Alaska

Alaska is the 49th state of the United States. It was admitted on January 3, 1959. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000, according to the census. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word Alyeska, meaning great country, mainland or great land. It is bordered by Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Alaska is the largest state by area in the United States. It is larger in area than all but 18 of the world's nations.

Demographics

As of 2003, the population of Alaska was 648,818.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Race and ancestry

The racial breakdown of the state is:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• 67.6% White (Non-Hispanic)
• 15.6% Native American or Alaska Native
• 4.1% Hispanic
• 4% Asian
• 3.5% Black
• 5.4% Mixed race

The largest ancestry groups in the state are: German (16.6%), Alaska Native/American Indian (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), English (9.6%), American (5.7%), and Norwegian (4.2%). Alaska has the largest percentage of American Indians (16%) of any state.

Related Topics:
German - Irish - English - American - Norwegian

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The vast, sparsely populated bush regions of northern and western Alaska are primarily inhabited by Alaska Natives, and they also have a large presence in the southeast. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of south-central and southeast Alaska have many whites of northern and western European ancestry. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has many residents of Scandinavian ancestry and the Aleutians have many Filipinos. Most of the state's black population lives in Anchorage.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As of 2000 85.7% of Alaska residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 5.2% speak Native American languages. Spanish speakers make up 2.9% of the population, followed by Tagalog speakers at 1.5% and Korean at 0.8%.

Related Topics:
English - Spanish - Tagalog - Korean

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Religion

• Christian – 81%
• Protestant – 68%
• Baptist – 11%
• Lutheran – 8%
• Methodist – 6%
• Pentecostal – 2%
• Episcopal – 1%
• Quaker – 1%
• Orthodox – 8%
• Catholic – 7%
• Mormon – 1%
• Other religions – 1%
• Not religious/agnostic – 17%

Notable is Alaska's relatively large Eastern Orthodox Christian population, a result of early Russian colonization and missionary work among indigenous Alaskans.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~