Alaska profile: America's frozen frontierWith the nomination of its governor, Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Heath Palin (born February 11 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho) is the current Governor of Alaska. She is the youngest governor in Alaskan history (forty-two years old upon taking office), as well as the first woman to hold the office in Alaska. , as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, the quiet state of Alaska is suddenly at the centre of media attention. The state likes to think of itself as the last frontier and prides itself on its natural beauty, particularly its mountain ranges with exotic names such as Talkeetna, Aleutian and Tordrillo. It boasts 100,000 glaciers, more than 600 of them named. The Malaspina glacier The Malaspina Glacier in southeastern Alaska is the largest piedmont glacier this far south in North America. It is about 65 km (40 mi) wide and 45 km (28 mi) long, with an area of some 3,900 km² (1,500 sq mi). is larger than the small north-eastern US state of Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. . Another, the Nebesna glacier, is 80 miles long. There are 17 national parks This is a list of national parks ordered by nation. Africa
In a state that likes to crow about the biggest this and the highest that, it is fitting that the world's biggest salmon – 97lb 4oz – and the world's biggest halibut halibut: see flatfish. halibut Any of various flatfishes, especially the Atlantic and Pacific halibuts (genus Hippoglossus, family Pleuronectidae), both of which have eyes and colour on the right side. – 459lb - were caught in Alaska. The state's pristine wilderness explains the uproar that ensued when the Exxon Valdez tanker struck a reef and spilled millions of gallons into the Gulf of Alaska Noun 1. Gulf of Alaska - a gulf of the Pacific Ocean between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago Pacific, Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean in the world in one of America's largest environmental disasters. One of America's most protracted pro·tract tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts 1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. 2. environmental battles happens to be raging in northern Alaska. Since 1977, environmentalists have been fighting the oil industry over whether there should be oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. George Bush tried unsuccessfully to overturn a ban on drilling in the refuge. Both presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, oppose oil exploration in the refuge. Obama, though, does support an Alaska natural gas pipeline. Politically, Alaska, which the US bought from Russia in 1876 for $7.2m, is a pygmy. Because of its tiny population of just over 670,000, the state has just three electoral votes – half the number of Delaware, home to Joe Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Firmly in the Republican camp, Alaska last elected a Democrat to Congress in 1974. The last time Alaska went Democratic in a presidential election was in 1976, when Jimmy Carter won office. In the 2004 election, George Bush easily took Alaska, winning 61% of the vote while John Kerry took 36%. 
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion