ALASKA, A MARVELLOUS LAND! ALASKA, ¡Una tierra maravillosa!

Hi my dear friends, I'm here again and to speak about Alaska today.  And you will be wondering WHY ALASKA? It's very simple, I've got a lot of followers there so, they worth it! And the most important thing is that Alaska is, as the title says, a MARVELLOUS LAND!

Hola queridos amigos, ya estoy aquí otra vez y para hablar sobre Alaska hoy.  Y os estaréis preguntando ¿POR QUÉ ALASKA?  Es muy sencillo, tengo un montón de seguidores allí así que ¡ellos se lo merecen! Y lo más importante es que Alaska, como dice el título, es UNA TIERRA MARAVILLOSA.

ALASKA
It's the 49th and the  largest state in the USA.  Separated from the rest of the country by Canada, Alaska lies on the Arctic Circle.
Alaska is also home of the highest point in North America and all of the top ten highest mountains in the USA.

THE REGIONS OF ALASKA

**Southwestern Alaska >  Alaskan Peninsula and Aleutian Islands.

**Southeastern Alaska > Panhandle and Inland Passage.

**Southcentral Alaska > Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula.

**The name "Alaska" had been introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was used to refer to the peninsula.  It was derived from an Aleut idiom, which refers to the mainland of Alaska.

**Although Alaska had been occupied for thousands of years by indigenous people, from the 18th century, European powers considered the territory of Alaska ripe for exploitations.  The United States purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867 for $7.2 million and after several administrative changes, it was admitted as the 49th state of the USA on January, 3, 1959.

**According to a 1998 report, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the U.S. federal government as public lands, including a multitude of national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges.

ALASKA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Alaska was occupied by numerous indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans to the area.

The Tingit people developed a society in  the  today southeast Alaska .  The Haida are well known for their arts.  The Tsimshian came to Alaska from British Columbia.  The Aleutian Islands are home to the Aleut people's society.  Western and Southwestern Alaska are home to the Yup'ik while the Alutii lived in which is now Southcentral Alaska.
The Gwich'in people are known today for their dependence on the caribou and live in the northern Interior and the North Slope and Little Diomede Island are occupied by the Inuit people.

ENERGY RESOURCES

**Alaska has got vast energy resources.  Oil and gas reserves are found in the Alaska North Slope.

AGRICULTURE

**The Tanana Valley is a notable agricultural area with a big concentration of farms growing crops.  Alaskan agriculture has experienced a surge of growth of market gardeners.

STATE SYMBOLS

** The Forget-me-not is the state's official flower and bears the same blue and gold as the state flag.

**Alaska is known with the nicknames : "The last frontier" or "the Land of the Midnight Sun".

**The state fish is the King salmon, and the state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan, an Arctic grouse that lives among willows.

CITIES

** JUNEAU:  this is the state capital and third largest city.
**ANCHORAGE:  Alaska's largest city
**DEADHORSE:  Alaska's oil centre.
**DUTCH HARBOR - UNALASKA: largest community in the Aleutian Islands.
**FAIRBANKS: Alaska's second largest city.
**HOMER: Halibut fishing capital of the world.
**KETCHICKAN: Alaska's suthernmost city and the first Alaska port for northbound cruise-ship travelers.
**KODIAK: The Island Town.

OTHER DESTINATIONS

**DENALI NATIONAL PARK.
**CAPE KRUNSTERN NATIONAL MONUMENT.

THINGS TO DO IN ALASKA

There are many things to do when you travel to Alaska.  If you are an adventurous type, Alaska will be a great place to you.  You can go hiking, kayaking, fishing, and expeditions to see the wildlife of Alaska like wolves, whales and bears.  There are month-long expeditions to the top of Mt. McKinley.

A journey on the Dalton Highway provides a unique experience because it crosses mountains, the Arctic Circle and 414 miles of pristine wilderness.

Stay up late to see the midnight sun, it's fascinating to watch in the summer!!!!

Try fishing in Alaska too!  If you are in the right spot, you'll catch fish very quickly!  Alaskan salmons can be caught but with a daily limit !  If you want to get a fantastic experience, pay a local to bring you on their boat and fish for the day.

A cruise might be a great experience too!

EAT

Alaskans love their food and the portions that they serve are really huge!!

Try the reindeer sausage with eggs and hash (picadillo) in the morning and you'll feel like a true Alaskan!!!

Seafood,  is delicious!  Many local restaurants serve fresh halibut  and salmon right off the boats!

However, prices are expensive! It's very difficult to transport goods and food to Alaska but if you want to eat cheaper always order seafood, fish or meat, not pasta or other type of food difficult to find in Alaska. The local products and food are cheaper than the ones they have to be  transported until there. Don't forget it!

DRINK

Beer is perfect in Alaska with 7 breweries in Anchorage !
Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau is the best known brewery in the state !
Other towns with local Breweries include Homer, Haines, Kodiak, Fox and Wasilla.

NATURE

When you visit a natural area, do not pick flowers or collect natural features, especially in a national park or a forest.  These are protected areas and if everyone took something away, it would spoil it for everyone else!

Respect the land and don't litter!

Bears live in many areas of the state and are best avoided.  Moose (alces) are common and just as dangerous and attack humans more frequently than bears.

Alaska is a wonderful land!!!  That's sure!

IF FINALLY YOU VISIT ALASKA, ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE !!!


SEE YOU and thank you for being there !!!