2. Adventure
From the first humans
to cross the Bering
Land Bridge to those
who came after, all had
a daring, can-do spirit.
From explorers to gold
miners to teachers to
farmers, each of these
fearless folks shaped
Alaska and you can still
see their impact today.
11. Coldest of Cold
The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States
was in Alaska. On January 23, 1971, the temperature
dropped to -79.8 at Prospect Creek. That's only one degree
warmer than the coldest temperature ever in North America.
On February 3, 1947, the thermometer at Snag in the Yukon
hit -81.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest temperature
recorded in the world is -129F at Vostok, Antarctica on July
21, 1983.
12. Juneau, Alaska is the cloudiest
place in the U.S.
Anchorage tied Hilo, Hawaii for
the #2 spot at 41%.
13. Wind
In Alaska you'll find the windiest places and the least windy.
Talkeetna ties Medford, Oregon for the lowest annual wind
speed of 4.8 mph.
14. Yakutat, Alaska holds the record for the rainiest place in the
United States. It averages more than 160 inches each year.
15. The Eagles have landed.
Some 4,000 eagles come to the Chilkat River near Haines in
November to feed on a late run of salmon there.
16. Most active volcanoes in U.S.
80% of all active volcanoes and 10% of all the
volcanoes in the world are located in Alaska.
17. Largest state park in the United
States: Wood-Tikchik State Park
in southwestern Alaska is 1.6
million acres.
22. Big Dipper
Designed by Benny
Benson who won a
state-wide contest in
1926. The Big Dipper
and the North Star—
eight stars of gold--
stand for the sky and the
state flower.
23. Glaciers
Greatest
concentration of
glaciers in the US:
Nearly 30,000
square miles or 5%
of the state is
covered by glaciers.
