Alaska vs the "Lower 48"

Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million at about two cents per acre. After several administrative changes, it became an organized territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state of the United States of America on January 3, 1959. Alaska is one-fifth the land mass of the United States and accounts for 40% of the United States shoreline. It is the only state whose shoreline is on three different seas: Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Bering. Alaska is only 55 miles east of Russia. A plane flight in Alaska from Western Aleutian Island to the boundary between S.E. Alaska and British Colombia, Canada, would equal a flight from Los Angeles to New York City. If Manhattan, NY, had the same population density as Alaska, the population would be approximately 14 people. Alaska is larger than the three largest states in the US combined.

Chena Ridge, Alaska · United States