From the Bering Land Bridge to the oil pipeline, Alaska has a storied past. Although Alaska's statehood is relatively brief, the state's history is long and colorful. Dinosaurs once roamed the Great Land, followed by bison and woolly mammoths. The first people moved across the Bering Land Bridge into northwestern Alaska more than 20,000 years ago and the first Europeans arrived about 260 years ago.
Alaska and Yukon Facts
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| Alaska State Capital |
Juneau |
| Alaska State Flag |
 Alaska adopted the flag for official
state use in 1959. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, and mountain
lakes, as well as Alaska's wildflowers. Emblazoned on the flag are eight gold
stars: seven from the constellation Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper. The eighth
being the North Star, representing the northern most state. Alaska's flag was
designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy. |
| Alaska State Motto |
North to the Future |
| Alaska State Size |
586,000 square miles, largest state in the union; one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 put together |
| Alaska State Population |
634,892 (2001 Census) |
| Alaska's Largest City |
Anchorage, population 260,283 (2000 Census) |
| Yukon Territory Capital |
Whitehorse |
| Yukon Population |
31,768; two-thirds live in Whitehorse |
| Yukon Territory Size |
186,660 square miles |
| Yukon Record Temperatures |
-62 F/94 F (in Whitehorse) |
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