There are things that most everyone knows about Alaska, like how big it is, the breath-taking scenery, and of course the abundant wildlife. There are also a lot of things people might not know about Alaska, so I thought it would be fun to make a list of some fun facts you may not know. Here it is!
1. Alaska has more coastline than the other 49 states combined. Alaska is also the only state to have coastline on three different seas: Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Bering Sea.
2. The largest salmon caught in Alaska was on the Kenai River by Les Anderson back in 1985, weighing in at a whopping 97.5 lbs.
3. Seventeen of the highest mountain peaks in the United States are in Alaska. Mount Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is the highest at 23,310 feet above sea level.
4. Alaska is home to over 3,000 rivers and 3,000,000 lakes. The largest lake is Iliamna Lake, located in southwestern Alaska and covers an area of 1,150 square miles.
5. While moose hunting in Alaska, it is illegal to whisper into someone’s ear.
6. Juneau, Alaska’s Capitol city, is accessible only by boat or plane.
7. Alaska has 616 officially named glaciers. The unnamed glaciers bring the total to an estimated 100,000. Glacier Bay National Park, itself, has approximately 1,000 glaciers.
8. The Northern Lights can be seen an average of 243 days out of the year in Fairbanks, which is considered one of the best places for viewing.
9. Nearly one-third of Alaska’s land is in the Arctic Circle.
10. Barrow has both the longest and shortest day of the year. After the sun rises on May 10th, it doesn’t set again for almost three months. After setting, the residents of Barrow will not see sunlight for nearly two months.
There are so many fun and interesting facts about Alaska, it made it very hard to choose just 10, so here’s a bonus one for you!
*Bonus Fact*
At their closest points, Alaska is only about 50 miles from Russia.
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