The state of Alaska has over 100 state parks and recreation areas perfect for camping, fishing or picnicing, was granted territorial status in 1912, and became a state for the first time on January 3 in 1959. It is the most seismically active state in the Union, but this fact is not as well know as California due to its much lower population. Their economy relies heavily on petroleum extraction, with more than 80 percent of the state's revenues derived from this industry. It's main export product (excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, pollock and crab, but the economy is heavily dependent on increasingly expensive diesel fuel for heating, transportation, electric power and light. They have a well-developed ferry system, known as the Alaska Marine Highway, which serves the cities of Southeast and the Peninsula. Alaska Airlines-which serves Anchorage, Fairbanks, and regional hubs-is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-400s).

The court system has four levels: the State Supreme Court, the court of appeals, the superior courts and the district courts.

The most populous city is Anchorage, home to 260,283 people (as of 2000), 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. There are also many smaller towns and villages, especially in the Alaskan Bush, the portion of the state that is inaccessible by road.

Alaska has an abundance of seafood, with the primary fisheries in the Bering Sea, and seafood is one of the few food items that is often cheaper within the state than outside it.

It is the biggest state in the United States, with an area of 586,000 square miles -- roughly twice that of Texas and roughly one fifth the size of the lower 48 states combined. It is the last state where a man can travel 600 miles in a straight line and never cross a barbwire fence. There are over three million lakes, 3,000 rivers, 1,800 islands, and more than 100,000 glaciers. Alaska's tidal shoreline is estimated at more than 47,000 miles, more than that of the other 49 states combined. It has 39 mountain ranges and 17 of the 20 highest peaks in North America, and is part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a string of volcanoes that stretches from Asia into North America. Alaska is mountainous, but contains extensive river valleys of productive soil, and offers a wide variety of climates. Alaska has large deposits of the gem, including an entire mountain of jade on the Seward Peninsula, and of course let's not forget gold which started the famous Alaska gold rush in the late 1800's.