It remained the capital after the colony was transferred to the United States. William H. Seward, the United States Secretary of State, negotiated the Alaska Purchase (also known as Seward's Folly) with the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million. read more
Alaska is the northernmost and westernmost state in the United States and has the most easterly longitude in the United States because the Aleutian Islands extend into the Eastern Hemisphere. Alaska is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America; about 500 miles (800 km) of British Columbia (Canada) separates Alaska from Washington. read more
Alaska is a part of the USA and not of Canada because USA had purchased Alaska from the Russian Federation in 1867 for US $7.2 million ($121 million in 2015 dollars) by a treaty ratified by the US Senate. read more
Alaska contains 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States. At 20,320 feet, Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America. Alaska has roughly 5,000 earthquakes every year. In March of 1964, the strongest earthquake recorded in North America occurred in Prince William Sound with a magnitude of 9.2. read more
Although Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, it is the fourth-least-populous of the 50 states, after Wyoming, Vermont and North Dakota, as of 2014. It's also the least densely populated state, with only 1.3 people per square mile. read more