Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area — 1.72 million km², more than twice the size of Texas — yet home to only about 740,000 residents, making it the most sparsely populated state by a wide margin. Purchased from Russia in 1867 and admitted to the Union in 1959, its economy runs on North Slope crude oil, commercial fishing (the largest seafood harvest in the country), mining, air cargo through Anchorage (one of the world's busiest freight airports), federal and military installations, and summer tourism. Alaska levies no state income tax and no state sales tax, and instead pays every resident an annual Permanent Fund Dividend from a sovereign wealth fund of roughly $80 billion. It has the highest share of Native American and Alaska Native residents of any state, more than 20 Indigenous languages, three million lakes, 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the country including Denali (6,190 m), and communities that can only be reached by plane or boat.

Capital: JuneauLargest city: AnchorageNickname: The Last FrontierStatehood: 1959
740,100
Population
48th in the U.S.
$89,700
Median household income
$70 B
GDP
48th in the U.S.
1,723,337 km²
Area
1st in the U.S.

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