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Alaska: Difference between revisions
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[[Alaska Natives|Indigenous people]] have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as [[Settlement of the Americas|the entry point for the initial settlement]] of North America by way of the [[Bering land bridge]]. The [[Russian Empire]] was the first to actively [[European colonization of the Americas|colonize]] the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing [[Russian America]], which spanned most of the current state and promoted and maintained a native [[Alaskan Creole people|Alaskan Creole]] population.<ref name="lydiablack">{{cite book |title=Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867|first=Lydia|last=Black|publisher=University of Alaska Press|year=2004|pages=217, 218}}</ref> The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted [[Alaska Purchase|its sale to the U.S.]] in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|USD|7.2|1867}} million in {{Inflation/year|USD}}). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a [[territories of the United States|territory]] on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.<ref>{{cite AV media|year=1959|title=Video: 49th Star. Alaska Statehood, New Flag, Official, 1959/01/05 (1959)|url=https://archive.org/details/1959-01-05_49th_Star_Alaska_Statehood|publisher=[[Universal Newsreel]]|access-date=February 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515054607/http://archive.org/details/1959-01-05_49th_Star_Alaska_Statehood|archive-date=May 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | [[Alaska Natives|Indigenous people]] have lived in Alaska for thousands of years, and it is widely believed that the region served as [[Settlement of the Americas|the entry point for the initial settlement]] of North America by way of the [[Bering land bridge]]. The [[Russian Empire]] was the first to actively [[European colonization of the Americas|colonize]] the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing [[Russian America]], which spanned most of the current state and promoted and maintained a native [[Alaskan Creole people|Alaskan Creole]] population.<ref name="lydiablack">{{cite book |title=Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867|first=Lydia|last=Black|publisher=University of Alaska Press|year=2004|pages=217, 218}}</ref> The expense and logistical difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted [[Alaska Purchase|its sale to the U.S.]] in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|USD|7.2|1867}} million in {{Inflation/year|USD}}). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a [[territories of the United States|territory]] on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.<ref>{{cite AV media|year=1959|title=Video: 49th Star. Alaska Statehood, New Flag, Official, 1959/01/05 (1959)|url=https://archive.org/details/1959-01-05_49th_Star_Alaska_Statehood|publisher=[[Universal Newsreel]]|access-date=February 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515054607/http://archive.org/details/1959-01-05_49th_Star_Alaska_Statehood|archive-date=May 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Abundant natural resources have enabled Alaska— with one of the smallest state economies—to have one of the highest [[list of U.S. states by GDP per capita|per capita incomes]], with [[Commercial fishing in Alaska|commercial fishing]], and the extraction of [[Natural gas in Alaska|natural gas]] and oil, dominating [[Economy of Alaska|Alaska's economy]]. U.S. Armed Forces bases and [[tourism in Alaska|tourism]] also contribute to the economy; more than half of the state is federally-owned land containing [[United States National Forest|national forests]], [[List of national parks of the United States|national parks]], and [[national wildlife refuge|wildlife refuges]]. It is among the [[List of U.S. states and territories by religiosity|most irreligious states]], one of the first [[2014 Alaska Measure 2|to legalize recreational marijuana]], and is known for its [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian-leaning]] political culture, generally supporting the | Abundant natural resources have enabled Alaska— with one of the smallest state economies—to have one of the highest [[list of U.S. states by GDP per capita|per capita incomes]], with [[Commercial fishing in Alaska|commercial fishing]], and the extraction of [[Natural gas in Alaska|natural gas]] and oil, dominating [[Economy of Alaska|Alaska's economy]]. U.S. Armed Forces bases and [[tourism in Alaska|tourism]] also contribute to the economy; more than half of the state is federally-owned land containing [[United States National Forest|national forests]], [[List of national parks of the United States|national parks]], and [[national wildlife refuge|wildlife refuges]]. It is among the [[List of U.S. states and territories by religiosity|most irreligious states]], one of the first [[2014 Alaska Measure 2|to legalize recreational marijuana]], and is known for its [[Libertarianism in the United States|libertarian-leaning]] political culture, generally supporting the Republican Party in national elections. The Indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the second highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent, after only Hawaii.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Alaska |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AK |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229232038/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AK |archive-date=December 29, 2018 |access-date=February 17, 2020 |website=census.gov}}</ref> | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||