed partially in Alaska.

==State symbols==
*State Motto: North to the Future
*Nicknames: "The Last Frontier" or "Land of the Midnight Sun"
*State bird: [[Willow Ptarmigan]], adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1955. It is a small (15-17 inches) Arctic grouse that lives among willows and on open tundra and muskeg. Plumage is brown in summer, changing to white in winter. The Willow Ptarmigan is common in much of Alaska.
*State fish: [[King Salmon]], adopted 1962.
*State flower: wild/native [[Forget-me-not|Forget-Me-Not]], adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1917.<ref>[http://www.akcf.org/_pages/about_ACF/about_alaska/state_symbols.php Alaska Conservation Foundation - State Symbols]</ref> It is a perennial that is found throughout Alaska, from Hyder to the Arctic Coast, and west to the Aleutians.
*State fossil: [[Woolly Mammoth]], adopted 1986.
*State gem: [[Jade]], adopted 1968.
*State insect: Four-spot skimmer [[dragonfly]], adopted 1995.
*State land mammal: [[Moose]], adopted 1998.
*State marine mammal: [[Bowhead Whale]], adopted 1983.
*State mineral: [[Gold]], adopted 1968.
*State song: "[[Alaska's Flag]]"
*State sport: [[Mushing|Dog Mushing]], adopted 1972.
*State tree: [[Sitka Spruce]], adopted 1962.
*State soil: [[Estelle]], adopted unknown.

==Notables==
<!---NOTE: These need to be people who are known OUTSIDE of Alaska. So, by definition, the governor of the state would NOT (normally) make the list. They must be more famous than the governor or Senators --->
*[[Irene Bedard]], actress
*[[Tom Bodett]], author and voice actor
*[[Carlos Boozer]], professional basketball player
*[[Susan Butcher]], noted dog musher, four-time Iditarod winner
*[[Matt Carle]], professional ice hockey player
*[[Chad Carpenter]],<ref>{{cite press release|accessdate=2008-09-01
|url=http://www.housemajority.org/item.php?id=item20080827-618
|author=Representative Wes Keller
|title=Tundra Creator Honored as Alaska's Cartoon Laureate
|date=August 27, 2008
|publisher=Alaska State Legislature's House Majority
}}</ref> cartoonist and creator of the comic strip [[Tundra (comic strip)|Tundra]], which is self-syndicated to over 200 newspapers within the United States<ref>{{cite web
|accessdate=2008-09-01
|url=http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2008/05/24/chad-carpenter-wins-newspaper-panel-award/
|title=Chad Carpenter wins Newspaper Panel Award
|author=Gardner, Alan
|date=May 24, 2008
|work=The Daily Cartoonist
}}</ref> and, since 2007, has been syndicated internationally by [[King Features Syndicate]].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-09-01
|url=http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/feb/08/tundra-cartoonist-finds-success-unexpected-places/
|title=‘Tundra’ cartoonist finds success in unexpected places
|author=Richardson, Jeff
|date=February 8, 2008
|work=Fairbanks Daily News Miner}}</ref>
*[[Ty Conklin]], professional ice hockey player
*[[Brandon Dubinsky]], professional ice hockey player
*[[Shawn Chacon]], professional baseball player
*[[Scott Gomez]], professional ice hockey player
*[[Mike Gravel]], former U.S. Senator
*[[Ernest Gruening]], former U.S. Senator, journalist
*[[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]], singer/songwriter
*[[Sydney Laurence]], noted landscape painter
*[[Elizabeth Peratrovich]], civil rights activist
*[[Holly Madison]], model and television personality
*[[Sarah Palin]], 2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee, governor of Alaska
*[[Josh Phelps]], professional baseball player
*[[Libby Riddles]], noted dog musher, first woman to win Iditarod
*[[Curt Schilling]], professional baseball player
*[[Jefferson "Soapy" Smith]], con artist and gangster
*[[Dave Williams (baseball)|Dave Williams]], professional baseball player
*[[America's Next Top Model, Cycle 11|Hannah White]], contestant on ''America's Next Top Model, Cycle 11''.

==See also==
*[[List of Alaska-related topics]]
{{portal|Alaska|Flag of Alaska.svg|left=yes}}
{{clear}}
<!-- Please place links to all topics directly related to the State of Alaska in the [[List of Alaska-related topics]] -->

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Alaska}}
<!-- Please do not add commercial links to this section&nbsp;— they will be removed, as per the external links policy. Thank you. -->
;State Government
*[http://www.alaska.gov/ State of Alaska website]
*[http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Alaska Alaska State Databases] - Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Alaska state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
;U.S. Government
*[http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=AK Energy & Environmental Data for Alaska]
*[http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=AK USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Alaska]
*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02000.html US Census Bureau]
*[http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/ak.htm Alaska State Facts]
;Other
*[http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_COMDB.htm Alaska Community Database System]
*[http://vilda.alaska.edu/index.php Alaska's Digital Archives]
*[http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/alaska Alaska], project area of the [http://www.alcnet.org American Land Conservancy]
*[http://www.aitc.org/ Alaska Inter-Tribal Council]
*{{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Alaska}}
{{-}}
{{Alaska|expanded}}
{{United States}}
{{US West}}

{{succession
| preceded = [[Arizona]]
| office = [[List of U.S. states by date of statehood]]
| years = Admitted on January 3, 1959 (49th)
| succeeded = [[Hawaii]]
}}

{{coord|64|N|153|W|region:US-AK_type:adm1st_scale:10000000|display=title}}

[[Category:1959 establishments]]
[[Category:Alaska| ]]
[[Category:Arctic Ocean]]
[[Category:Exclaves]]
[[Category:Proposed countries]]
[[Category:Former Russian colonies]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]

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CLEAN PAGE:

[Alaska (,  Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent. As of 2007, the population was 683,478 with approximately 50% residing along the Anchorage metropolitan areas. 
The area that became Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire after Congress concluded its resources could be vitally important to the nation's future growth. The United States completed the purchase on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million at 2 cents per acre, about 5 cents per hectare. When adjusted for inflation, the total sum paid equates to approximately $360 million in 2008 dollars.The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized territory on May 11, 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name Alaska was already introduced in the Russian colonial time, when it was only used for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning the mainland, or more literally, the object towards which the action of the sea is directed. It is also known as Alyeska, the great land, an Aleut word derived from the same root.
Geography
Alaska is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state, Hawaii being the other. Alaska has more coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. It is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America; about  of Canada separate Alaska from Washington State. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States. It is technically part of the continental U.S., but is often not included in colloquial use; Alaska is not part of the contiguous U.S., often called the Lower 48.  Juneau, Alaska's capital city, though located on the mainland of the North American continent, is inaccessible by land-no roads connect Juneau to the rest of the North American highway system. 
The state is bordered by the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada, to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north. 
Alaska is the largest state in the United States in land area at , more than twice as large as Texas, the next largest state.
It is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries.
Alaska is larger than the combined area of the next three largest states: Texas, California, and Montana.
It is also larger than the combined area of the 23 smallest U.S. States and Districts: Washington, D.C., Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina, Maine, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina
Also, compared with territory outside the United States, Alaska is larger than Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom combined.
One scheme for describing the state's geography is by labeling the regions:
South Central Alaska is the southern coastal region and contains most of the state's population. Anchorage and many growing towns, such as Eagle River, Palmer, and Wasilla, lie within this area. Petroleum industrial plants, transportation, tourism, and two military bases form the core of the economy here.
The Alaska Panhandle, also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater glaciers, the many islands and channels of the Alexander Archipelago and extensive forests. Tourism, fishing, forestry and state government anchor the economy.
Southwest Alaska is largely coastal, bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. It is sparsely populated, and unconnected to the road system, but very important to the fishing industry. Half of all fish caught in the western U.S. come from the Bering Sea, and Bristol Bay has the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.Southwest Alaska includes Katmai and Lake Clark national parks as well as numerous wildlife refuges. The region comprises western Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay and its watersheds, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. It is known for wet and stormy weather, tundra landscapes, and large populations of salmon, brown bear, caribou, birds, and marine mammals.
The Alaska Interior is home to Fairbanks. The geography is marked by large braided rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River, as well as Arctic tundra lands and shorelines.
The Alaskan Bush is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns such as Nome, Bethel, Kotzebue and, most famously, Barrow, the northernmost town in the United States, as well as the northern most town on the contiguous North American continent (cities in Greenland, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut that are farther north are on islands).
The northeast corner of Alaska is covered by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which covers . Much of the northwest is covered by the larger National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which covers around . The Arctic is Alaska's most remote wilderness. A location in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska is  miles from any town or village, the geographic point most remote from permanent habitation in the USA.
With its myriad islands, Alaska has nearly  of tidal shoreline. The Aleutian Islands chain extends west from the southern tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Many active volcanoes are found in the Aleutians. Unimak Island, for example, is home to Mount Shishaldin which is a moderately active volcano that rises to  above sea level. The chain of volcanoes extends to Mount Spurr, west of Anchorage on the mainland.
One of North America's largest tides occurs in Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage - tidal differences can be more than . (Many sources say Turnagain has the second-greatest tides in North America, but several areas in Canada have larger tides.)
Alaska has more than 3 million lakes. Marshlands and wetland permafrost cover  (mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands). Frozen water, in the form of glacier ice, covers some  of land and  of tidal zone. The Bering Glacier complex near the southeastern border with Yukon, Canada, covers  alone.
The International Date Line jogs west of 180° to keep the whole state, and thus the entire continental United States, within the same legal day.
According to an October 1998 report by the United States Bureau of Land Management, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the U.S. federal government as public lands, including a multitude of national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. Of these, the Bureau of Land Management manages 87 million acres (350,000 km²), or 23.8% of the state. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 
Of the remaining land area, the State of Alaska owns 24.5%; another 10% is managed by 13 regional and dozens of local Native corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Various private interests own the remaining land, totaling less than 1%.
Alaska is administratively divided into boroughs, as opposed to counties or parishes.  The function is the same, but whereas some states use a three-tiered system of decentralization-state/county/township-most of Alaska uses only two tiers-state/borough. Owing to the low population density, most of the land is located in the Unorganized Borough which, as the name implies, has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the state government. Currently (2000 census) 57.71% of Alaska's area has this status, with 13.05% of the population. For statistical purposes the United States Census Bureau divides this territory into census areas. Anchorage merged the city government with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough in 1971 to form the Municipality of Anchorage, containing the city proper and the bedroom communities of Eagle River, Chugiak, Peters Creek, Girdwood, Bird, and Indian. Fairbanks has a separate borough (the Fairbanks North Star Borough) and municipality (the City of Fairbanks).
Climate
The climate in Juneau and the southeast panhandle is a mid-latitude oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) in the southern sections and a subarctic oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc) in the northern parts. On an annual basis, the panhandle is both the wettest and warmest part of Alaska with milder temperatures in the winter and high precipitation throughout the year. Juneau averages over  of precipitation a year, while other areas receive over . This is also the only region in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.
The climate of Anchorage and south central Alaska is mild by Alaskan standards due to the region's proximity to the seacoast. While the area does not get nearly as much rain as southeast Alaska, it does get more snow, although days tend to be clearer. On average, Anchorage receives  of precipitation a year, with around  of snow, although there are areas in the south central which receive far more snow. It is a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) due to its short, cool summers.
The climate of Western Alaska is determined in large part by the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. It is a subarctic oceanic climate in the southwest and a continental subarctic climate farther north. The temperature is somewhat moderate considering how far north the area is. This area has a tremendous amount of variety in precipitation. The northern side of the Seward Peninsula is technically a desert with less than  of precipitation annually, while some locations between Dillingham and Bethel average around  of precipitation.
The climate of the interior of Alaska is best described as extreme and is a good example of a true subarctic climate. Some of the hottest and coldest temperatures in Alaska occur around the area near Fairbanks. The summers can have temperatures reaching into the 90s°F (the low to mid 30s °C), while in the winter, the temperature can fall below −60 °F (-52 °C). Precipitation is sparse in the Interior, often less than  a year, but what precipitation falls in the winter tends to stay the entire winter.
The highest and lowest recorded temperatures in Alaska are both in the Interior. The highest is 100 °F (38 °C) in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915, tied with Pahala, Hawaii as the lowest high temperature in the United States. The lowest Alaska temperature is −80 °F (-62 °C) in Prospect Creek on January 23, 1971,
The climate in the extreme north of Alaska is as expected for an area north of the Arctic Circle. It is an Arctic climate (Köppen ET) with long, very cold winters and short, cool summers. Even in July, the average low temperature is barely above freezing in Barrow, at 34 °F (2 °C). Precipitation is light in this part of Alaska, with many places averaging less than  per year, mostly in the form of snow which stays on the ground almost the entire year.
History
The first European contact with Alaska occurred in the year 1741, when Vitus Bering led an expedition for the Russian Navy aboard the St. Peter. After his crew returned to Russia bearing sea otter pelts judged to be the finest fur in the world, small associations of fur traders began to sail from the shores of Siberia towards the Aleutian islands. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1784, and the Russian-American Company carried out an expanded colonization program during the early to mid-1800s. Despite these efforts, the Russians never fully colonized Alaska, and the colony was never very profitable. William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, negotiated the Alaskan purchase in 1867 for $7.2 million.
In the 1890s, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was granted territorial status in 1912.
During World War II, the Aleutian Islands Campaign focused on the three outer Aleutian Islands - Attu, Agattu and Kiska - that were invaded by Japanese troops and occupied between June 1942 and August 1943. Unalaska/Dutch Harbor became a significant base for the U.S. Army Air Corps and Navy submariners.
The U.S. Lend-Lease program involved flying American warplanes through Canada to Fairbanks and thence Nome; Russian pilots took possession of these aircraft, ferrying them to fight the German invasion of Russia. The construction of military bases contributed to the population growth of some Alaskan cities.
Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959.
In 1964, the massive Good Friday Earthquake killed 131 people and destroyed several villages, many by the resultant tsunami.
The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and the 1977 completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline led to an oil boom. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in the Prince William Sound, spilling between 11 and 35 million US gallons (42,000-130,000 m³) of crude oil over 1,100 miles (1,600 km) of coastline. Today, the battle between philosophies of development and conservation is seen in the contentious debate over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Demographics
In 2006 Alaska had an estimated population of 670,053, an increase of 6,392 (0.96%) from 2005 and 43,121 (6.9%) from 2000. In 2000 Alaska ranked 48th out of 50 states by population. Alaska is the least densely populated state, at 1.1 people per square mile (0.42/km²), with the next state, Wyoming, at 5.1 per square mile (1.97/km²). It is the largest U.S. state by area, and the 6th wealthiest (per capita income). 
Race and ancestry
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 69.3% of single-race Alaska residents were White and 15.6% were Native American or Alaska Native, the largest proportion of any state. Multiracial/Mixed-Race people are the third largest group of people in the state, totaling 6.9% of the population. The largest self-reported ancestry groups in the state are German (16.6%), Alaska Native or American Indian (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), British (9.6%), American (5.7%), and Norwegian (4.2%).
The vast sparsely populated regions of northern and western Alaska are primarily inhabited by Alaska Natives, who are also numerous in the southeast. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of south-central and southeast Alaska have many whites of northern and western European ancestry. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has many residents of Scandinavian ancestry and the Aleutians contain a large Filipino population. Most of the state's black population lives in Anchorage, though Fairbanks also has a sizable black population.
Languages
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 85.7% of Alaska residents aged 5 and older speak English at home. The next most common languages are Spanish (2.88%), Yupik (2.87%), Tagalog (1.54%), and Iñupiaq (1.06%).  A total of 5.2% of Alaskans speak one of the state's 22 indigenous languages, known locally as Native American languages, of which most are moribund.
Religion
Alaska has been identified, along with Pacific Northwest states Washington and Oregon, as being the least religious in the U.S.  According to statistics collected by the Association of Religion Data Archives, only about 39% of Alaska residents were members of religious congregations. Evangelical Protestants had 78,070 members, Roman Catholics had 54,359, and mainline Protestants had 37,156.  After Catholics, the largest single denominations are Mormons with 28,956, Southern Baptists with 22,959, and Orthodox with 20,000. The large Eastern Orthodox population is a result of early Russian colonization and missionary work among Alaska Natives. In 1795, the First Russian Orthodox Church was established in Kodiak. Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives helped the Russian immigrants integrate into society. As a result, more and more Russian Orthodox churches gradually became established within Alaska. Alaska also has the largest Quaker population (by percentage) of any state. In 2003 there were 3,000 Jews in Alaska. Estimates for the number of Alaskan Muslims range from 2,000 to 5,000.  Hindus are also represented through a number of temples and associations (such as the Sri Ganesha Mandir, Anchorage), and adherents number over one thousand. Alaskan Hindus often share venues and celebrations with members of other religious communities including Sikhs and Jains.
, Economy
The 2005 gross state product was $39.9 billion. Its per-capita GSP for 2006 was $43,748, 7th in the nation. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the state's revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska's main export product (excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab. Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaskan economy. Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Federal subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.
Energy
Alaska has vast energy resources. Major oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins. According to the Energy Information Administration, Alaska ranks second in the nation in crude oil production. Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope is the highest yielding oil field in the United States typically producing about . The Trans-Alaska Pipeline can pump up to  of crude oil per day, more than any other crude oil pipeline in the United States. Additionally, substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska's bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. Alaska also offers some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country from its numerous rivers. Large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential as well.
Alaska's economy depends heavily on increasingly expensive diesel fuel for heating, transportation, electric power and light. Though wind and hydroelectric power are abundant and underutilized, proposals for state-wide energy systems (e.g. with special low-cost electric interties) were judged uneconomical (at the time of the report, 2001) due to low (<$0.50/Gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population.  The cost of a gallon of gas in urban Alaska today is usually $0.30-$0.60 higher than the national average; prices in rural areas are generally significantly higher but vary widely depending on transportation costs, seasonal usage peaks, nearby petroleum development infrastructure and many other factors.
Alaska produces 14.3% of domestically produced oil in the United States, an amount equal to 4.3% of the total oil consumption of the U.S.
Permanent Fund
The Alaska Permanent Fund is a legislatively controlled appropriation established in 1976 to manage a surplus in state petroleum revenues from the recently constructed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. From its initial principal of $734,000, the fund has grown to $38 billion as a result of oil royalties and capital investment programs. Starting in 1982, dividends from the fund's annual growth have been paid out each year to eligible Alaskans, ranging from $331.29 in 1984 to $1963.86 in 2000. Every year, the state legislature takes out 8 percent from the earnings, puts 3 percent back into the principal for inflation proofing, and the remaining 5 percent is distributed to all qualifying Alaskans. To qualify for the Alaska State Permanent Fund one must have lived in the state for a minimum of 11 months, and maintain constant residency.
Cost of living
The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage and to a lesser extent in Fairbanks, where the cost of living has dropped somewhat in the past five years. Federal government employees, particularly United States Postal Service (USPS) workers and active-duty military members, receive a Cost of Living Allowance usually set at 25% of base pay because, while the cost of living has gone down, it is still one of the highest in the country.
The introduction of big-box stores in Anchorage, Fairbanks (Wal-Mart in March 2004), and Juneau also did much to lower prices. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods, compared to the rest of the country due to the relatively limited transportation infrastructure. Many rural residents come into these cities and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. Some have embraced the free shipping offers of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all.
Agriculture
Due to the northern climate and steep terrain, relatively little farming occurs in Alaska. Most farms are in either the Matanuska Valley, about 40 miles northeast of Anchorage, or on the Kenai Peninsula, about 60 miles southwest of Anchorage. The short 100-day growing season limits the crops that can be grown, but the long sunny summer days make for productive growing seasons. The primary crops are potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and cabbage. Farmers exhibit produce at the Alaska State Fair. Alaskan Grown is used as an agricultural slogan.
Alaska has an abundance of seafood, with the primary fisheries in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific, and seafood is one of the few food items that is often cheaper within the state than outside it. Many Alaskans fish the rivers during Salmon season to gather significant quantities of their household diet while fishing for subsistence, sport, or both.
Hunting for subsistence, primarily caribou, moose, and sheep is still common in the state, particularly in remote Bush communities. An example of a traditional native food is Akutaq, the Eskimo ice cream, which can consist of reindeer fat, seal oil, dried fish meat and local berries.
Most food in Alaska is transported into the state from outside, and shipping costs make food in the cities relatively expensive. In rural areas, subsistence hunting and gathering is an essential activity because imported food is prohibitively expense. The cost of importing food to villages begins at $0.07/lb and rises rapidly to $0.50/lb or more. The cost of delivering a 7-pound gallon of milk is about $3.50 in many villages where per capita income can be $20,000 or less. Fuel for snow machines and boats that consume a couple gallons per hour can exceed $8.00.
Transportation
Roads
Alaska has few road connections compared to the rest of the U.S. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, only a car ferry, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system, or building a road connection from Haines. The western part of Alaska has no road system connecting the communities with the rest of Alaska.
One unique feature of the Alaska Highway system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, an active Alaska Railroad tunnel recently upgraded to provide a paved roadway link with the isolated community of Whittier on Prince William Sound to the Seward Highway about 50 miles southeast of Anchorage. At nearly  the tunnel was the longest road tunnel in North America until 2007. The tunnel is the longest combination road and rail tunnel in North America.
Rail
Built around 1915, the Alaska Railroad (ARR) played a key role in the development of Alaska through the 20th century. It links north Pacific shipping through providing critical infrastructure with tracks that run from Seward to Interior Alaska via South Central Alaska, passing through Anchorage, Eklutna, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks, with spurs to Whittier, Palmer and North Pole. The cities, towns, villages, and region served by ARR tracks are known statewide as The Railbelt. In recent years, the ever-improving paved highway system began to eclipse the railroad's importance in Alaska's economy.
The railroad, though famed for its summertime tour passenger service, played a vital role in Alaska's development, moving freight into Alaska while transporting natural resources southward (i.e., coal from the Usibelli coal mine near Healy to Seward and gravel from the Matanuska Valley to Anchorage.)
The Alaska Railroad was one of the last railroads in North America to use cabooses in regular service and still uses them on some gravel trains. It continues to offer one of the last flag stop routes in the country. A stretch of about  of track along an area north of Talkeetna remains inaccessible by road; the railroad provides the only transportation to rural homes and cabins in the area; until construction of the Parks Highway in the 1970s, the railroad provided the only land access to most of the region along its entire route.
In northern Southeast Alaska, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad also partly runs through the State from Skagway northwards into Canada (British Colombia and Yukon Territory), crossing the border at White Pass Summit. This line is now mainly used by tourists, often arriving by cruise liner at Skagway. It featured in the 1983 BBC television series Great Little Railways.
Marine transport
Most cities, towns and villages in the state do not have road or highway access; the only modes of access involve travel by air, river, or the sea.
Alaska's well-developed state-owned ferry system (known as the Alaska Marine Highway) serves the cities of Southeast, the Gulf Coast and the Alaska Peninsula. The system also operates a ferry service from Bellingham, Washington and Prince Rupert, British Columbia in Canada via the Inside Passage to Skagway. The Inter-Island Ferry Authority also serves as an important marine link for many communities in the Prince of Wales Island region of Southeast and works in concert with the Alaska Marine Highway.
In recent years, large cruise ships began creating a summertime tourism market, mainly connecting the Pacific Northwest to Southeast Alaska and, to a lesser degree, towns along the north gulf coast. Several times each summer, the population of Ketchikan sharply rises for a few hours when two ships dock to debark more than a thousand passengers each while four other ships lie at anchor nearby, waiting their turn at the dock.
Air transport
Cities not served by road or sea can be reached only by air or by hiking/dogsled, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed bush air services-an Alaskan novelty. Anchorage itself, and to a lesser extent Fairbanks, are serviced by many major airlines. Air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (in 2000-2001, the latest year for which data is available, 2.4 million total arrivals to Alaska were counted, 1.7 million via air travel; 1.4 million were visitors).
Regular flights to most villages and towns within the state are commercially viable are challenging to provide, so they are heavily subsidized by the federal government through the Essential Air Service program. Alaska Airlines is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-400s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. The bulk of remaining commercial flight offerings come from small regional commuter airlines such as Era Aviation, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. Much of this service can be attributed to the Alaska bypass mail program which subsidizes bulk mail delivery to Alaskan rural communities. The program requires 70% of that subsidy to go to carriers who offer passenger service to the communities. Perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the bush seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from stores and warehouse clubs. Alaska has the highest number of pilots per capita of any U.S. state: out of the estimated 663,661 residents, 8,550 are pilots, or about one in 78. Meaning more than 1% of Alaskans are qualified pilots.
Other transport
Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled. In modern times (that is, any time after the mid-late 1920s), dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1150-mile (1850 km) trail from Anchorage to Nome (although the mileage varies from year to year, the official distance is set at 1049 miles). The race commemorates the famous 1925 serum run to Nome in which mushers and dogs like Togo and Balto took much-needed medicine to the diphtheria-stricken community of Nome when all other means of transportation had failed. Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige. The Serum Run is another sled dog race that more accurately follows the route of the famous 1925 relay, leaving from the community of Nennana (southwest of Fairbanks) to Nome.
In areas not served by road or rail, primary transportation in summer is by all-terrain vehicle and in winter by snowmobile or snow machine, as it is commonly referred to in Alaska.
Law and government
State government
Like all other U.S. states, Alaska is governed as a republic, with three branches of government: an executive branch consisting of the Governor of Alaska and the other independently elected constitutional officers; a legislative branch consisting of the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate; and a judicial branch consisting of the Alaska Supreme Court and lower courts.
The State of Alaska employs approximately 15,000 employees statewide.
The Alaska Legislature consists of a 40-member House of Representatives and a 20-member Senate. Senators serve four year terms and House members two. The Governor of Alaska serves four-year terms. The lieutenant governor runs separately from the governor in the primaries, but during the general election, the nominee for governor and nominee for lieutenant governor run together on the same ticket.
, Alaska's court system has four levels: the Alaska Supreme Court, the court of appeals, the superior courts and the district courts. The superior and district courts are trial courts. Superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, while district courts only hear certain types of cases, including misdemeanor criminal cases and civil cases valued up to $100,000.  The Supreme Court and the Court Of Appeals are appellate courts. The Court Of Appeals is required to hear appeals from certain lower-court decisions, including those regarding criminal prosecutions, juvenile delinquency, and habeas corpus. The Supreme Court hears civil appeals and may in its discretion hear criminal appeals.
State politics
Alaska has been characterized as a Republican-leaning state with strong Libertarian tendencies. Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights. Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the Native corporations. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship.
Alaska is one of the states with a more relaxed marijuana policy, where possession of up to one ounce is legal.
The state has possessed an independence movement favoring secession from the United States, with the Alaska Independence Party labeled as one of the the most significant state-level third parties operating in the 20th century.
Most Alaskan governors have been conservatives, generally Republicans, but some have not always been elected under the official Republican banner. For example, Republican Governor Wally Hickel was elected to the office for a second term in 1990 after leaving the Republican ship and briefly joining the Alaskan Independence Party ticket just long enough to be reelected. He subsequently officially rejoined the Republican fold in 1994.
Taxes
To finance state government operations, Alaska depends primarily on petroleum revenues and federal subsidies. This allows it to have lowest individual tax burden in the United States, and be one of only five states with no state sales tax, one of seven states that do not levy an individual income tax, and one of two states that has neither. The Department of Revenue Tax Division  reports regularly on the state's revenue sources. The Department also issues an annual overview of its operations, including new state laws that directly affect the tax division.
While Alaska has no state sales tax, 89 municipalities collect a local sales tax, from 1% to 7.5%, typically 3% to 5%. Other local taxes levied include raw fish taxes, hotel, motel, and B&B 'bed' taxes, severance taxes, liquor and tobacco] taxes, gaming (pull tabs) taxes, tire taxes and fuel transfer taxes. A percentage of revenue collected from certain state taxes and license fees (such as petroleum, aviation motor fuel, telephone cooperative) is shared with municipalities in Alaska.
Fairbanks has one of the highest property taxes in the state as no sales or income taxes are assessed in the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB). A sales tax for the FNSB has been voted on many times, but has yet to be approved, leading law makers to increase taxes dramatically on other goods such as liquor and tobacco. 
In 2008 the Tax Foundation ranked Alaska as having the 4th most business friendly tax policy. Superior states were Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota.
Federal politics
In presidential elections, the state's electoral college votes have been almost always won by a Republican nominee. No state has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate fewer times. Alaska supported Democratic nominee Lyndon B. Johnson in the landslide year of 1964, although the 1960 and 1968 elections were close. President George W. Bush won the state's electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 25 percentage points with 61.1% of the vote. The Alaska Bush, the city of Juneau and midtown and downtown Anchorage have been strongholds of the Democratic party. Matanuska-Susitna Borough and South Anchorage typically have the strongest Republican showing. As of 2004, well over half of all registered voters have chosen Non-Partisan or Undeclared as their affiliation, despite recent attempts to close primaries.
Because of its population relative to other U.S. states, Alaska has only one member in the U.S. House of Representatives. This seat is currently being held by Republican Don Young, who was re-elected to his 18th consecutive term in 2006.
Alaska's members of the U.S. Congress are all Republican. U.S. Senator Ted Stevens was appointed to the position following the death of U.S. Senator Bob Bartlett in December 1968, and has not lost a re-election campaign since. As the longest-serving Republican in the Senate (sometimes nicknamed Senator-For-Life and often referred to as Uncle Ted), Stevens has been a crucial force in gaining federal money for his state. His seniority in Senate makes him one of the most influential Republican Senate members, however, Stevens received a federal indictment on corruption charges on July 29, 2008. He had previously gained attention for referring to the internet as a series of tubes on the Congress floor.
Republican Frank Murkowski held the state's other senatorial position. After being elected governor in 2002, he resigned. He then appointed his daughter, State Representative Lisa Murkowski as his successor. In response to a subsequent ballot initiative, the state legislature attempted to amend the law to limit the length of gubernatorial appointments. She won a full six-year term in 2004. In 2006 Frank Murkowski was defeated in the Republican primary by Sarah Palin, who in 2008 became the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States. Palin was the first woman to govern Alaska and the first Alaskan to receive the Vice Presidential nomination of a major party.
Cities, towns and boroughs
Alaska is not divided into counties, as most of the other U.S. states, but it is divided into boroughs. Many of the more densely populated parts of the state are part of Alaska's sixteen boroughs, which function somewhat similarly to counties in other states. However, unlike county-equivalents in the other 49 states, the boroughs do not cover the entire land area of the state. The area not part of any borough is referred to as the Unorganized Borough. The Unorganized Borough has no government of its own, but the U.S. Census Bureau in cooperation with the state divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 census areas solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation.
The state's most populous city is Anchorage, home to 278,700 people in 2006, 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. The richest location in Alaska by per capita income is Halibut Cove ($89,895). Sitka, Juneau, and Anchorage are the three largest cities in the U.S. by area.
Also notable is the rapid growth of towns in the Mat-Su Valley. Wasilla and Palmer are projected to experience a huge population growth between 2000 and 2010.
Education
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development administers many school districts in Alaska. In addition, the state operates several boarding schools, including Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, Nenana Student Living Center in Nenana, and Galena High School in Galena.
There are more than a dozen colleges and universities in Alaska. Accredited universities in Alaska include the University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, and Alaska Pacific University. 43% of the population attends or attended college.
Alaska has had a problem with a brain drain. Many of its young people, including most of the highest academic achievers, leave the state after high school graduation and do not return. The University of Alaska has attempted to combat this by offering partial four-year scholarships to the top 10% of Alaska high school graduates, via the Alaska Scholars Program.
Public health and public safety
Alaska residents have long had a problem with alcohol use and abuse. Many rural communities in Alaska have outlawed its import. This problem directly relates to Alaska's high rate of Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as well as contributing to the high rate of suicides. This is a controversial topic for many residents.
Domestic abuse and other violent crimes are also at high levels in the state; this is in part linked to alcohol abuse.
Culture
:See also List of artists and writers from Alaska
Some of Alaska's popular annual events are the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome, World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, the Alaska Hummingbird Festival in Ketchikan, the Sitka Whale Fest, and the Stikine River Garnet Fest in Wrangell. The Stikine River features the largest springtime concentration of American Bald Eagles in the world.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center celebrates the rich heritage of Alaska's 11 cultural groups. Their purpose is to enhance self-esteem among Native people and to encourage cross-cultural exchanges among all people. The Alaska Native Arts Foundation promotes and markets Native art from all regions and cultures in the State, both on the internet; at its gallery in Anchorage, 500 West Sixth Avenue, and at the Alaska House New York, 109 Mercer Street in SoHo.
Alaska Natives -- Inuit, Inupiaq or Yupik drummers and dancers -- give informal performances in the lobby of the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage on weekday evenings.
Libraries
The four main libraries in the state are the Alaska State Library in Juneau, the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library in Fairbanks, the Z. J. Loussac Library in Anchorage, and the UAA/APU Consortium Library, also in Anchorage. Alaska is one of three states (the others are Delaware and Rhode Island) that does not have a Carnegie library.
Music
Influences on music in Alaska include the traditional music of Alaska Natives as well as folk music brought by later immigrants from Russia and Europe. Prominent musicians from Alaska include singer Jewel, traditional Aleut flautist Mary Youngblood, folk singer-songwriter Libby Roderick, and the group Pamyua.
There are many established music festivals in Alaska, including the Alaska Folk Festival, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival the Anchorage Folk Festival, the Athabascan Old-Time Fiddling Festival, the Sitka Jazz Festival, and the Sitka Summer Music Festival. The most prominent symphony in Alaska is the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, though the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Juneau Symphony are also notable. The Anchorage Opera is currently the state's only professional opera company, though there are several volunteer and semi-professional organizations in the state as well.
The official state song of Alaska is Alaska's Flag, which was adopted in 1955; it celebrates the flag of Alaska.
Movies filmed in Alaska
Two of the most prominent movies filmed in Alaska were Into the Wild and MGM's Academy Award winning classic Eskimo/Mala The Magnificent starring Alaska's own Ray Mala. In 1932 an expedition set out from MGM's studios in Hollywood to Alaska to film what was then billed as The Biggest Picture Ever Made. Upon arriving in Alaska, they set up Camp Hollywood in Northwest Alaska where they lived during the duration of the filming. Louis B. Mayer spared no expense in making sure they had everything they needed during their stay -- he even sent the famous chef from the Hotel Roosevelt on Hollywood Blvd (the site of the first Oscars) with them to Alaska to cook for them. When Eskimo premiered at the famed Astor Theatre in Times Square, New York, the studio received the largest amount of feedback in the history of the studio up to that time. Eskimo was critically acclaimed and released worldwide; as a result Inupiat Eskimo actor Ray Mala became an international movie star. Eskimo is significant for the following: winning the very first Oscar for Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards, for forever preserving Inupiat culture on film, and for being the first motion picture to be filmed in an all native language (Inupiat).
The psychological thriller,  Insomnia, starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams was extensively shot in Canada, but was set in Alaska. The 2007 horror feature 30 Days of Night, is set in Barrow, Alaska but was filmed in New Zealand. Most films and television shows set in Alaska are not filmed there; for example, Northern Exposure, set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, was actually filmed in Roslyn, Washington.
The 1983 Disney movie Never Cry Wolf was at least partially shot in Alaska. The 1991 film White Fang starring Ethan Hawke was filmed in and around Haines, Alaska. The 1999 John Sayles film Limbo starring David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Kris Kristofferson was filmed in Juneau. Sean Penn filmed large portions of the film Into the Wild on location in Alaska. In 2008 the movie 30 Days of Night was filmed partially in Alaska.
State symbols
State bird: Willow Ptarmigan, adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1955. It is a small (15-17 inches) Arctic grouse that lives among willows and on open tundra and muskeg. Plumage is brown in summer, changing to white in winter. The Willow Ptarmigan is common in much of Alaska.
State flower: wild/native Forget-Me-Not, adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1917. It is a perennial that is found throughout Alaska, from Hyder to the Arctic Coast, and west to the Aleutians.
Notables
Chad Carpenter, cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Tundra, which is self-syndicated to over 200 newspapers within the United States and, since 2007, has been syndicated internationally by King Features Syndicate.
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