Alaska's cities stand out sharply from other American communities. They are much more spacious than Los Angeles, New York and others. Americans here are very different: they lead a different way of life, have a unique character and life values. The settlements of this state amaze with their beauty. In this article we will talk about Anchorage, Sitka, Juneau and many other cities in Alaska.

Anchorage

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, which is located in the south. Many tourists who decide to visit this state decide to go to Anchorage. More than 300 thousand people live in the city.

In Anchorage, tourists can find many walking spots, as well as a variety of museums. In addition, there is a wonderful botanical garden, the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral, a huge shopping center and a port.

Alaska's Anchorage is also famous for its ski resort. It cannot be compared to Courchevel, but it is fully budget-friendly and accessible to absolutely everyone.

Juneau

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Juneau has been the capital of the largest American state, Alaska. The history of this city began with the discovery of gold deposits here at the end of the 19th century by gold miner Joseph Juneau. Within a few years, this locality was officially recognized as a city, and 24 years later Juneau became the state capital.

One of the leading industries of the city is tourism. The most favorable season for visiting lasts from May to September; in other months there are very few tourists here. Despite the fact that Juneau’s economy directly depends on the flow of travelers, residents of the capital consider them unnecessary here, and many are not at all happy with visitors. In Anchorage, on the contrary, local residents always greet guests warmly.

It is rightfully recognized as one of the most picturesque cities in the entire state. Juneau is surrounded by two mountains and a strait to the west.

There are many interesting places in the city; tourists especially highlight the museum dedicated to the history of gold mining. In addition, there are many bars, restaurants, shopping centers, beautiful and cozy streets, colorful churches, etc.

Fairbanks, or Fairbanks

Alaska cities such as Fairbanks are very popular among tourists. Fairbanks is the official name of the locality, but many people call it Fairbanks, which has almost replaced the officially accepted name. The city is located on the picturesque right bank of the Tanawa River. Many Americans associate Fairbanks with universities. In fact, it is because it is the largest educational center in the state.

Alaska cities, unfortunately, cannot boast of the best universities, academies and schools. The exception is Fairbanks. The famous University of Alaska is located near this city, which is why every year more and more young people come to Fairbanks who plan to enroll in this educational institution. In addition, the city boasts a huge military base, Fort Wainwright.

Like many other communities in the state, Fairbanks was founded in the first half of the 20th century in connection with the American gold rush. If you are lovers of the famous husky dog ​​breed, then Fairbanks is most likely your dream destination. After all, this is where the legendary international sled dog races are held. The length of the route is about 1600 km. Athletes from different countries take part in the races.

Sitka, or Sitkha

Russian cities in Alaska have lost their former names. Sitka is a former Russian city called Novo-Arkhangelsk, which was once the capital of Russian America.

The city of Novo-Arkhangelsk was founded by Russian statesman Alexander Baranov after permission from Tlingit elders. The Orthodox Church of St. Michael was even erected here, which burned down in a fire at the end of the 20th century. The purchase of Alaska took place and the city came under the control of the American government. In the same year, the settlement was renamed. For several years, Sitka was the capital of the state, but then the city of Juneau was formed, which replaced it in this status.

October 18 is probably the most important date for all residents of Sitka. Many tourists who managed to visit this city on October 18 are full of impressions. On this day, the city hosts a parade and celebration in honor of the purchase of the state of Alaska.

Tourism in Sitka

This state of Alaska is not famous for tourism. Cities are happy to receive guests, but the flow is not particularly large. Sitka is the most visited city. Russian tourists especially love it. There are a lot of nature reserves and parks here that are full of animals; many travel agencies offer travelers eco-tours, boat tours, as well as walks in natural and protected areas. The museums of the Russian Bishop and Sheldon Jackson are very popular. The Russian Bishop Museum displays documents, presentations and exhibitions dedicated to the development of the state of Alaska by Russians.

In general, the city is full of tourists, but at the same time it is very quiet and peaceful. There is always a place you want to visit.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan, the most beautiful city in Alaska, is one of the most populous cities in the state. “The Salmon Capital of the World” is how the city was nicknamed. The city's economy is centered on fishing and tourism.

Ketchikan Landmark

Ketchikan is known to many people for its national landmark called the Misty Fjords. This national monument is actually a nature reserve that is especially popular with tourists. The preserve is considered part of the famous Tongass Forest. The national monument received its name due to its coastline features: several long bays are shrouded in fog. This place is very unique; many travelers dream of visiting it. The reserve is home to animals such as grizzly bears, caribou, and salmon in the waters. During the summer months, the weekly attendance at the Misty Fjords is about 1,000 people per week.

Nome

At the end of the 19th century, the city of Nome was founded. Alaska, as is known, was generously replenished with cities during this time. Again, the city was formed thanks to the Gold Rush. Numerous gold miners temporarily settled in the city of Nome. In the first decades after its founding, the population grew very quickly. Now a little more than 3 thousand people live in the city.

Nome is notorious for the epidemic that took place there. The children urgently needed medicine, which was available in the city of Anchorage (located several hundred kilometers from Nome). Planes couldn't take off in a terrible storm, so people equipped dog sleds and went a thousand miles to get the serum. Gunar's team was the first to arrive in the city; the huskies were led by the legendary dog ​​Balto. On the way back to Nom, Gunar was paralyzed from the cold, but Balto remembered the way home and delivered the serum. Hundreds of children were saved.

The Iditarod sled dog race is held annually in Nome.

Every city in Alaska is different. Travelers from all over the world dream of visiting this American state. Alaska (photos of cities above) is a very cozy, homely and picturesque state, there are many beautiful places.

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History of the State of Alaska

Alaska's first inhabitants

According to scientists, Alaska was discovered by Siberian hunters - the ancestors of most native American Indians, who migrated north during the Ice Age in search of mammoths - the main animal hunted by Stone Age people.

Ancient people migrated to the American continent through the Bering Strait, which at that time was a 1,600-kilometer natural ice bridge between the two continents. When the climate changed and warmed, the ice melted and the world's oceans rose, flooding this bridge and dividing Siberia and Alaska by the Bering Sea.

Excavations by researchers and scientists in Alaska revealed interesting facts to us: objects from human use were found that were used in his household 12 thousand years ago - that is, several centuries before the end of the Ice Age. Apparently, the ancestors of the Eskimo nation appeared 6 thousand years BC.

Settlement of the northwestern lands

The coast of the American Northwest was once the domain of Prince William. The Indians who inhabited these lands of northern California also gradually migrated north, bringing their culture to these lands. The north was rich in fish: salmon, flounder, cod, herring, edible species of shellfish and marine mammals were found in abundance in the coastal waters of Alaska. Thousands of species of plants suitable for food grew on the fertile soil of these lands, and many animals lived in the forests. That's why the lands of Alaska were so attractive to people.

Three indigenous peoples became the founders and first inhabitants of these places: Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. People of these tribes settled southern Alaska.

The most numerous was the Tlingit tribe. They founded many settlements on these lands. Tlingit had their own language, which scientists attribute to the internal American group of languages ​​of the Athabascan Indians. Since the Tlingit were the most numerous tribe, it was they, as the owners of this territory, who were the first to come into contact with Russian travelers and explorers who came to these lands in 1741.

The Haida people lived on the lands of British Columbia, on the Queen Charlotte Islands and in southern Alaska - on the Prince of Wales Islands. It is traditionally believed that the Haida peoples began moving north about 1,700 years ago.

The Tsimshian people inhabited the southeast coast and nearby islands in the area of ​​what is now Fort Simpson, which is located in British Columbia. This fort was founded in 1834 as a consequence of the activities of the British company in Hudson's Bay Company. And in 1887, a large group of Tsimshian Indians, led by the Anglican missionary William Duncan, settled Anette Island off the coast of Alaska .

The peoples of all three tribes were engaged in fishing. They fished using fish traps and nets. To hunt sea creatures, a harpoon with a rope was widely used. For sea hunting, canoes of various shapes and sizes were built. And for their hunt for forest animals, they made bows and arrows and set up various cunning traps: nooses. Arcana and pits. The Indians usually made their hunting tools from wood, and the tips of harpoons and arrows from sharpened stones or sea shells. The Indians decorated their products, skillfully finishing them with amazing patterns.

The Indians of these tribes lived in large houses, in which, like in dormitories, the whole village lived, traditionally considering all its inhabitants as one family.

Social relations in these tribes were built on the principle of matriarchy. They traced their ancestry through their mother's side. However, in the Tlingit and Haida tribes, marriages between direct relatives: siblings were prohibited. The Tlingit also had clans in which social relations were traced back to the first legendary ancestors. The ancestors of the ancestors constituted a special aristocracy of clans: leaders, elders, masters and slaves. However, these class differences were constantly subject to a kind of change and were not static.

Each clan and each tribe usually had political independence from other tribes. All the spoils from the hunt were shared within the circle of one family-clan, which had its own leader or elder in charge. Each clan had its own deity, its own leader, its own personal name, its own songs and ritual dances. The deities of the Indian clans were animals that served as the main prey of hunting, as well as the forces of nature, which, according to the Indians, were responsible for the length of human life and the fertility of the earth. The Indians were pagans and endowed all living things, the entire surrounding nature, with a magical spirit.

Political leadership was achieved through competitions of prestige. If a clan man aspired to leadership, he had to be the most successful hunter, on whom the well-being of the entire tribe would depend.

Unlike the inhabitants of the coast, who had their own rich natural resources, representatives of the peoples of the Athabascan linguistic group lived in the more severe conditions of the Arctic and subarctic in the north of the continent. This huge space had extremely poor natural conditions, and people had to find and obtain food with great difficulty. The weather conditions in this region have always been characterized by long winters and short, cold summers. The Attabasca Indians hunted elk, musk deer, grizzly bears, wild goats, and fished.

The Athabascans led a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving from one area to another in search of prey for hunting and fishing. They caught trout and pike in the rivers; in the forests they hunted mainly musk deer, hares and polar partridges. The tools for hunting and fishing were used by all the Indians of the North American continent. And although the Athabascans hunted a lot of animals and birds, however, periods when their tribes went hungry were not uncommon in the life of the Athabascans.

They designed the construction options for their wigwam houses depending on the upcoming season. All Athabascans built their houses from wood and poles in such a way that, in addition to the family, they could also accommodate domestic animals and birds. Nomadic groups of Indians built lighter dwellings. The Indians of such tribes of the Athabasca people as the Ingalik, who lived on the Yukon River, or the Kuskokwim tribe, usually built a temporary settlement for the winter, and moved to bivouac “camps” for summer fishing. They built winter houses according to the principle of Eskimo dugouts.

The Athabascans had very simple social divisions of society. They spent most of the year among small groups of neighboring families. The similarity between them existed in the fact that they professed the principles of matriarchy and relatives maintained close relationships, observing all the obligations of members of the same family. A family member had to find a spouse not among close relatives, but in another tribe.

When natural resources allowed, several tribes united to hunt together. Despite the fact that everyone hunted together, Indian men competed with each other for the right to be a leader in the hunt, on the basis of which a man could become one of the leaders of the tribe. Also, an Indian who proved himself a brave warrior in inter-tribal conflicts could become the leader of a tribe. Leaders were not elected for life. And if one day the leader’s luck turned away, he could no longer claim leadership in the tribe.

The Athabascans had traditions and ceremonies in which, for example, the tribe welcomed and presented its guests with gifts. Also, a family meal was held when one of the tribe members died. When the Athabascans began to participate in trade exchanges with the "palefaces", they began to more often organize communal meals in honor of their new partners, thereby modeling the attitudes and traditions of treating the "palefaces" for tribes throughout the northwest coast of the American continent.

The Indians held feasts to commemorate the first hunt, a military feat, the return of hunters from a long campaign, successful revenge, or a new campaign. A man about to get married had to feast three times for his tribe. Ceremonies were also held when the tribe made a general decision to expel one of its members for an offense - he could not receive any support from any of his loved ones for at least one year.

The Athabascans were also pagans. They lived in a world inhabited by many spirits. They believed that after death, human souls move into animals and used these legends in their rituals.

The Athabascans had special members of the tribes who performed religious ceremonies and were responsible for connecting the Indians with the world of otherworldly forces. These people were called shamans. Shamans were the guardians of religious rituals and possessed much knowledge: how to heal the sick; how to bring luck to a hunter; how to predict the weather and the future.

Eskimo culture developed in the territories of western Alaska, so it is natural that the languages ​​of the Eskimos and Aleuts are so different from each other. The Eskimos mastered the waters of the Arctic Ocean and therefore paid great attention to means of water transportation.

Traditional Eskimo farming tools were in use in Siberia long before their appearance on the lands of Alaska. And this culture and economic technologies penetrated into the territory of North America 4 thousand years BC. spread from Alaska to Greenland.

From the shores of northern Alaska to Greenland, the Eskimos hunted sea animals: ringed seals, fur seals, and whales. Some groups of Eskimos hunted deer and musk deer. These groups of Eskimo people were called the Caribou Eskimo and lived in Canada, in the west of Hudson Bay. Other small groups of Eskimo people lived along the Colville and Noatak rivers, as well as in the delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.

However, despite the difference in habitat, the Eskimos had a common culture, national clothing and traditions. This happened because thousands of years ago the wild, primitive culture of this people: dog sleds, kayak boats and much more. etc. - spread through Alaska throughout North America to Greenland.

Social relations among the Eskimos were concentrated around the tribal family. The men were hunting. The Yupik Eskimo had special ceremonial houses in which Eskimo men taught boys the art of hunting, and women stayed at home and raised girls. Most Eskimo marriages took place within the clan community.

The Eskimos hunted and fished. They had their own taboos and prohibitions: for example, they did not dare to mix land and sea creatures for food. The Bering Sea Eskimo had many rituals and ceremonies related to hunting animals. And the Eskimos who lived north of their territories did not have similar hunting and fishing traditions.

The Aleuts have adapted very well to life in the difficult natural conditions of the Aleutian Islands. They have learned to make excellent use of the rich resources of the sea for life. However, their traditions were forgotten and absorbed by the more civilized culture of the Russian people, with whom the Aleuts first met in 1740.

The Aleuts built separate dugouts in which families lived. Sometimes the Aleuts migrated to the northern shores of the Bering Sea. This happened when populations of marine animals migrated to other areas. Then the Aleuts built seasonal houses and seasonal camps.

Society was divided into social classes: leaders, common people and slaves. The traditions of the Aleuts have many similarities with the customs of the Tlingit tribe and ethnic groups of Siberia. It is possible that initially the Aleuts also professed the family principle of organizing the tribe. The Aleut community usually consisted of an elder father and his wife or wives, a married eldest son and his family, and sometimes a younger brother and his family. Young children were usually sent to be raised by their mothers, who had their own homes.

When the sea waters were free of ice, the Aleuts went out to sea to hunt. They hunted seals, walruses, sea lions and whales. Many of their hunting tools were similar to those of the southern Eskimos: a two-seater kayak boat; bone and stone weapons. The Aleuts also hunted birds, 140 species of which nested on the Aleutian Islands. To hunt birds, the Aleuts used bolos (ropes with stones tied to the ends - braided into braids and thrown at birds). For fishing, they used nets and harpoons. Also, the Aleuts collected sea shellfish and northern berries and herbs.

Early European exploration of Alaska

Russian expeditions

In 1654, the Russian merchant Fedot Alekseev set off from the east of the Siberian Kolyma Peninsula along the Pogicha River with his expedition, wanting to find lands rich in gold, fur-bearing animals and walruses, the bones of which were very valuable. Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev went on this campaign with him - as a representative of the government, vested with the authority to establish duties on trade with the local population. On this journey, Dezhnev was the first explorer to discover a sea passage from the shores of the Arctic to the ocean.

Now this sea route is called the Bering Strait, since Dezhnev’s report on the opening of the strait never reached the government. Tsar Peter the Great, who ruled Russia at that time, never learned that Siberia is closely adjacent to the North American continent. However, shortly before his death, Peter the Great sent Captain Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator who was in Russian service, to explore the sea shores of Siberia.

Peter sent Bering on an expedition to study and describe the northeastern coast of Siberia. In 1728, the Bering expedition rediscovered the strait, which was first seen by Semyon Dezhnev. However, due to fog, Bering was unable to see the outlines of the North American continent on the horizon.

In 1733, the Russian government again appointed Bering as head of a new expedition, the purpose of which was to explore the resources of Siberia and establish trade with Japan.

On this expedition, Bering also explored the American coast. The expedition of Vitus Bering set off for the shores of America from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on June 8, 1741 on two ships: “St. Peter” (under the command of Bering) and “St. Paul” (under the command of Alexei Chirikov). Each ship had its own team of scientists and researchers on board.

On June 20, the ships took different routes; on July 15, land was spotted on Chirikov’s ship. Presumably, the sailors saw the shores of Prince of Wales Island. And the ship under the control of Bering, which was moving north, reached the shores of Kayak Island the next day. Bering, from the sea, saw the top of the mountain, which he named Mount Saint Elias, since July 16 is Saint Elias Day. The ship's doctor, the German scientist Georg Wilhelm Steller, was among the first to land on shore in order to collect some medicinal plants to help the crew, who were suffering from scurvy. Steller also collected some samples of shells and herbs on the shore, discovered new species of birds and animals, from which the researchers concluded that their ship had reached the new continent of North America.

Chirikov's ship returned to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on October 8, but Bering's ship was carried by the current and wind to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula - to the Commander Islands. The ship was wrecked near one of the islands and washed ashore. The travelers were forced to spend the winter on the island, which now bears the name Bering Island. On this island, the commander died without surviving the harsh winter. In the spring, the surviving crew members built a boat from the wreckage of the broken "St. Peter" and returned to Kamchatka only in September. Thus ended the first Russian expedition to discover the northwestern coast of the North American continent.

The Russian Empress Elizabeth had no interest in the lands of North America. She issued a decree obliging the local population to pay duties on trade, but did not take any further steps towards developing relations with Alaska.

For the next 50 years, Russia showed very little interest in this land. Individual merchants traded with the Aleuts, buying furs from them. The thin fur of the sea otter, a sea otter, was especially prized. Russian merchants sold Aleutian furs especially profitably in Chinese markets.

In 1743, Russian traders and fur trappers established very close contact with the Aleuts. The European diseases that the new settlers brought to the Aleuts were fatal to the natives of the new continent. Smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, pneumonia - became the weapons that almost exterminated the Aleuts. Before contact with Europeans, the Aleut population numbered 15-20 thousand people. In 1834, there were only 2,247 of them left, in 1848 - already 1,400. Since 1864, when the Russians settled on the islands, the Aleut population again jumped sharply to 2,005 people - thanks to mixed marriages and the influx of new blood. But by 1890 it had dropped again to 1,702 people.

Hunters migrated to the eastern Aleutian Islands following the animals they hunted. As the fishery moved away from Kamchatka, fur prices rose and small trading companies went bankrupt. Until 1770, among the merchants and fur harvesters in Alaska, Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, Pavel Sergeevich Lebedev-Lastochkin, as well as the brothers Grigory and Pyotr Panov were considered the richest and most famous.

In 1762, Empress Catherine the Great became the ruler of Russia, and the government again turned its attention to the Aleuts. In 1769, Catherine issued a decree that abolished duties on trade with the Aleuts, and also issued a decree that ordered the government to be concerned with the fate of the Aleut people. Unfortunately, the empress's decree remained only a decree on paper. Without control and supervision of the ruler over its implementation.

Competition among other powers

Spain was also interested in territories in the North Pacific. Fear of Russian expansion into the lands of North America pushed Spain to occupy the lands of Alta California (now the state of California) and build their forts San Diego, Monterey and other California settlements on them.

In 1774, 1777, 1778 and 1790, Spanish expeditions were sent to Alaska. And the expedition of 1790 already had a specific goal: to explore and, if possible, take possession of territories in Alaska. However, when Spanish ships came into confrontation with ships from the British land of Nootka Sound (now the Canadian province of British Columbia), the Spaniards were forced to admit defeat and abandon attempts to seize the northern territories.

Britain, France, and the United States explored Alaska but did not attempt to acquire the territory. In 1778, British captain James Cook compiled topographic maps of the Alaskan coast and visited the Aleutian lands. In Alaska, Cook and his crew purchased many valuable sea otter pelts, which they sold at great profit in China; subsequent British interest in Alaska focused on trade.

France also sent an expedition to Alaska under the command of Jean de Galoupe, who returned from his expedition in 1788. But the French Revolution of 1789 cut short further French exploration in this region of North America.

Colonization

Russian fur merchants were annoyed by foreign competitors. Especially the British, who offered cheaper goods for exchange with the local population than Russian merchants. The Russians felt that a state establishment of the colony was necessary. In 1784, the merchant Shelikhov built and equipped his own ships and sent them to Kodiak Island. Gradually (by 1788) the number of Russians in the Aleutian Islands and North America reached 500, and by 1794, as a result of the activities of G.I. Shelikhov, it exceeded 800 people.

It was thanks to Shelikhov’s energy and foresight that the foundation of Russian possessions was laid in these new lands. The first permanent settlement appeared on Kodiak Island, in the Bay of Three Saints. Shelikhov also headed the first agricultural colony "Glory to Russia". The settlement plans he drew up included smooth streets, schools, libraries, and parks. At the same time, Shelikhov was not a statesman. He remained a merchant. industrialist, entrepreneur, acting with the permission of the government.

Until 1786, Shelikhov was the most successful fur trader in the Aleutian lands, but his fur empire needed other capable leaders. He saw one such assistant in Alexander Andreevich Baranov, a Siberian merchant who came to Kodiak in 1791. Soon, a merchant from Kargopol, 43-year-old Alexander Baranov, was appointed chief manager on Kodiak Island. Baranov was on the verge of bankruptcy when Shelikhov took him as his assistant, recognizing exceptional qualities in him: enterprise, perseverance, firmness.

Soon Baranov moved the company's representative office from the Bay of Three Saints to the north of the island, to the city of Pavlovsk, which had a better harbor and was located in a wooded area, which was very important for future construction. Now Pavlovsk is the main city of Kodiak Island.

The new ruler Alexander Baranov faced many problems. Most food and almost all goods for exchange had to be imported from Russia, and there were not enough ships. The motto of the Russian colony was the saying: “work tirelessly.” The colony was constantly short of people to build ships, protect the colony, and organize everyday life. Local Aleuts came to the rescue. They made up the main labor force of the colony, hunting fur game, while the Russians were busy arranging housing and procuring skins and triggers of animals. The Aleuts guarded the fort and stood guard.

During Baranov's tenure as Ruler of Russian America, Russia's possessions expanded to the south and east. Baranov founded and built Russian representative offices in the Aleutian lands. The largest is Novo-Arkhangelsk, founded in 1799. In 1802, the Tlingit tribe attacked the fort and destroyed it. And in 1804, Baranov returned to these lands with a Russian warship and defeated the Tlingits. After the victory, Novo-Arkhangelsk was rebuilt. 4 km south of this city, the famous Alaskan city of Sitka later grew.

Baranov faithfully served Shelikhov and then the Russian-American Company from 1790 to 1818, until he retired at the age of 71. During his lifetime, legends circulated about him: he inspired respect and fear in the people around him. Even the strictest government auditors were amazed at his dedication, energy and dedication.

Russian-American company

With the merger of the companies of the merchants G.I. Shelikhova, I.I. and M.S. Golikov and N.P. Mylnikov in 1798 was created and in 1799 the unified Russian-American company was finally formed. It received from Paul I monopoly rights to fur fishing, trade and the discovery of new lands in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, designed to represent and protect with its own means the interests of Russia in the Pacific Ocean.

Since 1800, the main board of the company, consisting of several directors, was located in St. Petersburg on the Moika River near the Blue Bridge. The company was declared to be under "the highest patronage." Since 1801, the company's shareholders were Alexander I and the grand dukes and major statesmen.

Shelikhov died in 1795. His son-in-law and legal heir of the Russian-American Company, Nikolai Petrovich Ryazanov, in 1799 received from the ruler of Russia, Emperor Paul the First, the right to a monopoly of the American fur trade. This authority obliged the company to take ownership of the northern territories previously discovered by the Russians. And establish Russian missions not only on them, but also on new lands, however, trying not to come into conflict with other powers.

In 1812, Baranov established the company's southern representative office (on the shores of the Californian Bay of Bodega. This representative office was named Russian Village (Selenie Ross), now known as Fort Ross. Later, in 1841, Fort Ross was sold to John Sutter, a German industrialist who went down in California history thanks to his sawmill in Coloma, on the territory of which a gold mine was found in 1848, which began the famous California Gold Rush.

Baranov left the post of director of the Russian-American Company in 1818 (retired). He wanted to return home - to Russia, but died on the way.

Naval officers took over the management of the company and contributed to the development of the company. And in 1821, the company’s policy stipulated the following point: from now on, only naval officers were to be the leaders of the Russian-American Company. The company's naval leadership improved its administration and expanded its colonies. However, unlike Baranov, the naval leadership had very little interest in the trading business itself, and were extremely nervous about the settlement of Alaska by the British and Americans. The company's management, in the name of the Russian Emperor, banned the incursion of all foreign ships into the 160 km water area near the Russian colonies in Alaska. Of course, such an order was immediately protested by Great Britain and the United States government.

The dispute with the United States was settled by a convention in 1824, which determined the exact northern and southern boundaries of Russian territory in Alaska. In 1825, Russia came to an agreement with Britain, also defining the exact eastern and western borders. The Russian Empire gave both sides (Britain and the United States) the right to trade in Alaska for 10 years, after which Alaska completely became the property of Russia.

Alaska Purchase

In 1843, US Secretary of the Government William Marcy and Senator William M. Gwin, both proponents of expansionism, asked the Russian ambassador to the US, Baron Edward Stoeckl, with a provocative question: “Is it true that Russia is putting up its colony of Alaska for sale?” Stoeckle replied, “Of course not!” - however, this question intrigued him.

In 1844, the Russian-American Company's patent for monopoly trade was extended for another 20 years. The company tried to make profit from new sources: coal mining; whaling and even exporting ice to San Francisco. However, all these adventures were unprofitable.

The sale of Alaska took place in 1867, not long after the popular term “Russian America” was coined. Russian possessions in America were, in fact, not state property, but the property of companies - first several private Russians, and then, from 1799, Russian-American... Russia did not have any act on the annexation of these possessions - they were possessions of Russian subjects.

This kind of ownership was common in the 18th - 19th centuries (East India Company, Hudson's Bay Company, etc.). It is no wonder that first Fort Ross, and then other Russian possessions in America, were ceded. In essence, a deal was made between the patrons of the RAC - the government and the emperor himself - with America.

Thus, Russia, as it were, got rid of, first of all, a company that was unprofitable and constantly troubled by problems. And one more thing - RAC was burdened by the knowledge that there were no dividends and they were not expected. Just debts. Moreover, at this time, large investments were required to develop new lands in Primorye.

But most of all, the fate of Russian America was influenced by the Crimean War (1853-56), which led to the impoverishment of the treasury and at the same time showed the vulnerability of the territories in the Pacific Ocean to the British fleet. By 1866, the RAC owed the Ministry of Finance 725 thousand rubles. In government circles, talk began that the sale of Russian America would help replenish the treasury and at the same time get rid of a vulnerable and unprofitable colony, which would one way or another go to the United States. In addition, by selling Alaska, Russia would have acquired an ally in the fight against England, which was hostile at that time.

Ultimately, the Russian government decided to sell Alaska to the United States and instructed Baron Stoeckl to negotiate. On March 11, 1867, Stockl began negotiations for the sale of Alaska with U.S. Secretary of the Government William H. Seward.

The agreement on the cession by Russia of its North American colonies to the United States for 7 million 200 thousand dollars in gold was drawn up in Washington on March 18, 1867. Seward had some difficulty obtaining government consent for such a monumental purchase at the time. But he gained the support of many Congressmen and, finally, the Senate approved the purchase, passing this decision by a vote of 37 in favor to 2 against. Some newspapers called the purchase crazy and Seward crazy, but, under pressure from the official press, the US public supported the Alaska purchase.

The signature and seal of Alexander II on the contract appeared only on May 3, but in fact Alaska had already been sold. On March 23, the editors of St. Petersburg newspapers received a message about this via the Atlantic telegraph - and refused to believe it. This news was presented by newspapermen as an empty rumor. The famous publisher of “Voice” A. A. Kraevsky expressed the bewilderment of Russian society on this issue: “Today, yesterday and the day before today we are transmitting and transmitting telegrams received from New York and London about the sale of Russia’s possessions in North America... We are still , as then, we cannot treat such an incredible rumor as anything other than the most evil joke on the gullibility of society.”

On July 18, the White House officially announced its desire to pay Russia the amount assigned in the bidding for Alaska.

Only on October 8, the “Highly ratified treaty on the cession of the Russian North American colonies” was published in the newspaper of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Northern Post”. The formal transfer of Alaska to the United States took place on November 11, 1867 in Sitka.

The Russian history of exploration of Alaska lasted 126 years. However, Russian activity in these lands took place, by and large, within the territory of the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak and the Alexander Archipelago. Some exploration was certainly carried out within the continent, but it was limited to very few settlements. The peak of the Russian population in Alaska did not exceed 700 people. The most significant contribution to the development of the lands of Alaska by Russian people should be considered the activities of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church. They built their churches on these lands and were engaged in missionary work among the local residents - the Aleuts and Tlingits. The Russian Orthodox Church has never ceased its activities. She still serves in Alaska today.

The United States was no better prepared to rule Alaska than the Russians. Many Americans had no information at all about these lands. The Civil War had just ended, and the country's leaders were more concerned about resolving the former conflict. Be that as it may, many Americans still came to the new lands of Alaska to trade, hunt or whale. In addition, in 1864, the Western Union Company began building a telegraph line to connect North America with East Asia and Europe through Alaska. However, this enterprise burst when in 1866 the project of laying a transatlantic cable connecting the New World with the Old was brilliantly completed.

However, the efforts expended by the Western Union company on the implementation of its project were not in vain and stimulated American interest in the lands of Alaska. Scientific expeditions to these regions were organized. The successful scientific study of Alaska was also facilitated by the rich scientific and educational information accumulated by Russian researchers and generously provided to America after its purchase of Alaska.

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Alaska (English: Alaska [əˈlæskə], translated from the Aleutian language - “whale place”, “whale abundance” (ala'sh'a) is the largest US state in terms of territory, on the northwestern edge of North America. Includes the peninsula of the same name , Aleutian Islands, a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along western Canada and the continental part.

Year of formation: 1959 (49th in order)
State slogan: North to the Future
Formal name: State of Alaska
State's largest city: Anchorage
State capital: Juneau
Population: more than 700 thousand people (48th place in the country).
Area: 1718 thousand sq. km. (1st place in the country. Largest US state).
More large cities in the state: Fairbanks College

The state is located in the extreme north-west of the continent, separated from the Chukotka Peninsula (Russia) by the Bering Strait, in the east it borders with Canada, in the west on a small section of the Bering Strait - with Russia. It consists of the mainland and a large number of islands: the Alexander Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, the Pribilof Islands, Kodiak Island, St. Lawrence Island. It is washed by the Arctic and Pacific oceans. On the Pacific coast - the Alaska Range; the inner part is a plateau with a height of 1200 m in the east to 600 m in the west; goes into lowland. In the north is the Brooks Range, behind which is the Arctic Lowland.

Mount McKinley (Denali) (6194 m) is the highest in North America. There are active volcanoes. There are Mailspin glaciers in the mountains.

In 1912, a volcanic eruption created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the new Novarupta volcano. The northern part of the state is covered by tundra. To the south are forests. The state includes Little Diomede Island (Kruzenshtern Island) in the Bering Strait, located 4 km from Great Diomede Island (Ratmanov Island), which belongs to Russia.

On the Pacific coast the climate is temperate, maritime, relatively mild; in other areas - arctic and subarctic continental, with harsh winters.

In the vicinity of the highest mountain in the United States, McKinley, is the famous Denali National Park.

Since 1867, Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the US War Department and was called the “District of Alaska”, in 1884-1912 “district”, then “territory” (1912-1959), since 1959 - a US state.

Five years later gold was discovered. The region developed slowly until the start of the Klondike gold rush in 1896. During the years of the gold rush in Alaska, about one thousand tons of gold were mined, which in April 2005 prices corresponded to 13-14 billion dollars.

Alaska became a state in 1959. Since 1968, various mineral resources have been developed there, especially in the Prudhoe Bay area, southeast of Point Barrow. In 1977, an oil pipeline was laid from Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused serious environmental pollution.

State of Alaska

Alaska is considered the last American frontier. It is the largest state in terms of size, although in terms of population (it is over half a million people) it ranks second to last. It is estimated that there are 2.6 square kilometers of territory per resident of the state.

When talking about their state, Alaskans often use the word “most”: Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range is the highest peak in North America (6194 meters), the Yukon River, with a length of 2879 kilometers, is one of the longest waterways in all of North America. In America, the Malaspina Glacier, whose length is 110 kilometers, is larger in area than the entire state of Rhode Island (the glacier area is 3880 square kilometers). The territory of Alaska is so large (1,530,693 square kilometers) that its acquisition increased the size of the United States by one fifth.

Alaska is home to many rare birds and animals: bald and golden eagles, hawks, owls, fur seals live on the Pribilof Islands, and sea otters, seals and whales live in the sea. Here you can see grizzlies, brown and polar bears, caribou, moose, and bison. Kodiak Island is home to the world's largest Kodiak bear. The state of Alaska is widely known among hunters and fishermen, so lovers of sport fishing and hunting flock here.

Alaska is a land of the most unexpected contrasts. Here you can see steaming volcanoes and cold tundra, hot springs and glaciers gushing out of the ground, virgin forests and vast open spaces.

The name “Alaska” comes from the Aleut word alaxsxaq, which literally means “land upon which the sea rushes”, i.e. “continent”.

The fact that Alaska was once Russian is now reminded by such Russian toponyms as Shelikhov Strait, Chirikov Island, Shumagin Islands, Pavlova Volcano, Mount Veniaminova, Shishaldin Volcano, Lake Bocharova, Makushina Volcano, Baranova Island. The development of Alaska is indeed connected primarily with Russia. In 1724, Peter I ordered Captain Vitus Bering (1681–1741) to explore the lands and waters east of Siberia. On his second voyage in 1741, Bering found himself in Alaska and claimed it as Russian territory. On the way back to Russia, Bering died, but the rest of the expedition reached Russia, and the stories of travelers about the wealth of this region, about the abundance of furs there, inspired Russian merchants to explore this distant land. One such entrepreneur, Alexander Andreevich Baranov (1746–1819), lived in Alaska from 1790 to 1818, serving as director of the Russian-American Company, which existed from 1799 to 1818. The name of Baranov is immortalized in the name of the large island of Baranov, 140 kilometers south of the city of Juneau. The city of Novoarkhangelsk was built on the island, which is now called Sitka. The city of Sitka was the capital of Alaska from 1867 to 1906, but initially Russian explorers, merchants and other trading people made a place near the Bay of Three Saints on Kodiak Island their center of trade.

The opportunity to make a quick profit from the fur trade led to the extermination of fur-bearing animals in such quantities that many breeds, such as the sea otter, were on the verge of extinction. Such ruthless extermination of animals stopped in 1799, when Russian Emperor Paul I ordered the founding of the Russian-American Company to purposefully populate and develop the territory of Alaska. The director of the company was Alexander Baranov, who led “Russian America” for 19 years as the viceroy of the Russian emperor and created 15 Russian settlements on this continent, including Fort Ross in California. The history of the Russian exploration of Alaska is quite dramatic: it remembers clashes with the local population - Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians, and conflicts with American fur traders. So, in 1802, a group of Tlingit Indians destroyed the Russian settlement of Mikhailovsk. In response, the Russian colonists decided to punish the Indians and destroyed the Indian village in 1804, creating the nearby city of Novoarkhangelsk, which later became not only the capital of the Russian colony, but the center of the joint Russian-American company. In 1812, Russian and American merchants entered into an agreement between themselves, which marked the beginning of the development of trade and good relations between Russia and the United States. At one time, Novoarkhangelsk was called “the Paris of the Pacific”, the city ruled by Alexander Baranov looked so impressive. The Russian churches preserved in Sitka remind us of the glorious times of the exploration of Alaska.

Russia first tried to sell Alaska in 1855. By that time, the military-political rivalry between the United States and Great Britain made the activities of the Russian-American Company risky and even unprofitable, and Russia’s participation in the Crimean War turned the colony in Alaska into an unprotected and vulnerable place. Negotiations to acquire the territory began in 1867 under President Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) at the urging of Secretary of State William Seward. The United States paid Russia 7 million 200 thousand dollars (11 million royal rubles) for Alaska. The day Alaska came under US jurisdiction, October 18, 1867, is now celebrated as Alaska Day. Skeptics of the time were sophisticated in their wit, coming up with epithets for the cold territory in the far northeast, off the coast of the Arctic Ocean, such as “Seward Glacier”, “Polar Bear Sanctuary” or “Frigidian Land”. However, the state's true nickname was the land of the midnight sun. In addition, the state motto, “North, into the Future,” is intended to dispel doubts about the usefulness of the deal and convince skeptics that Alaska is not the last place in the United States.

The management of Alaska was successively taken over by the US Army, the Department of the Treasury, and the Navy. There was no civil administration, and until 1884 Alaska lived under the laws of the State of Oregon. A dramatic and exciting new period in Alaska's history began with the discovery of gold in the Klondike, northwestern Canada, in 1896. Hundreds of gold miners rushed in search of a convenient route to the Klondike - one of these turned out to be the route through the city of Skagway in southeast Alaska. Even before the Klondike gold boom had died down a bit, there was a new excitement about the discovery of gold in the Nome area on the Seward Peninsula. At this time, a disagreement arose between the United States and Canada over the southern section of the border between the two countries. Under the 1867 treaty under which the United States acquired Alaska from Russia, the border between the United States and Canada was established along the coastline approximately between the 55th and 60th parallels, at a distance of 48 kilometers from the coast. Access to the Klondike was through a bay called Lynn's Canal. Canada claimed this channel for itself. This dispute was resolved by a joint arbitration commission, which included the USA, Canada and the UK. In 1903, the decision was made to maintain the border along the coastline and leave the Lynn Canal to the United States. In 1912, President William Howard Taft (1857–1930) signed legislation establishing Alaska as a territory.

During World War II in 1942, the Japanese occupied the islands of Kiska and Attu in the Aleutian chain. In the summer of 1943, these islands were returned to the United States, and to consolidate their victory, the Americans began to hastily develop the area. Their first step was to create the Trans-Alaska Highway. At the same time, a military program to strengthen the area began to develop.

For more than 40 years, Alaska has been vying to become a state. This happened only in 1958, when the Senate voted to admit Alaska to the United States as a state, and on January 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law that officially became the 49th state.

If you look at a map of North America, Alaska will seem like a huge peninsula. In reality, the Alaska Peninsula is only a part of the state located in the southwest of this tip of the North American continent. The entire state is named after the peninsula. The length of the Alaska Peninsula from Lake Naknek to the western tip is approximately 800 kilometers. The peninsula is predominantly mountainous, with almost 50 volcanic peaks here and in the Aleutian Islands. The climate on the peninsula is cool: on average -7 °C in winter, but in summer the mercury does not rise above +10 °C. The volcanic Aleutian ridge, stretching 1,900 kilometers southwest of the Alaska Peninsula, consists of fourteen large and more than one hundred small islands. The Aleutian Islands are mostly uninhabited, except for small Aleut settlements of about 6 thousand people and personnel serving military installations. A common occurrence on the Aleutian Islands, which have almost no trees, is wind and fog.

In the southeast, Alaska borders on the Canadian province of British Columbia, and in the east on the Canadian territory of Yukon. The northernmost point of Alaska, which is also the northernmost point of the United States, is Cape Barrow on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Approximately a third of Alaska's territory lies above the Arctic Circle.

In the east, Alaska is washed by the Bering Sea, separating Siberia from North America. The shortest distance between Cape Dezhnev in Siberia and the easternmost point of the Seward Peninsula in Alaska is only 85 kilometers. This is the Bering Strait, in which the Big and Little Diomede Islands are located, belonging to Russia and the United States, respectively. The international demarcation line of daily time runs between them.

The Bering Sea is considered one of the most difficult in terms of navigation; in winter, very strong winds blow there, there are frequent storms, the mercury sometimes drops to -45 °C, which leads to severe icing of ships, and waves can reach a height of 12 meters. In the sea, cold currents coming from the Arctic Ocean and warm Pacific currents collide, which leads to frequent fog and storms. The one-sixth of Alaska, which is covered by tundra, has a polar climate, meaning that winter lasts approximately 280 days. However, during the short polar summer, the sun shines almost all day, the ground thaws a little, and moss turns green and bright northern flowers bloom.

The northern part of the state is occupied by the Brooks Range, which stretches for 960 kilometers and is a deserted kingdom of snow and ice. Some peaks of this ridge reach heights of over two thousand meters. The southern foothills of the Brooks Range are forested.

South of the Brooks Range is the Inland Plateau, an upland area along which flow the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers and their tributaries. This territory is occupied by forests, swamps and lakes. The hillsides are covered with coniferous forests. The climate of this area is sharply continental. The temperature range on the Inner Plateau is from - 48 °C in winter to + 38 °C in summer.

The territory in southern Alaska, closer to the Pacific Ocean, is occupied by mountains. Here the climate is maritime, moderated by warm ocean currents, as well as warm air masses moving from Asia.

In the southeast of Alaska, between the 55th and 60th parallels, a narrow coastal strip stretches for 500 kilometers from north to south, bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the border with Canada. The coastal mountains in this area rise sharply out of the water. The Alexandra Archipelago is located in this part of the state. It is believed that the most memorable way to get to Alaska is to travel by sea through more than a thousand islands of this archipelago. The slopes of the Coast Mountains are densely forested, where spruce, hemlock and cedar are harvested for the local timber industry. The height of some peaks of the Coast Mountains reaches three thousand meters, and to the north, where the coastline turns to the west, there is Mount St. Elias with a height of 5488 meters. Glaciers sliding down the mountain form entire valleys, the largest of which is the Malaspina glacier valley. Another famous glacier, the Muir Glacier, is located in the Alaska National Glacier Reserve. Glaciers sliding down the mountains deepen the river valleys and make these places look like Norwegian fjords.

South of mainland Alaska is Kodiak Island, home to salmon farms and a US Coast Guard base. The city of Kodiak on this island is one of the largest fishing ports in the United States.

Alaska undoubtedly has great strategic importance in the plans of the US military. Numerous facilities operated by the Pentagon are located here. According to the law on the admission of Alaska to the United States in the event of a military threat, the entire territory of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands comes under federal control. Between 1954 and 1957, a chain of radar installations was built in Alaska, serving all of North America. The city of Anchorage is the northwestern headquarters of the Department of Defense. Anchorage is home to Elmendorf Air Force Base, which has one of the largest military airfields in the world. It is also home to the military base and Army command center at Fort Richardson. Eielson and Fort Wainwright Air Force Bases are located near Fairbanks. The Pentagon traditionally conducts military exercises in Alaska, developing skills in conducting military operations in conditions close to those of the north, in particular Siberia, the Urals and the Russian Arctic. Fort Greeley near the city of Delta Junction is used for this. Air defense complexes with early warning systems for the approach of a suspected enemy are also located in Alaska.

On March 27, 1964, a powerful earthquake struck Southern Alaska, destroying Anchorage and surrounding cities and killing 100 people. And in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker crashed off the coast of Alaska, and more than 37 million 850 thousand liters of oil spilled into the waters of Prince William Bay. This accident seriously disrupted the ecological situation along the state's coast and caused great damage to wildlife and fisheries.

Alaska's main source of income is fishing. In some years, up to half of all US fish production was produced here. The main types of fish and seafood produced are salmon, halibut, herring, crabs, shrimp and shellfish. The catch is mainly frozen for the purpose of export to Japan and Western Europe. One third of the catch is processed in canneries, with pink salmon being the main preference.

Mining is the second most important industry in the state's economy. Alaska is primarily known as a gold-bearing region. In addition to gold, other metals are also mined in the state. However, due to the state's remoteness from other industrial centers of the country and excessively expensive transportation, the development of the mining industry is quite slow. Two major producing areas began development in 1989 and 1990, in the southeast at Greens Creek (near Juneau) and in the northwest at Red Dog (near Kotzebue). The minerals mined here primarily are those that are in short supply outside the state and that other industries cannot do without: gold, platinum, chromium, mercury, silver, molybdenum, zinc, copper, lead and nickel.

In 1957, commercial oil production began on the Kenai Peninsula, and since 1968, oil production platforms began operating in Prudhoe Bay, which is considered the largest oil field in North America. To transport oil from north to south, an oil pipeline with a length of 1,280 kilometers was built in 1977, leading to the ice-free port of Valdez. Alaska also produces natural gas, sand, gravel and coal.

Alaska's remoteness from the rest of the United States, its aura of northern exoticism, its unusual landscape, nature and climate make the state unusually attractive for lovers of tourism and recreation in the wild. Tourism is the state's third largest economic sector. Most tourists arrive in Alaska by ferry, but an increasing number of tourists travel by car and bus along the Trans-Alaska Highway. This is the only land route connecting Alaska with Canada and the "lower" American states. Most of the highway passes through Canada. It begins in the town of Dawson Creek in British Columbia and stretches for two thousand kilometers. The road was built during World War II to connect military airfields. Nowadays, the Trans-Alaska Highway has become an unforgettable tourist route. It passes through forests, past lakes, along glacial valleys, and winds through picturesque mountains.

One of the most visited places by tourists is Denali National Park and Wildlife Refuge, where hunting is prohibited, but you can camp and fish.

A third of Alaska's territory is occupied by forests in which birch, poplar, and aspen grow, but logging in the state is carried out on an insignificant scale, especially compared to such forest industry leaders as the states of Washington and Oregon. The timber is floated down rivers along the southern and southeastern coasts to deep sea harbors. Hemlock and spruce, as well as red and yellow cedar, are subject to industrial felling. The main timber processing plants are located in the cities of Ketchikan and Sitka.

Agriculture is underdeveloped due to the natural conditions of Alaska. 90 percent of agricultural products and food are imported from outside. Areas suitable for farming are mostly forested and difficult to develop. The agricultural season in Alaska is unusually short, but cultivated plants grow well because the polar day is quite long. The most suitable land for agriculture is in the Matanuska Valley, 80 kilometers northeast of Anchorage, as well as in the Tanana River valley near Fairbanks, in the lowlands of the Kenai Peninsula and in several areas of the southeast coast. In Alaska, they grow what goes straight to the table. Fruits, potatoes, carrots, greenhouse vegetables, huge cabbage, berries, as well as milk and eggs are in great demand because, unlike many other regions of the United States, they are not imported, do not contain preservatives, and most importantly, they are fresh.

Fur production is another important industry in Alaska. For this purpose, mink are actively bred here, and beaver, marten, lynx, coyote, otter and muskrat are hunted.

The population of Alaska is over 0.5 million people, of which approximately 85 thousand people are Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians, i.e. the indigenous population of the state. Among representatives of other nationalities, the most common are Russians, Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese and people from Scandinavia.

Although most indigenous people gravitate toward their own cultures and engage in traditional trades and crafts, many of them move to cities. Local Eskimos live mainly along the coast of the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean and in the deltas of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. They engage in fishing, hunting and fur farming.

The Indians, mainly belonging to the Tlingit tribe, live on the islands in the south of the state. They engage in fishing, hunting and traditional crafts - wood and bone carving, and also work in fish canning factories.

Two-thirds of the state's residents live in cities and towns. Although Alaska's cities look as modern as other cities in the United States, they are separated from each other by large distances. In many cases, communication between them is carried out only by water or air.

Anchorage, with a population of 230,000 and Alaska's largest city, was founded in 1914 near Cook Inlet as the headquarters of the Alaska Railroad Authority and was rebuilt after the 1964 earthquake. It is the state's main commercial, transportation and military center. Anchorage grew rapidly in the 1970s. It is home to a major international airport, called the "air crossroads of the world", serving millions of passengers flying between the United States, Canada and East Asia. The city has everything necessary to be called a major modern center - theaters, musical groups, a museum of history and art with a collection of masterpieces of local folk crafts, a museum of natural history, and a zoo.

Fairbanks, the second largest city in Alaska with a population of over 30 thousand people, was founded by gold miners in 1902 in the center of the state, on the Chena River, a tributary of the Yukon River. Gold continues to be mined in this place, but Fairbanks' main significance lies in its role as a transportation hub. This city is the last station on the Alaska Railroad. The Trans-Alaska Highway ends here. Important defense facilities are located near the city, including a satellite tracking station.

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, a city with a population of about 27 thousand people, is located in the southeast of the state. The city got its name from gold miner Joe Juneau, who discovered gold in these parts in 1880. The settlement founded here became the center of the mining industry, and in 1900 the town became the capital of the territory, although all administrative institutions moved here from Sitka only in 1906. In 1976, Alaskans were polled about moving the state capital to Willow, north of Anchorage, as Juneau's economy declined. Over time, however, Juneau gained economic strength, largely from tourism and the mining industry, so a re-vote in 1982 retained the city's status as the capital.

Juneau can only be reached by plane or boat. The main sectors of the city's economy are tourism, mining and fishing industries. Near Juneau is the Greens Creek Mine, one of the largest silver deposits in the United States. Juneau is picturesquely located on the Gastineau Canal, which resembles a Norwegian fjord. A bridge over the canal connects the business part of the city with Douglas Island, where residential areas are located. Juneau is a bit like San Francisco - houses in both cities are crowded along winding streets and climb up hills. Juneau Harbor is an ice-free port. North of the city, the Lynn Canal begins, leading to the cities of Haines and Skagway. Ferry services connect these cities with Seattle, Washington, and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. Juneau's attractions include the Alaska Museum, which has an excellent collection of traditional northern art. The city is home to the University of Alaska and a large library.

Sitka, the former city of Novoarkhangelsk on Baranova Island, is now home to about 10 thousand people. It is a port city, famous for its fish canning factories, and a center of the timber industry. Sitka is one of the largest centers of “Russian America” with a “Russian quarter”. The city is home to a national historical park, created on the site of a battle in which Russian troops defeated the Tlingit Indians.

Ketchikan, in the Alaska Panhandle—which has a southern protrusion on the map that resembles a bucket handle—is a port city, home to the state's largest wood pulp mills and the largest fishing fleet in Alaska.