Friday, July 2, 2010

Alaska Facts (Collected by Matt)

1. Population

  • Anchorage : 280,000
  • Fairbanks: 35,100
  • Juneau: 30,700
  • Alaska: 698,500

2. Alaskan Pipeline

  • Construction period: March 27, 1975 through May 31, 1977
  • Length: 800 miles! Diameter: 4 feet
  • Start to Finish: Prudhoe Bay to Valdez
  • Volume: 53,053,440 cubic feet!
  • Gallons: 396,839,731.2

3. Mt McKinley

  • Height: 6,194m
  • Death: 550 people!
  • Located in Denali National Park!

4. Northern Lights

  • Natural light displays in the sky seen in the Polar Regions. It is caused by the magnetic fields
  • The Earth is a giant magnet. The magnetic field centers at the North and South Pole
  • See them in Fairbanks from October to December

5. Salmon





  • King salmon - found in Naknek River (on Peninsula)
  • Sockeye and Pink salmon - can be found in Kenai River
  • Chum Salmon - found in Kodia Island

6. Polar Bears

  • You will not see polar bears in Anchorage, but you can find black and grizzly bears there!
  • Polar bears live In or around the Arctic Circle
7. Glaciers

A glacier is a mass of ice that moves over a wide span of land. Its difference from an ice field is that it actually moves, while an ice field is just a wide sheet of ice covering an area and is not moving. For example, Antarctica is an ice field because it doesn’t move. According to glacier progress maps and references, glaciers slowly move downward.

8. Alaska Marine Highway

The Alaska Marine Highway is a ferry that travels throughout the Gulf of Alaska all year. It transports vehicles (such as cars, RVs and campers) and people to different stops on the penninsula, the islands and the edge of Alaska. It is expected to meet the comfort of passengers.The ferries stop at the following places to pickup and drop off passengers and their vehicles.

  • Unalaska (what an interesting name!)
  • Akutan
  • False pass
  • Cold bay
  • King Cove
  • Sand Point
  • Chignik
  • Port Lions
  • Kodiak
  • Homer
  • Seldovia
  • Chenega Bay
  • Whittier
  • Valdez
  • Tatitlek
  • Cordova
  • Yakutat
  • Pelican
  • Hoonah
  • Juneau
  • Haines
  • Skagway
  • Tenakee
  • Angoon
  • Sitka
  • Kake
  • Petersburg
  • Wrangell
  • Ketchikan
  • Hollis
  • Metlakatla
  • Prince Rupert
  • Bellingham