Joey Saves The Day!: Facts about Alaska

Alaska Facts

Learn facts about Alaska for kids.

It is time to learn about the states! I will be posting facts about each of the fifty states in the United States. The states will be done in alphabetical order! Last week, we posted about Alabama. This week, we are posting facts about Alaska. You will learn about Alaska's state flag, bird, and other state facts.

Did you know that Alaska was the 49^th state to join the union? Alaska officially joined the union on January 3, 1959! Alaska is located in the Northwest region of North America, bordering Canada. It was controlled by Russia until the United States bought the land in 1867 for about 7.2 (7,200,000.00) million dollars. Alaska is the largest state in the United States. About 731,545 people are living there. That is not many people for how big Alaska is by size.

What is your favorite state?

Facts about Alaska:

1. Alaska is known for the Northern Lights, glaciers, and gold mining. Its nickname is The Last Frontier. The state motto is North to the Future, which means that Alaska is the land of promise. The abbreviation for Alaska is AK.

2. Juneau is the capital of Alaska. It became the capital in 1906 and has a population of about 32,227 people.

3. The Alaska state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan. The Willow Ptarmigan is known as a master of camouflage because it turns all white in the winter, and in the warmer months, its coloring turns a mixture of reds and browns.

4. The Alaska official state flower is the forget-me-not, which comes in shades of blue, pink, purple, white, and yellow. They are beautiful flowers!

5. The Alaska state flag was flown for the first time on July 9, 1927. The Alaska state flag features 7 gold stars that form the big dipper and one more giant gold star for the north star or the most northern state in the Union. The blue background represents the forget-me-nots (flower) color and the sky.

6. Alaska grows hay, dairy, beans, beets, broccoli, potatoes, and cauliflower. It has many nursery farms and green houses.

7. Alaska has around 100,000 glaciers that cover about 5 percent (5%) of the state. Glaciers are giant massive chunks/sheets of ice. Here is a list of some of the glaciers in Alaska in alphabetical order:

Aialik Glacier
Dawes Glacier
Denver Glacier
Exit Glacier
Holgate Glacier
Hubbard Glacier
Johns Hopkins Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier
Ruth Glacier

These glaciers are breathtaking. With your caretaker/parent’s permission, google the glaciers' names and check them out!

8. three different types of bears live in Alaska: The black bear, brown bear, and polar bear.

9. Alaska is the coldest state in the United States! The weather and temperatures depend on what region of Alaska you are in. January is usually the coldest month, and July is the warmest month. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was minus 80 (-80) degrees Fahrenheit in Prospect Creek on January 23, 1971. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915.

Share a fact about Alaska with us?

Get your free printable Alaska worksheet here:

Alaska worksheet

Visit my printables section for many other coloring sheets and worksheets!

You can watch Mimi read quick facts about Alaska on her YouTube channel by clicking here.

Books about Alaska:

1. A Kid's Guide to Alaska by Jack Roberts

2. The Nature of Alaska: by James Kavanagh

3. Alaska's Animals by Shannon Cartwright

4. A is for Alaska: by Boys and Girls Club Alaska

Parents/caretakers, be sure books are child-friendly before reading them to your child/children.

You can Click here to purchase the 50 States workbook on Amazon.

You can also use the 50 States tab at the top of my page to find all the posts from all 50 states in one convenient place.

Stop back by next week to read facts about Arizona. Thank you for reading my post!! "Don't have a good day; have a GREAT day!" -Free Guy the movie.