Alaska

Environment

"The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland". The natives called it "Alyeska", meaning "the great land". It is bordered by 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 by area in the United States."

"Alayeska" The Great Land the natives called it - with good reason. Alaska is the last state where a man can travel 600 miles in a straight line and never cross a barbwire fence.

Alaska is large, and extremely diverse and its communities reflect this diversity. Its differences in climate, people, geography, and economy are as great as those between the Rocky Mountains and the Middle West, or between Massachusetts and California.

Alaska can be divided into six regions: Southeast Alaska, South-central, the Interior, Western Alaska, Southwest Alaska and the Arctic.

Environment: Large mountainous, volcanic regions and wilderness. Mount McKinley is the tallest mountain in the U.S. at 20,320 feet.

Climate: Alaska has a very cold climate. Alaska is very close to the north pole which dramatically affects its climate and daily calendar. Northern Alaska is often referred to as the "Land of the Midnight Sun" since the sun does not set, providing 24 hours of daylight, from early May to early August. On the other extreme, the Sun does not rise from late November to late January.