Alaska is America's largest state, a vast wilderness of mountains, forests, glaciers, and tundra stretching across the far northwest corner of North America. When you look at a map, Alaska sits separated from the other states, bordered by Canada to the east and stretching so far west that it's closer to Russia than to Washington state.

Alaska became the 49th state in 1959, but people have lived there for thousands of years. Native Alaskan peoples, including the Inuit, Yupik, and Tlingit, developed ways to thrive in one of Earth's harshest climates. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million, a deal many Americans thought was foolish until gold was discovered there in the 1890s.

The state is famous for its extreme conditions: winter temperatures can drop to 60 degrees below zero, while summer brings nearly 24 hours of daylight in some areas. Alaska contains North America's tallest mountain (Denali), massive glaciers, active volcanoes, and wildlife like grizzly bears, moose, and bald eagles. Despite being the largest state, Alaska has fewer people than many mid-sized cities, with much of its terrain remaining true wilderness. The state's economy depends heavily on oil, fishing, and tourism, as visitors come to experience landscapes unlike anywhere else in America.