In terms of area, extreme north-west point in the map of North America is the largest state which is called Alaska. It is the biggest state in the country with the longest coastline. Alaska is surrounded by Canada to its east, the Arctic Ocean to the North and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south.
According to the history of the state, it was purchased from the Russian Empire in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars and at a rate of 2 percent per acre. After several administrative procedures, it became an organized territory on May 11, 1912 and the 49th state of the United States on January 3, 1959.
The name Alaska draws its origin from the Aleut word, Alaxsxaq which means the mainland or more definitely, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed." Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau are the most significant cities of the state. These cities also offer good scope for career and professional growth.
The state has the longest coastline as compared to the other states. There is a distance of nearly 800 kilometers between the state and the Washington. It is in fact an exclave of the US and is the only non-contiguous state in the country. Technically it is both the westernmost and easternmost state in the nation as well as being the northern most one too. This is due to the fact that it extends into the eastern hemisphere.
The state of Alaska is divided into five major regions namely,
* South Central
* South-eastern Panhandle
* Interior
* South-west
* Arctic or North Slope
Considering the variation in the climatic conditions in the region, the International Date Line was drawn west of 180 degrees to keep the whole state in particular and the entire North American continent in general, within the same legal day.
Climate in Alaska:
The region is characterized by a unique climate where the days
in summer are long almost extending up to 21 hours in some cities. Therefore it is also sometimes fondly called the "Land of the Midnight Sun." There is no rainy season in the state though there is some amount of precipitation in the areas depending upon their location.
Summer Season:
Summers are divine here with the temperatures soaring to 60s and 70s; they may also reach up to 80 degrees in the Interior region. The sun is visible for most part of the day well lasting up to 24 hours in the interior areas. The days are long and beautiful and the Alaskans tend to become nocturnal in the summer season and engaging in such activities like midnight fishing and hiking at 10 p.m.
Winter Season:
Winter in the region varies from one place to the other. There are some areas which do not experience extreme cold winter conditions. For example Anchorage is much warmer than other cold weather cities like Chicago and the reason for this being that this city is located on the ocean. South-east Alaska also remains relatively warmer.
However, the Interior region experiences intense cold weather. The temperatures in the interior areas like Fairbanks can drop to -30 degrees for weeks at a time.There is an abundance of snow in the area during the winter season. Anchorage experiences an average of 79 inches of snow fall each year. The most significant feature of the Alaskan winters is the darkness and the length of day. There is scant daylight from mid-November to the end of January which can be a very difficult time for the people here.Even if there are two very different and extreme kinds of climate in the state, yet it is one of the best places in the world to enjoy your vacation with lots of scope for a variety of activities including trekking, hiking, kayaking etc.
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