Alaska+State+Facts

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Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959. We are celebrating 50 years of statehood. Alaska is over twice the size of Texas. Alaska is so big that if you put it over top of the lower 48, it would stretch from coast to coast. Alaska has over 1/2 of the world's glaciers. Dogsledding is the official state sport. The famous Iditarod race is run each year in March from Anchorage to Nome. The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) can often be seen in the north sky during the winter. Alaska is 55 miles east of Russia. Alaska has 29 volcanoes. Alaska has high tides of 37 feet. Alaska has the lowest population density in the nation. The ptarmigan is the official state bird. Gold is the state mineral. The forget-me-not is the state flower. Alaska has many kinds of wildlife including: black bears, brown bears, polar bears, moose and caibou. The state's largest city is Anchorage and the second largest city is Fairbanks.