Size. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast. The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.

Population Density. The state population is 622,000, most of which live in Anchorage (260,283) or Fairbanks (82,840). Alaska land measures 604,846 square miles. If Manhattan Island had the same population density as Alaska, there would only be 8 people living there.

Waterways. There are more than 3,000 rivers in Alaska and over 3 million lakes. The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles. The Inside Passage stretches 1,000 miles from Puget Sound to Skagway and is the world's longest protected waterway. Tides in this area can fluctuate over 20 feet from high to low in 12 hours.

Glaciers. Alaska has more active glaciers than the rest of the inhabited world combined. Some 100,000 glaciers cover almost 5% of the state. The Malaspina Glacier is the size of Rhode Island; it is more than 60 miles long and 1,200 feet thick.

Mountains. Of the 20 highest peaks in the United States, 17 are in Alaska. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, at 20,320 feet, covers more than 6 million acres. Denali, the natives name for the peak, means "The Great One."

National Parks. The United States has 126,094 square miles of national parks. Of that, 65% are located in Alaska, with 15 national parks, preserves, and monuments covering a total of 54 million acres. The Alaska State Park system includes 3.2 million acres of land and water, the largest state park system in the U.S.

Dog Mushing. The Alaska Legislature adopted dog mushing as the official state sport in 1972. Although "Mushers" rarely shout "Mush, you huskies!" as Sergeant Preston did, they do have common commands for the dogs. The driver holds no whip or rein. They command the dogs verbally, using tone and inflection of voice to control speed and direction. The commands are "down" for lie down, "all right" for go, "gee" for right turn, and "haw" for left turn.

Bald Eagles. The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Alaska's national bird, is the only eagle unique to North America. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Eagles are renowned for their excellent eyesight. They have two centers of focus, which allow the birds to see both forward and to the side at the same time. An eagle's eye is almost as large as a human's, but its sharpness is at least four times that of a person with perfect vision. The eagle can probably identify a rabbit moving almost a mile away. That means that an eagle flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet over open country could spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position.

Bears. Brown, grizzly, and kodiak bears were once thought to be separate sub-species. However, it is generally agreed now that they are the same species. The brown bear, so named because he lives within 50 miles of the sea and usually supplements his diet with salmon, is much larger than the inland grizzly. The brown bear is the largest land carnivore on earth, although there is some dispute over his cousin, the polar bear, which spends the bulk of his life on ice floes. Admiralty Island is said to have the densest population on earth at almost one bear per square mile.

Polar Bear Fur. Despite what our eyes tell us, a polar bear's fur is not white. Each hair shaft is pigment-free and transparent with a hollow core. Polar bears look white because the hollow core scatters and reflects visible light, much like ice and snow does. When photographed with film sensitive to ultraviolet light, polar bears appear black. Polar bear hair acts like a fiber optic guide to conduct ultraviolet light to the skin.

Northern Lights. The lights by the North Pole are now called the AURORA BOREALIS (Borealis means "of the North" in Latin). The Southern lights are called the AURORA AUSTREALIS (Austrealis means "of the South" in Latin). Usually the North and South Poles auroras happen at the same time, and when they do, they have the same exact patterns, only reversed, like a mirror. Now that, you have to admit, is pretty cool!

Caribou Migrations. The Porcupine Caribou Herd (approx. 152,000 animals) generally spends time during the summer months on the Coastal Plain. The smaller Central Arctic Herd (approx. 18,100 animals) stays to the west of the Coastal Plain. The spring migration begins in early March as caribou gradually drift toward the northern limits of their wintering areas. The caribou segregate themselves into groups that migrate at different times. Pregnant females along with some yearlings and barren cows are the first to migrate, followed by bulls and the remaining juveniles. In mid-to-late May the pregnant females arrive on the North Slope, while the others follow a few weeks later.

Humpback Whales' Dining Habits. The humpback whales that inhabit the Pacific coast of North America are unique. This population is characterized by a variety of remarkable feeding behaviors that include the production of loud, trumpet-like feeding calls, which are used to herd schooling fishes such as the Pacific herring. These whales also deploy large bubble nets around fish schools or krill swarms. The prey is then devoured in a spectacular communal lunge as the whales come rocketing up through the center of the bubble net. Up to two dozen whales may take part in these lunging events, which turn the surface into a boiling caldron of bubbles, baleen, and bait fishes.