Alaska Facts for Kids

A Map of the U.S. state Alaska
  • U.S. State: Alaska
  • Abbreviation: AK
  • Joined the USA: January 3rd, 1959 (49th State)
  • Located: West Coast of the United States
  • Capital City: Juneau, AK
  • Most Populated City: Anchorage, AK

37 Alaska Facts for Kids

  1. Alaska is a state in the United States of America.
  2. Alaska is in the western region of the United States.
  3. Alaska became a U.S. state on Saturday, January 3rd, 1959.
  4. Alaska was the 49th state to join the United States.
  5. The U.S. state of Alaska covers 663,268 square miles.
  6. Alaska is the largest state by area in the United States.
  7. In 2019, the population of Alaska was estimated to be 731,545 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. In 2019, Alaska was the 48th most populated state in the United States.
  9. A person who is from or lives in Alaska is called an Alaskan.
  10. The capital city of Alaska is Juneau.
  11. The three most populated cities in Alaska are Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
  12. The largest city by population in Alaska is Anchorage.
  13. The largest metropolitan area in Alaska is the Anchorage metropolitan area.
  14. The U.S. state of Alaska has 19 boroughs and 1 unorganized borough.
  15. The most populated borough in Alaska is Anchorage Borough with 291,845 residents (2019, U.S. Census Bureau).
  16. The largest county by area in Alaska is an unnamed unorganized Borough with 295,153 square miles.
  17. The highest elevation point in Alaska is Mount Denali with a summit at 20,310 feet above sea level.
  18. The lowest elevation point in Alaska is the Bering Sea which is at sea level.
  19. 17 of the 20 highest mountain peaks in the United States are found in Alaska.
  20. The average precipitation (rain and snow) in Alaska is 29.03 inches.
  21. Alaska is the 30th wettest state by precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States.
  22. The average temperature in Alaska is 32.03 °F.
  23. Alaska is the coldest state in the United States.
  24. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was 100 °F on June 27th, 1915.
  25. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was 100 °F on June 27th, 1915.
  26. Natural disasters that can affect Alaska are blizzards, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and wildfires.
  27. Alaska is in two time zones, Alaska Time Zone (AT) and Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone (HST).
  28. The USPS abbreviation for Alaska is AK.
  29. The official state flower of Alaska is the forget-me-not.
  30. The official state tree of Alaska is the sitka spruce.
  31. The official state bird of Alaska is the willow ptarmigan.
  32. The official state fish of Alaska is the king salmon.
  33. Alaska is home to 129 million acres of forests, 3 million lakes and over 3,000 rivers.
  34. Alaska has the longest coastline of any of the 50 U.S. states. Alaska has 6,640 miles of coastline. In fact, if you added up the coastline of all 49 states, Alaska would still have a longer coastline than all 49 combined.
  35. In 1964, the Great Alaskan earthquake struck on March 27th with a 9.2 magnitude. The Great Alaskan earthquake was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America and the 2nd strongest ever recorded in the world.
  36. The official nickname for the state of Alaska is “The Last Frontier” and the official motto is “North to the Future”.
  37. The Aleutian Islands of Alaska were invaded by the Japanese during World War 2.

Additional Resources on Alaska

  • About Alaska – Discover more about the U.S. state of Alaksa on the National Geographic Kids website.
  • History of Alaska – Learn about the history of Alaska on the Alaska Centers website.
  • Facts About Alaska – Find more facts about Alaska for kids on the Alaska State Government website.
  • Alaska – Wikipedia – Read this Britannica article on the U.S. state of Alaska to learn more about it.

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