Alaska
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Capital: Juneau

State abbreviation/Postal code: Alaska/AK

Governor: Sean Parnell, R (to Dec. 2014)

Lieut. Governor: Mead Treadwell, R (to Dec. 2014)

Senators: Mark Begich, D (to Jan. 2015); Lisa Murkowski, R (to Jan. 2017)

U.S. Representatives: 1

Historical biographies of Congressional members

Atty. General: John J. Burns (apptd. by gov.)

Organized as territory: 1912

Entered Union (rank): Jan. 3, 1959 (49)

Constitution ratified: April 24, 1956

Motto: North to the Future

State symbols:
flower    forget-me-not (1949)
tree    sitka spruce (1962)
bird    willow ptarmigan (1955)
fish    king salmon (1962)
song    “Alaska's Flag” (1955)
gem    jade (1968)
marine mammal    bowhead whale (1983)
fossil    woolly mammoth (1986)
mineral    gold (1968)
sport    dog mushing (1972)

Nickname: The state is commonly called “The Last Frontier” or “Land of the Midnight Sun”

Origin of name: Corruption of Aleut word meaning “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against”

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Anchorage, 275,043; Fairbanks, 31,324; Juneau, 30,987; Sitka, 8,986; Wasilla, 8,471; Kenai, 7,464; Ketchikan, 7,410; Palmer, 6,920; Kodiak, 6,273; Bethel, 6,262;

Land area: 571,951 sq mi. (1,4 81,353 sq km)

Geographic center: 60 mi. NW of Mt. McKinley

Number of boroughs (counties): 27

Largest borough by population and area: Anchorage, 275,043 (2005); Yukon-Koyukuk, 145,900 sq mi.

State parks: more than 100 (3.5 million acres)

Residents: Alaskan

2005 resident population est.: 663,661

2000 resident census population (rank): 626,932 (48). Male: 324,112 (51.7%); Female: 302,820 (48.3%). White: 434,534 (69.3%); Black: 21,787 (3.5%); American Indian and Alaska Native: 98,043 (15.6%); Asian: 25,116 (4.0%); Other race: 9,997 (1.6%); Two or more races: 34,146 (5.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 25,852 (4.1%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 69.6; 65 and over: 5.7; median age: 32.4