Alaska population per year. Alaska Natives. Early European exploration of Alaska

Alaska is the northernmost state in the US. There are not many cities on its territory, and there are no large metropolitan areas at all.

Like everyone else, Alaska has a capital. But which city is the capital of Alaska? The answer to this question is contained in the text of the article.

State territory

Alaska occupies a vast territory, which includes the Alaska Peninsula, a narrow strip in the northwest of the continent, and the Alexander Archipelago. Alaska is an exclave separated from the US by Canada. The territory of the state is washed by two oceans: the Arctic from the north and the Pacific from the west and south. in the west separates Alaska from the Russian Federation. The relief of the state is special. A narrow strip of the Alaska Range stretches along the coastline, which is part of the world's greatest mountain range - the Cordillera. The ridge is known not only for its beautiful landscapes and huge glaciers, but also for the location on it of the highest peak in all of North America - Mount Denali.

The height of this mountain, also known as McKinley, is 6190 m. After the inland plateau, the Brooks mountain range in the north of the state follows. The climate, depending on the region, is different: from temperate maritime on the Pacific coast to arctic continental in the depths of the peninsula. The Aleutian Islands also have mountainous terrain. On the peninsula itself there are active volcanoes: Katmai, Augustine, Cleveland, Pavlova volcano. The Redoubt volcano erupted as recently as 2009. incredibly beautiful, despite the permafrost that covers a large area of ​​the state.

The capital of Alaska: history

During the development of the territory by Russian discoverers at the turn of the 17th-19th centuries, the city of Novo-Arkhangelsk (now Sitka) was the center of Alaska. Then it was the center of fur and After the sale of this territory to America, the same capital of Alaska, Sitka, remained. However, by the end of the 19th century, when the city ceased to be promising, the city of Juneau became the capital. Gold reserves were found here, then oil. Today, the capital of Alaska is Juneau.

The capital of Alaska: contentious issues

The capital is usually the largest city in terms of area and population. However, this principle does not apply in Alaska. The capital of the state of Alaska is far from the largest city: its population is about 35 thousand people. This peculiarity gives reason to believe that the state capital should be the city of Anchorage - the largest. In terms of population, it surpasses Juneau by almost ten times. The infrastructure of the city is much better developed than in the capital. So the question arises, is the capital of Alaska Anchorage or Juneau? The question of moving the capital from Juneau has been repeatedly raised by residents of Anchorage, but, according to the poll, the population of other cities is against the transfer. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Juneau is located closer to the continental states.

Juneau - Anchorage attractions

The capital of Alaska is a small town, which is traditionally considered the administrative center of the state. There are few attractions in the city, as, for example, in Anchorage. Here you can visit the Alaska State Museum, which displays historical details of the native inhabitants of southeastern Alaska - the Tlingit, Russian history in Alaska and American domination. The church of St. Nicholas, located in the city, is interesting and original. This is an Orthodox church built at the end of the 19th century by the Tlingit who converted to Orthodoxy. An important role in the financial side of the life of the city is played by ecotourism in incredibly beautiful, virgin places of northern nature.

Anchorage, like a larger city, has more attractions. The Heritage Center, the Imaginarium, the Anchorage Cultural Center, the Botanical Garden, the Zoo and much more can be visited in Alaska's largest city. The city, which emerged as a key rail junction, is connected to all cities in the state, so many tourist routes begin here.

The unique location of the city - between the two channels of Cook Bay and the Chugach Mountains, makes it possible to simply enjoy the nature of the American North, visit nature reserves and large national parks of the state. Anchorage is located four hundred kilometers from the world famous where the highest point in North America is located.

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US state
Alaska English Alaska
State motto	"North to the Future"
State Song
State nickname	"The Last Frontier" "Land of the Midnight Sun"
Capital
The largest city
Big cities	College
Population	▲ 710 249 (2010) 47th in the US
density	0.49 people/km² US 50s
Square	1st place
Total	1,717,854 km²
water surface	236,507 km² (13.77%)
latitude	54° 40" N to 71° 50" N sh. , 3,639 km
longitude	130° 00" W to 172° 00" E , 2 285 km
Height above sea level
maximum	6,194 m
average	580 m
minimal	0 m
Adoption of statehood	January 3, 1959 49 in a row
before the status	Alaska territory
Governor	Bill Walker
Lieutenant Governor	Byron Mallott
Legislature	Legislature of Alaska
upper house	Alaska Senate
Lower Chamber	Alaska House of Representatives
Senators	Lisa Merkausky Dan Sullivan
Timezone	Alaska: VGM-9/-8 Aleutian: VGM-10/-9 (west of longitude 169° 30")
Reduction	AK
Official site:	alaska.gov
Alaska at Wikimedia Commons

Alaska(eng. Alaska [əˈlæskə], Eskim. Alaskaq, Aqłuq) - the northernmost and largest state in terms of territory; located in the northwest. In the Bering Strait, it has a maritime border with.

It includes the territory of North America to the west of 141 meridians of western longitude, including the peninsula of the same name with adjacent islands, the Aleutian Islands and the territory of North America itself to the north of the peninsula, as well as a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along the western border.

The area of ​​the territory is 1,717,854 km², of which 236,507 km² is on the water surface. Population - 736 732 people. (2014). The state capital is the city.

Etymology

The name comes from the Aleutian alashah- “whale place”, “whale abundance”. Initially, only the southwestern part of the territory of the present state (the Gulf of Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula) was called Alaska. The name has been fixed since the 18th century.

Symbolism

The flag of Alaska was designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson from Chignik. On the blue background of the flag, eight five-pointed stars are depicted: seven of them symbolize the constellation Ursa Major, and the eighth symbolizes the North Star.

Geography

A typical Alaskan landscape (Lake Wonder, Denali National Park)

The state is located in the extreme north-west of the continent, separated from the Chukchi Peninsula () by the Bering Strait, in the east it borders on, in the west on a small section of the Bering Strait - with Russia. It consists of the mainland and a large number of islands: the Alexander Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, the Pribylov Islands, Kodiak Island, St. Lawrence Island. It is washed by the Arctic and Pacific oceans. On the Pacific coast - the Alaska Range; the inner part is a plateau with a height of 1200 m in the east and up to 600 m in the west; goes downhill. To the north is the Brooks Range, beyond which lies the Arctic Lowland.

Mount Denali (6194 m, formerly McKinley) is the highest in. In its vicinity is the famous Denali National Park.

There are active volcanoes.

In 1912, as a result of the volcanic eruption, the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the new volcano Novarupta arose. The northern part of the state is covered by tundra. To the south are forests. The state includes the island of Kruzenshtern (Little Diomede) in the Bering Strait, located at a distance of 4 km from Ratmanov Island, which belongs to Russia.

On the Pacific coast, the climate is temperate, maritime, relatively mild; in other areas - arctic and subarctic continental, with severe winters.

Largest cities

Administrative division

Unlike most other US states, where the county is the primary local government unit, the name of the administrative units in Alaska is the borough. Even more important is another difference - 15 boroughs and the municipality of Anchorage cover only part of the territory of Alaska. The rest of the territory does not have enough population (at least interested) to form local self-government and forms the so-called unorganized borough, which, for the purposes of the population census and for the convenience of management, was divided into so-called population census zones. There are 11 such zones in Alaska.

Administrative-territorial division of Alaska

List of all administrative divisions of Alaska(In alphabet order):

• Bristol Bay
• Eastern Aleutian Islands
• Denali
• Kodiak Island
• kenai
• Ketchikan Gateway
• Lake and Peninsula
• Matanuska Susitna
• North slope
• Northwest Arctic
• Fairbanks-North Star
• Haynes
• Yakutat
• Unorganized boros:
  • Bethel
  • Valdiz-Cordoba
  • Dillingham
  • Western Aleutian Islands
  • Petersburg
  • Prince of Wales - Hyder
  • Wade Hampton
  • Huna - Angun
  • Southeast Fairbanks
  • Yukon-Koyukuk
• Independent cities:

Story

Sloop "Neva" in the harbor of St. Paul on the island of Kodiak

Groups of Siberian tribes crossed the isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. The Eskimos began to settle on the Arctic coast, the Aleuts settled in the Aleutian archipelago.

Opening

The first Europeans to visit Alaska on August 21, 1732 were members of the St. Gabriel" under the command of surveyor M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky in 1729-1735. In addition, there is fragmentary information about the visit of Russian people to America in the 17th century.

Sale

From July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867, Alaska with its adjacent islands was under the control of the Russian-American Company. The fighting in the Far East during the Crimean War showed the absolute insecurity of the eastern lands of the Russian Empire, and especially Alaska. In order not to lose the territory for nothing, which could not be defended and developed in the foreseeable future, it was decided to sell it.

Gold prospectors and miners climb the trail through the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush

On December 16, 1866, a special meeting was held, which was attended by Alexander II, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the ministers of finance and the naval ministry, as well as the Russian envoy to Baron Eduard Andreyevich Stekl. All participants approved the idea of ​​the sale. At the suggestion of the Ministry of Finance, a threshold amount was determined - at least 5 million dollars in gold. December 22, 1866 Alexander II approved the border of the territory. In March 1867, Stekl arrived in Washington and formally addressed Secretary of State William Seward.

The signing of the Alaska Sale Treaty took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. An area of ​​1,519,000 km2 was sold for $7.2 million in gold, that is, $4.74 per km2 (the much more fertile and sunnier French Louisiana, bought from France in 1803, cost the US budget somewhat more - 7 dollars per km²). Alaska was finally transferred to the United States on October 18 of the same year, when Russian commissioners led by Admiral Alexei Peshchurov arrived at the fort. The Russian flag was solemnly lowered over the fort and the American flag raised. On the American side, this ceremony was attended by 250 soldiers in full dress under the command of General Lavelle Russo, who provided Secretary of State William Seward with a detailed report of the event. Since 1917, October 18 has been celebrated as Alaska Day.

Golden fever

1897 map of Alaska and British Columbia showing gold deposits

Around this time, gold was discovered in Alaska. The region developed slowly until the start of the Klondike gold rush in 1896. During the years of the gold rush in Alaska, about one thousand tons of gold were mined, which in April 2005 prices corresponded to 13-14 billion dollars.

New story

Since 1867, Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the US Department of War and was called "Alaska County", in 1884-1912 "district", then "territory" (1912-1959), from January 3, 1959 - US state.

recent history

Alaska was declared a state in 1959. Since 1968, various mineral resources have been developed there, especially in the area of ​​Prudhoe Bay, southeast of Point Barrow.

In 1977, the Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline was laid to the port of Valdez.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused serious environmental pollution.

Economy

In the north, the extraction of crude oil (in the area of ​​​​Pradho Bay and the Kenai Peninsula; the Alieska oil pipeline 1250 km long to the port of Valdiz), natural gas, coal, copper, iron, gold, zinc; fishing; rearing reindeer; logging and hunting; air transport; military air bases. Tourism.

Oil production has played a huge role since the 1970s. after the discovery of deposits and the laying of the Trans-Alaska pipeline. The Alaska oil field has been compared in importance to the oil fields in Western Siberia and the Arabian Peninsula.

In March 2017, the Spanish Oil Company announced its discovery: 1.2 billion barrels of oil in Alaska. The firm says it's the largest onshore find in the US in 30 years. Oil production in this region is planned for 2021. According to experts, production volumes will be up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

Following a referendum among the residents of the state, in 1976 a special oil fund was created, to which 25% of the funds received by the government of Alaska from oil companies are deducted and from which all permanent residents (except prisoners) receive an annual subsidy (maximum in 2008 - $ 3269 , in 2010 - $1281).

Population

Anchorage

Orthodox church in Unalaska

Although the state is one of the least populated in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by vacancies in the oil industry and in transportation, and in the 1980s the population growth was more than 36 percent.

Population of Alaska in recent decades:

• 1990 - 560,718 inhabitants;
• 2004 - 648,818 inhabitants;
• 2005 - 663,661 inhabitants.
• 2006 - 677,456 inhabitants.
• 2007 - 690,955 inhabitants.

In 2005, the population of Alaska increased by 5,906 people, or 0.9%, compared to the previous year. Compared to 2000, the population increased by 36,730 people (5.9%). This number includes natural population growth of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) since the last census, as well as an increase due to migration of 1,181 people. Immigration from outside the United States increased the population of Alaska by 5,800 people, while internal migration decreased it by 4,619 people. The population density in Alaska is the lowest of all US states.

About 75 percent of the population is white, native to the United States. There are about 88 thousand indigenous people in the state - Indians (Atapaski, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshians), Eskimos and Aleuts. There are also a small number of Russian descendants living in the state. Major religious groups include Catholics, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists. The share of Orthodox Christians, which according to various estimates is 8-10%, is the highest in the country.

For the past 20 years, the state has traditionally voted Republican. Former state governor - Republican Sarah Palin was a candidate for US vice president in the 2008 election under John McCain. The current governor of Alaska is Bill Walker.

Languages

According to a 2011 study, 83.4% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. “Very good” English is spoken by 69.2%, “good” by 20.9%, “not very well” by 8.6%, “not spoken at all” by 1.3%.

Alaska Language Center University of Alaska Fairbanks claims that there are at least 20 Alaskan aboriginal languages ​​and also their dialects. Most languages ​​belong to the Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit macrofamilies, but there are also isolated ones (Haida and Tsimshian).

In some places, dialects of the Russian language have been preserved: the Ninilchik dialect of the Russian language in Ninilchik (Kenai borough), as well as a dialect on Kodiak Island, and, presumably, in the village of Russian Mission (Russian Mission).

In October 2014, the Governor of Alaska signed into law HB 216 declaring 20 indigenous languages ​​as official state languages. Languages ​​that have been listed as official: Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yupik, Alutik, Aleut, Dena'ina (Tanaina), Deg Khitan, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Lower Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Khan , Atna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian.

Transport

alaska highway

Since Alaska is located in the zone of the far north, it has limited transport links with the outside world. The main types of transport in Alaska:

• Alaska Highway - links Dawson Creek in the Canadian province and Delta Junction in Alaska. It has been operating since 1942, the length is 2232 kilometers. An unofficial part of the Pan American Highway.
• Alaska Railroad - connects the cities of Seward and. It has been operating since 1909 (the official opening date is 1914), the length is 760 kilometers. One of the few railways in the world that passes through national parks (Denali), and one of the few where you can stop some trains and get hooked on them by waving a white handkerchief, that is, hitchhiking.
• A system of ferries that connect seaside towns with the road network.
• Due to the inaccessibility of most places in the state, air traffic is very developed in Alaska: in fact, every locality in which at least two or three dozen residents live has its own airfield - see the List of airports in Alaska. Airlines connect communities to major cities (such as Anchorage) and on to the continental United States. Also in the summer there are several charter flights from the city of Nome to the Russian city; their number is limited by two reasons: the need to obtain a Russian visa and a pass to enter the territory of Chukotka, which is a border region.G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - S. 167. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
• Alaska // Dictionary of geographical names of foreign countries / ed. ed. A. M. Komkov. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Nedra, 1986. - S. 17.
• Index of geographical names // Atlas of the world / comp. and prepare. to ed. PKO "Cartography" in 2009; ch. ed. G. V. Pozdnyak. - M.: PKO "Cartography": Onyx, 2010. - S. 204. - ISBN 978-5-85120-295-7 (Cartography). - ISBN 978-5-488-02609-4 (Onyx).
• Russian industrialists in Alaska at the end of the 18th century. The beginning of the activity of A. A. Baranov
• Aronov V. N. Patriarch of Kamchatka navigation. // "Questions of the history of the fishing industry of Kamchatka": Historical and local lore collection. - Issue. 3. - 2000.
  Wahrin S. Conquerors of the great ocean. - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Kamshtat, 1993.
• Sverdlov L. M. Russian settlement in Alaska in the 17th century? // "Nature", 1992. No. 4. - S. 67-69.
• Valery Nechiporenko. Big Alaska Gold. // Journal "Columbus" No. 7, 2005
• Matt Egan. Massive oil discovery in Alaska is biggest onshore find in 30 years, CNN (10 March 2017).
• The largest oil field in the last 30 years was discovered in Alaska, USA.one.
• California on the brink of bankruptcy?. www.forbes.ru Retrieved 21 September 2017.
• Camille Ryan Language use in the United States, 2011 (PDF)
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Languages
• V. F. Vydrin and A. A. Kibrik. Some phonetic and grammatical features of the Russian dialect of the village of Ninilchik// Language. Africa. Fulbe. - St. Petersburg - M.: European House, 1998. - S. 50.
• Bill History/Action for 28th Legislature HB 216. The Alaska State Legislature.
• "Hurricane" Archived October 21, 2014. (English) on the official website of Azerbaijan Railways

Literature

• Okladnikov A. P., Vasilevsky R. S. Alaska and the Aleutian Islands / Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy .. -: Science, Siberian Branch, 1976. - 168 p. - (Popular science series). - 71,650 copies.(reg.)
• Zorin A.V. Indian war in Russian America: Russian-Tlingit military confrontation / Kursk State University .. - Kursk: Publishing House of KGU, 2002. - 424 p.
• Alaska // Great Russian Encyclopedia: [in 35 volumes] / ch. ed. Yu. S. Osipov. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2004-2017.

Links

• alaska.gov(English) - official website of the State of Alaska

It includes the territory of North America to the west of 141 meridians of western longitude, including the peninsula of the same name with adjacent islands, the Aleutian Islands and the territory of North America itself to the north of the peninsula, as well as a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along the western border of Canada.

The area of ​​the territory is 1,717,854 km², of which 236,507 km² is on the water surface. Population - 736 732 people. (2014). The state capital is Juneau.

Etymology

Symbolism

Geography

Opening

The first Europeans to visit Alaska on August 21, 1732 were members of the St. Gabriel" under the command of surveyor M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky in 1729-1735. In addition, there is fragmentary information about the Russian people visiting America in the 17th century.

Sale

From July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867, Alaska with the islands adjacent to it was under the control of the Russian-American Company. The fighting in the Far East during the Crimean War showed the absolute insecurity of the eastern lands of the Russian Empire, and especially Alaska. In order not to lose the territory for nothing, which could not be defended and developed in the foreseeable future, it was decided to sell it.

The signing of the Alaska Sale Treaty took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington. An area of ​​​​1 million 519 thousand km² was sold for $ 7.2 million in gold, that is, at $ 4.74 per km² (the much more fertile and sunny French Louisiana, bought from France in 1803, cost the US budget a little more - approximately 7 dollars per km²). Alaska was finally transferred to the United States on October 18 of the same year, when Russian commissioners led by Admiral Alexei Peshchurov arrived at Fort Sitka. The Russian flag was solemnly lowered over the fort and the American one was raised. On the part of the Americans, 250 soldiers in full dress took part in this ceremony under the command of General Lavella Russo, who provided Secretary of State William Seward with a detailed report on the event. Since 1917, October 18 has been celebrated as Alaska Day.

Golden fever

New story

Since 1867, Alaska was under the jurisdiction of the US Department of War and was called "Alaska County", in 1884-1912 "district", then "territory" (1912-1959), from January 3, 1959 - US state.

recent history

Alaska was declared a state in 1959. Since 1968, various mineral resources have been exploited there, especially in the area of ​​Prudhoe Bay, southeast of Point Barrow.

In 1977, the Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline was laid to the port of Valdez.

In March 2017, the Spanish Oil Company announced its discovery: 1.2 billion barrels of oil in Alaska. The firm says it's the largest onshore find in the US in 30 years. Oil production in this region is planned for 2021. According to experts, production volumes will be up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

Following a referendum among the residents of the state, in 1976 a special oil fund was created, to which 25% of the funds received by the government of Alaska from oil companies are deducted and from which all permanent residents (except prisoners) receive an annual subsidy (maximum in 2008 - $ 3269 , in 2010 - $1281).

Population

Although the state is one of the least populated in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by vacancies in the oil industry and in transportation, and in the 1980s the population growth was more than 36 percent.

Population of Alaska in recent decades:

• 1990 - 560,718 inhabitants;
• 2004 - 648,818 inhabitants;
• 2005 - 663,661 inhabitants;
• 2006 - 677,456 inhabitants;
• 2007 - 690,955 inhabitants.

In 2005, the population of Alaska increased by 5,906 people, or 0.9%, compared to the previous year. Compared to 2000, the population increased by 36,730 people (5.9%). This number includes natural population growth of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths) since the last census, as well as an increase due to migration of 1,181 people. Immigration from outside the United States increased the population of Alaska by 5,800 people, while internal migration decreased it by 4,619 people. The population density in Alaska is the lowest of all US states.

About 75 percent of the population is white, native to the United States. There are about 88 thousand indigenous people in the state - Indians (Atabaskans, Haida, Tlingits, Tsimshians), Eskimos and Aleuts. A small number of descendants of Russians also live in the state. Major religious groups include Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist. The share of Orthodox Christians, which according to various estimates is 8-10%, is the highest in the country.

For the past 20 years, the people of the state have traditionally voted Republican. Former Republican Governor Sarah Palin was the U.S. Vice Presidential nominee in the 2008 election under John McCain. The current governor of Alaska is Mike Dunleavy.

Languages

According to a 2011 study, 83.4% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. “Very good” English is spoken by 69.2%, “good” by 20.9%, “not very well” by 8.6%, “not spoken at all” by 1.3%.

Alaska Language Center University of Alaska Fairbanks claims that there are at least 20 Alaskan native languages ​​and also their dialects. Most of the languages ​​belong to the Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit macrofamilies, but there are also isolated ones (Haida and Tsimshian).

In some places, dialects of the Russian language have been preserved: the Ninilchik dialect of the Russian language in Ninilchik (Kenai borough), as well as a dialect on Kodiak Island, and, presumably, in the village

On March 18/30, 1867, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were sold by Alexander II to the United States.

On October 18, 1867, in the capital of Russian America, in common parlance - Alaska, the city of Novoarkhangelsk, an official ceremony was held to transfer Russian possessions on the American continent to the possession of the United States of America. Thus ended the history of Russian discoveries and economic development of the northwestern part of America.Since then, Alaska has been a US state.

Geography

Country name translated from Aleutian "a-la-as-ka" means "Big Land".

Alaska Territory includes into yourself Aleutian Islands (110 islands and many rocks), alexandra archipelago (about 1100 islands and rocks, the total area of ​​​​which is 36.8 thousand km²), St. Lawrence Island (80 km from Chukotka), Pribilof Islands , Kodiak Island (the second largest US island after the island of Hawaii), and huge continental part . The islands of Alaska stretch for almost 1,740 kilometers. On the Aleutian Islands there are many volcanoes, both extinct and active. Alaska is washed by the Arctic and Pacific oceans.

The continental part of Alaska is a peninsula of the same name, about 700 km long. In general, Alaska is a mountainous country - there are more volcanoes in Alaska than in all other US states. The highest peak in North America Mount McKinley (6193m altitude) is also located in Alaska.

McKinley is the tallest mountain in the United States.

Another feature of Alaska is a huge number of lakes (their number exceeds 3 million!). Swamps and permafrost cover about 487,747 km² (more than Sweden). Glaciers occupy about 41,440 km² (which corresponds to the entire territory of Holland!).

Alaska is considered a country with a harsh climate. Indeed, in most parts of Alaska, the climate is arctic and subarctic continental, with severe winters, with frosts down to minus 50 degrees. But the climate of the island part and the Pacific coast of Alaska is incomparably better than, for example, in Chukotka. On the Pacific coast of Alaska, the climate is maritime, relatively mild and humid. A warm stream of the Alaska current turns here from the south and washes Alaska from the south. The mountains hold back the northern cold winds. As a result, winters in the coastal and insular part of Alaska are very mild. Minus temperatures in winter are very rare. The sea in southern Alaska does not freeze in winter.

Alaska has always been rich in fish: salmon, flounder, cod, herring, edible shellfish and marine mammals abounded in coastal waters. On the fertile soil of these lands, thousands of plant species suitable for food grew, and in the forests there were many animals, especially fur-bearing ones. This explains why Russian industrialists sought to Alaska with its favorable natural conditions and richer fauna than in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Discovery of Alaska by Russian explorers

The history of Alaska before it was sold to the United States in 1867 is one of the pages in the history of Russia.

The first people came to the territory of Alaska from Siberia about 15-20 thousand years ago. Then Eurasia and North America were connected by an isthmus located on the site of the Bering Strait. By the time the Russians arrived in the 18th century, the native inhabitants of Alaska were divided into Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians belonging to the Athabaskan group.

It is assumed that the first Europeans to see the shores of Alaska were members of the expedition of Semyon Dezhnev in 1648 , who were the first to sail along the Bering Strait from the Icy Sea to the Warm Sea.According to legend, Dezhnev's boats, which had gone astray, landed on the coast of Alaska.

In 1697, the conqueror of Kamchatka, Vladimir Atlasov, reported to Moscow that opposite the “Necessary Nose” (Cape Dezhnev) there was a large island in the sea, from where in winter the ice "foreigners come, speak their own language and bring sables ...". An experienced industrialist Atlasov immediately determined that these sables differ from the Yakut ones, and for the worse: “sables are thin, and those sables have striped tails about a quarter of an arshin.” It was, of course, not about the sable, but about the raccoon - a beast, at that time unknown in Russia.

However, at the end of the 17th century, Peter's transformations began in Russia, as a result of which the state was not up to the discovery of new lands. This explains a certain pause in the further advance of the Russians to the east.

Russian industrialists began to attract new lands only at the beginning of the 18th century, as fur stocks in eastern Siberia were depleted.Peter I immediately, as soon as circumstances allowed, began to organize scientific expeditions in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.In 1725, shortly before his death, Peter the Great sent Captain Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator in the Russian service, to explore the sea coast of Siberia. Peter sent Bering on an expedition to study and describe the northeastern coast of Siberia . In 1728, Bering's expedition re-discovered the strait, which was first seen by Semyon Dezhnev. However, because of the fog, Bering was unable to see the outlines of the North American continent on the horizon.

It is believed that the first Europeans to land on the coast of Alaska were members of the crew of the ship "Saint Gabriel" under the command of surveyor Mikhail Gvozdev and navigator Ivan Fedorov. They were members Chukchi expedition 1729-1735 under the leadership of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky.

Travelers landed on the coast of Alaska on August 21, 1732 . Fedorov was the first to mark both shores of the Bering Strait on the map. But, returning to his homeland, Fedorov soon dies, and Gvozdev finds himself in Biron's dungeons, and the great discovery of the Russian pioneers remains unknown for a long time.

The next step in the "discovery of Alaska" was Second Kamchatka expedition famous explorer Vitus Bering in 1740 - 1741 An island, a sea and a strait between Chukotka and Alaska were subsequently named after him - Vitus Bering.

The expedition of Vitus Bering, who by this time had been promoted to captain-commander, set off for the shores of America from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on June 8, 1741 on two ships: St. Peter (under the command of Bering) and St. Paul (under the command of Alexei Chirikov). Each ship had its own team of scientists and researchers on board. They crossed the Pacific Ocean and July 15, 1741 discovered the northwestern shores of America. The ship's doctor, Georg Wilhelm Steller, landed on the shore and collected samples of shells and herbs, discovered new species of birds and animals, from which the researchers concluded that their ship had reached a new continent.

Chirikov's ship "Saint Pavel" returned on October 8 to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. On the way back, the Umnak Islands were discovered, Unalaska and others. Bering's ship was carried by the current and wind to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula - to the Commander Islands. At one of the islands, the ship was wrecked, and it was thrown ashore. Travelers were forced to spend the winter on the island, which now bears the name Bering Island . On this island, the captain-commander died without surviving the harsh winter. In the spring, the surviving crew members built a boat from the wreckage of the wrecked St. Peter and returned to Kamchatka only in September. Thus ended the second Russian expedition, which discovered the northwestern coast of the North American continent.

Russian America

The authorities in St. Petersburg reacted with indifference to the opening of Bering's expedition.The Russian Empress Elizabeth had no interest in the lands of North America. She issued a decree obliging the local population to pay a fee for trade, but did not take any further steps towards developing relations with Alaska.For the next 50 years, Russia showed very little interest in this land.

The initiative in the development of new lands beyond the Bering Strait was taken by the fishermen, who (unlike St. Petersburg) immediately appreciated the reports of the members of the Bering expedition about the extensive rookeries of the sea animal.

In 1743, Russian traders and fur hunters established very close contact with the Aleuts. In 1743-1755, 22 fishing expeditions took place, fishing on the Commander and Near Aleutian Islands. In 1756-1780. 48 expeditions were engaged in fishing throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island and the southern coast of modern Alaska. Fishing expeditions were organized and financed by various private companies of Siberian merchants.

Merchant ships off the coast of Alaska

Until the 1770s, Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov, Pavel Sergeevich Lebedev-Lastochkin, as well as the brothers Grigory and Pyotr Panov were considered the richest and most famous among the merchants and fur buyers in Alaska.

Sloops with a displacement of 30-60 tons were sent from Okhotsk and Kamchatka to the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. The remoteness of the fishing areas led to the fact that the expeditions lasted up to 6-10 years. Shipwrecks, hunger, scurvy, skirmishes with natives, and sometimes with the crews of ships of a competing company - all this was the everyday life of the “Russian Columbuses”.

One of the first to establish a permanent Russian settlement on Unalashka (an island in the archipelago of the Aleutian Islands), discovered in 1741 during the Second Bering Expedition.

Unalaska on the map

Subsequently, Analashka became the main Russian port in the region, through which the fur trade was carried out. The main base of the future Russian-American Company was also located here. In 1825 was built Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension .

Church of the Ascension on Unalaska

The founder of the parish, Innokenty (Veniaminov) - Saint Innocent of Moscow , - created with the help of local residents the first Aleutian script and translated the Bible into the Aleutian language.

Unalaska today

In 1778 he arrived at Unalaska English explorer James Cook . According to him, the total number of Russian industrialists who were in the Aleuts and in the waters of Alaska was about 500 people.

After 1780, Russian industrialists penetrated far along the Pacific coast of North America. Sooner or later, the Russians would begin to penetrate deep into the mainland of the open lands of America.

The real discoverer and creator of Russian America was Grigory Ivanovich Shelekhov. A merchant, a native of the city of Rylsk in the Kursk province, Shelekhov moved to Siberia, where he made a fortune in the fur trade. Starting in 1773, the 26-year-old Shelekhov began to independently send ships to sea fishing.

In August 1784, during his main expedition on 3 ships ("Three Hierarchs", "Saint Simeon the God-bearer and Anna the Prophetess" and "Archangel Michael"), he reached Kodiak Islands where he began to build a fortress and a settlement. From there it was easier to swim to the shores of Alaska. It was thanks to the energy and foresight of Shelekhov that the foundation of Russian possessions was laid in these new lands. In 1784-86. Shelekhov also began to build two more fortified settlements in America. His settlement plans included flat streets, schools, libraries, parks. Returning to European Russia, Shelekhov put forward a proposal to start a mass resettlement of Russians in new lands.

At the same time, Shelekhov was not in the public service. He remained a merchant, industrialist, entrepreneur, acting with the permission of the government. Shelekhov himself, however, was distinguished by a remarkable state mind, perfectly understanding the possibilities of Russia in this region. No less important was the fact that Shelekhov was well versed in people and gathered a team of like-minded people who created Russian America.

In 1791, Shelekhov took as his assistant, a 43-year-old who had just arrived in Alaska. Alexandra Baranova - a merchant from the ancient city of Kargopol, who at one time moved to Siberia for business purposes. Baranov was appointed chief manager of Kodiak Island . He possessed unselfishness, surprising for an entrepreneur - managing Russian America for more than two decades, controlling multi-million sums, providing high profits to the shareholders of the Russian-American Company, which we will discuss below, he did not leave himself any fortune!

Baranov moved the company's representative office to the new city of Pavlovskaya Gavan, founded by him in the north of Kodiak Island. Now Pavlovsk is the main city of Kodiak Island.

In the meantime, Shelekhov's company forced out the rest of the competitors from the region. Myself Shelekhov died in 1795 , in the midst of their endeavors. True, his proposals for the further development of American territories with the help of a commercial company, thanks to his associates and associates, were further developed.

Russian-American Company

In 1799, the Russian-American Company (RAC) was created, which became the main owner of all Russian possessions in America (as well as in the Kuriles). She received from Paul I monopoly rights to fur trade, trade and the discovery of new lands in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, designed to represent and protect Russia's interests in the Pacific Ocean with her own means. Since 1801, Alexander I and the Grand Dukes, major statesmen have become shareholders of the company.

Shelekhov's son-in-law became one of the founders of the RAC Nikolay Rezanov, whose name is known today to many as the name of the hero of the musical "Juno and Avos". The first head of the company was Alexander Baranov , which was officially named Chief Ruler .

The creation of the RAC was based on Shelekhov's proposals to create a commercial company of a special kind, capable of carrying out, along with commercial activities, also engaged in the colonization of lands, the construction of forts and cities.

Until the 1820s, the company's profits allowed them to develop the territories themselves, so, according to Baranov, in 1811 the profit from the sale of sea otter skins amounted to 4.5 million rubles, a huge amount of money at that time. The profitability of the Russian-American Company was 700-1100% per year. This was facilitated by the great demand for the skins of sea otters, their cost from the end of the 18th century to the 20s of the 19th century increased from 100 rubles per skin to 300 (sable cost about 20 times less).

In the early 1800s, Baranov established trade with Hawaii. Baranov was a real Russian statesman, and under other circumstances (for example, another emperor on the throne) The Hawaiian Islands could become a Russian naval base and resort . From Hawaii, Russian ships carried salt, sandalwood, tropical fruits, coffee, and sugar. They planned to populate the islands with Pomor Old Believers from the Arkhangelsk province. Since the local princelings were constantly at war with each other, Baranov offered patronage to one of them. In May 1816, one of the leaders - Tomari (Kaumualiya) - officially transferred to Russian citizenship. By 1821, several Russian outposts had been built in Hawaii. The Russians could also control the Marshall Islands. By 1825, Russian power was becoming stronger, Tomari became king, the children of the leaders studied in the capital of the Russian Empire, and the first Russian-Hawaiian dictionary was created. But in the end, St. Petersburg abandoned the idea of ​​making the Hawaiian and Marshall Islands Russian . Although their strategic position is obvious, their development was also economically beneficial.

Thanks to Baranov, a number of Russian settlements were founded in Alaska, in particular Novoarkhangelsk (Today - Sitka ).

Novoarkhangelsk

Novoarkhangelsk in the 50-60s. XIX century looked like an average provincial town in the outskirts of Russia. It had a ruler's palace, a theater, a club, a cathedral, a bishop's house, a seminary, a Lutheran prayer house, an observatory, a music school, a museum and a library, a nautical school, two hospitals and a pharmacy, several schools, a spiritual consistory, a drawing room, an admiralty, port buildings, an arsenal, several industrial enterprises, shops, stores and warehouses. Houses in Novoarkhangelsk were built on stone foundations, the roofs were made of iron.

Under the leadership of Baranov, the Russian-American Company expanded its scope of interests: in California, just 80 kilometers north of San Francisco, the southernmost settlement of Russia in North America was built - Fort Ross. Russian settlers in California were engaged in fishing for sea otters, agriculture and cattle breeding. Trade links were established with New York, Boston, California and Hawaii. The California colony was to become the main supplier of food to Alaska, which at that time belonged to Russia.

Fort Ross in 1828. Russian fortress in California

But the hopes were not justified. In general, Fort Ross turned out to be unprofitable for the Russian-American Company. Russia was forced to abandon it. In 1841 Fort Ross was sold for 42,857 rubles to Mexican citizen John Sutter, a German industrialist who got into the history of California thanks to his sawmill in Coloma, on the territory of which a gold mine was found in 1848, which started the famous California Gold Rush. As payment, Sutter supplied wheat to Alaska, but, according to P. Golovin, he did not pay almost 37.5 thousand rubles in addition.

Russians in Alaska founded settlements, built churches, created schools, a library, a museum, shipyards and hospitals for local residents, launched Russian ships.

A number of manufacturing industries have been established in Alaska. Especially noteworthy is the development of shipbuilding. Shipbuilders have been building ships in Alaska since 1793. For 1799-1821. 15 ships were built in Novoarkhangelsk. In 1853, the first steam ship in the Pacific Ocean was launched in Novoarkhangelsk, and not a single part was imported: absolutely everything, including the steam engine, was manufactured locally. Russian Novoarkhangelsk was the first point of steam shipbuilding on the entire western coast of America.

Novoarkhangelsk

The city of Sitka (former Novoarkhangelsk) today

At the same time, formally, the Russian-American Company was not a fully state institution.

In 1824, Russia signs an agreement with the governments of the USA and England. The boundaries of Russian possessions in North America were determined at the state level.

1830 world map

It is impossible not to admire the fact that only about 400-800 Russian people managed to master such vast territories and water areas, making their way to California and Hawaii. In 1839, the Russian population of Alaska was 823 people, which was the maximum in the history of Russian America. Usually there were a few less Russians.

It was the lack of people that played a fatal role in the history of Russian America. The desire to attract new settlers was a constant and almost impossible desire of all Russian administrators in Alaska.

The basis of the economic life of Russian America remained the extraction of marine mammals. On average for the 1840-60s. up to 18 thousand fur seals were mined per year. River beavers, otters, foxes, arctic foxes, bears, sables, as well as walrus tusks were also hunted.

The Russian Orthodox Church was active in Russian America. As early as 1794 he began missionary work Valaam monk Herman . By the middle of the 19th century, most Alaska natives had been baptized. The Aleuts and, to a lesser extent, the Indians of Alaska, are still Orthodox believers.

In 1841, an episcopal see was established in Alaska. By the time Alaska was sold, the Russian Orthodox Church had 13,000 flocks here. In terms of the number of Orthodox Christians, Alaska still ranks first in the United States. The ministers of the church have made a huge contribution to the spread of literacy among the Alaska natives. Literacy among the Aleuts was at a high level - on the island of St. Paul, the entire adult population could read in their native language.

Sale of Alaska

Oddly enough, but the fate of Alaska, according to a number of historians, was decided by the Crimea, or rather, the Crimean War (1853-1856). The Russian government began to see ideas about strengthening relations with the United States as opposed to Great Britain.

Despite the fact that the Russians founded settlements in Alaska, built churches, created schools and hospitals for local residents, there was no truly deep and thorough development of American lands. After the resignation of Alexander Baranov in 1818 from the post of ruler of the Russian-American Company, due to illness, there were no leaders of this magnitude in Russian America.

The interests of the Russian-American Company were mainly limited to the extraction of furs, and by the middle of the 19th century, the number of sea otters in Alaska had sharply decreased due to uncontrolled hunting.

The geopolitical situation did not contribute to the development of Alaska as a Russian colony. In 1856, Russia was defeated in the Crimean War, and relatively close to Alaska was the English colony of British Columbia (the westernmost province of modern Canada).

Contrary to popular belief, Russians were well aware of the presence of gold in Alaska . In 1848, a Russian explorer and mining engineer, Lieutenant Pyotr Doroshin, found small placers of gold on the islands of Kodiak and Sitka, the shores of the Kenai Bay near the future city of Anchorage (the largest city in Alaska today). However, the amount of precious metal discovered was small. The Russian administration, which had before its eyes an example of the "gold rush" in California, fearing the invasion of thousands of American gold miners, preferred to classify this information. Subsequently, gold was found in other parts of Alaska. But it was no longer Russian Alaska.

Besides oil discovered in Alaska . It is this fact, however absurd it may sound, that has become one of the incentives to get rid of Alaska as soon as possible. The fact is that American prospectors began to actively arrive in Alaska, and the Russian government reasonably feared that American troops would come after them. Russia was not ready for the war, and it was completely imprudent to give Alaska penniless.Russia seriously feared that it would not be able to ensure the security of its colony in America in the event of an armed conflict. The United States of America was chosen as a potential buyer of Alaska to offset the growing British influence in the region.

Thus, Alaska could become the cause of a new war for Russia.

The initiative to sell Alaska to the United States of America belonged to the emperor's brother, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich Romanov, who served as head of the Russian Naval Staff. Back in 1857, he suggested that his elder brother-emperor sell "extra territory", because the discovery of gold deposits there will certainly attract the attention of England - a long-time sworn enemy of the Russian Empire, and Russia is not able to defend it, and there really is no military fleet in the northern seas . If England seizes Alaska, then Russia will receive absolutely nothing for it, and in this way it will be possible to gain at least some money, save face and strengthen friendly relations with the United States. It should be noted that in the 19th century, the Russian Empire and the United States developed extremely friendly relations - Russia refused to help the West regain control over North American territories, which infuriated the monarchs of Great Britain and inspired the colonists of America to continue the liberation struggle.

However, consultations with the US government about a possible sale, in fact, negotiations began only after the end of the American Civil War.

In December 1866, Emperor Alexander II made the final decision. The borders of the sold territory and the minimum price - five million dollars were determined.

In March, the Russian Ambassador to the United States of America Baron Eduard Stekl made a proposal to sell Alaska to US Secretary of State William Seward.

Signing of the Alaska Sale, March 30, 1867 Robert C. Chu, William G. Seward, William Hunter, Vladimir Bodisko, Edouard Steckl, Charles Sumner, Frederick Seward

Negotiations were successful and On March 30, 1867, an agreement was signed in Washington according to which Russia sold Alaska for $7,200,000 in gold.(at the rate of 2009 - approximately $108 million in gold). The United States ceded: the entire Alaska Peninsula (along the 141° meridian west of Greenwich), a coastal strip 10 miles south of Alaska along the western coast of British Columbia; the archipelago of Alexander; Aleutian Islands with Attu Island; the islands of the Middle, Krys'i, Lis'i, Andreyanovsk, Shumagin, Trinity, Umnak, Unimak, Kodiak, Chirikov, Afognak and other smaller islands; islands in the Bering Sea: St. Lawrence, St. Matthew, Nunivak and the Pribylov Islands - St. George and St. Paul. The total area of ​​the sold territories amounted to more than 1.5 million square meters. km. Russia sold Alaska for less than 5 cents per hectare.

On October 18, 1867, an official ceremony was held in Novoarkhangelsk (Sitka) for the transfer of Alaska to the United States. Russian and American soldiers marched in solemn march, the Russian flag was lowered and the US flag was raised.

Painting by N. Leitze "Signing the contract for the sale of Alaska" (1867)

Immediately after the transfer of Alaska to the United States, American troops entered Sitka and looted the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael, private houses and shops, and General Jefferson Davis ordered all Russians to leave their homes to the Americans.

On August 1, 1868, Baron Stekl was presented with a US Treasury check with which the United States paid Russia for its new lands.

Check issued to the Russian Ambassador by the Americans when buying Alaska

notice, that Russia never received money for Alaska , since part of this money was appropriated by the Russian ambassador in Washington, Baron Steckl, part went to bribes to American senators. Baron Steckl then instructed Riggs Bank to transfer $7.035 million to London, to the Barings Bank. Both of these banks have now ceased to exist. The trace of this money has been lost in time, giving rise to a variety of theories. According to one of them, the check was cashed in London, and gold bars were purchased for it, which were planned to be transferred to Russia. However, the cargo was never delivered. The ship "Orkney" (Orkney), on board which was a precious cargo, sank on July 16, 1868 on the way to St. Petersburg. Whether there was gold on it at that time, or whether it did not leave the limits of Foggy Albion at all, is unknown. The insurance company that insured the ship and cargo declared itself bankrupt, and the damage was only partially reimbursed. (Now the site of the Orkney sinking is in the territorial waters of Finland. In 1975, a joint Soviet-Finnish expedition examined the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits flooding and found the wreckage of the ship. The study of these found that there was a powerful explosion and a strong fire on the ship. However, gold could not be found - most likely, it remained in England.). As a result, Russia never received anything from the abandonment of some of its possessions.

It should be noted that There is no official text of the agreement on the sale of Alaska in Russian. The deal was not approved by the Russian Senate and the State Council.

In 1868, the Russian-American Company was liquidated. During its elimination, part of the Russians were taken from Alaska to their homeland. The last group of Russians, numbering 309 people, left Novoarkhangelsk on November 30, 1868. The other part - about 200 people - was left in Novoarkhangelsk due to the lack of ships. They were simply FORGOTTEN by the St. Petersburg authorities. Most of the Creoles (descendants from mixed marriages of Russians with Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians) remained in Alaska.

Rise of Alaska

After 1867, the part of the North American continent ceded by Russia to the USA received Alaska Territory status.

For the United States, Alaska became the site of the "gold rush" in the 90s. XIX century, sung by Jack London, and then the "oil fever" in the 70s. XX century.

In 1880, the largest ore deposit in Alaska, Juneau, was discovered. At the beginning of the 20th century, the largest alluvial gold deposit, Fairbanks, was discovered. By the mid 80s. XX in Alaska in total produced almost a thousand tons of gold.

To dateAlaska ranks 2nd in the US (after Nevada) in terms of gold production . The state provides about 8% of silver mining in the United States of America. The Red Dog Mine in northern Alaska is the largest zinc mine in the world and provides about 10% of the world's production of this metal, as well as significant amounts of silver and lead.

Oil was found in Alaska 100 years after the conclusion of the agreement - in the early 70s. XX century. TodayAlaska ranks 2nd in the US in the production of "black gold", 20% of American oil is produced here. Huge reserves of oil and gas have been explored in the north of the state. The Prudhoe Bay field is the largest in the United States (8% of US oil production).

January 3, 1959 territoryAlaska was converted to49th state of the USA.

Alaska is the largest US state in terms of territory - 1,518 thousand km² (17% of the US territory). In general, today Alaska is one of the most promising regions of the world from the transport and energy point of view. For the United States, this is both a key point on the way to Asia and a springboard for more active development of resources and the presentation of territorial claims in the Arctic.

The history of Russian America serves as an example not only of the courage of explorers, the energy of Russian entrepreneurs, but also of the venality and betrayal of the upper spheres of Russia.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

Capital of Alaska (state capital): Juneau
Official name: State of Alaska (AK)

Largest city: Anchorage

Other major cities:
Kodiak Fairbanks, College, Barrow, Homer, Seward, Cordova.
State nicknames: The Last Frontier
State motto: North to the Future (North to the future)
State Formation Date: 1959 (49th in order)


The name of the state of Alaska comes from the language of the indigenous inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands - the Aleuts. "Alaska" is a distorted Aleut word Alakshak, meaning "big land" (or "that which blocks the sea", "peninsula").

Alaska is the largest state in the United States, located on the northwestern edge of North America. It includes the peninsula of the same name, the Aleutian Islands, a narrow strip of the Pacific coast along with the islands of the Alexander Archipelago along western Canada and the continental part.

In the west, Alaska borders on the Chukotka Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation along the Bering Strait, in the east the state borders on Canada. The state has access to two oceans - the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans.

State population

Although the state is one of the least populated in the country, many new residents moved here in the 1970s, attracted by vacancies in the oil industry and in transportation, and in the 1980s the population growth was more than 36 percent.

The largest ethnic (national) groups among the population of the state of Alaska

• Germans - about 20%
• Irish - about 13%
• English - about 11%
• Norwegians - about 4.5%
• French - about 3.5%
• Scots - about 3%

Alaska has the highest percentage of Indigenous people in the US. Eskimos, Aleuts, Inuipaks and many other nationalities live here.

State history

The oldest settlers of the lands of Alaska are the tribes of the Eskimos and Aleuts. The first Europeans to visit Alaska were the Russian crew of the St. Gabriel ship on August 21, 1732, under the leadership of M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov. In the period from 1799 to 1867, Alaska was controlled by the Russian-American Company.

The lands of Alaska became part of the United States in 1867, when the Russian Empire sold this coast to the Union of American States. On the American side, this sale and purchase agreement was signed by Senate Secretary William H. Seward. Under this agreement, the United States paid $7.2 million for Alaska lands.

At the end of the 19th century, gold was found in Alaska, which gave rise to the famous "gold rush", and the word Klondike became a household word. The gold rush swept the continent, and thousands of thousands of prospectors flowed to Alaska, hoping to find gold on these lands and get rich. A few years later, the excitement subsided, but the people who had settled down on these lands by that time did not leave Alaska.

From 1940 to 1950, a huge influx of foreign emigrants to the lands of Alaska contributed to the industrial revival and development of these lands. On January 3, 1959, Alaska became part of the United States as the 49th state in a row.

State Attractions

Signing of the agreement on the sale of Alaska.

Alaska is a land of primeval, wild beauty of Nature. Indented by fiords, and shot up to the clouds with the enchanting beauty of snowy mountains.

The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley in Alaska

Redoubt Volcano is an active volcano in Alaska.

Eruption


Alaska is a realm of natural contrasts: piercing winds and scorching sun, rain and snow, heat and cold. Alaska is a land that is still subject to global tectonic landscape changes.


Northern lights over the city of Circle (Alaska)


Denali National Park


The largest city is Anchorage<


Juneau, the current capital of Alaska, is rightfully recognized as the most original of all 50 state capitals.


Church of St. Nicholas in Juneau - the capital of Alaska

Skagway is the capital of the Gold Rush. Skagway is a quiet, well-groomed town.


Sitka is the former capital of "Russian Alaska."


USA, Alaska, Aurora

■ The flag of Alaska was created by a 13-year-old boy.
■ The first settlement in Alaska was founded on Kodiak Island in 1784 by Russian fur traders and whalers.
■ Alaska was sold to the United States in 1867 for a little over $100 million today. 30 years after the sale, gold deposits were discovered there and the famous “gold rush” began, and in the 20th century large oil and gas deposits were discovered with total reserves of 100-180 billion dollars.
■ At the same time, New York State was buying ownership of a courthouse that was more expensive than Alaska. And at the current exchange rate, Alaska was sold for about $4 per hectare with all the buildings and subsoil.

Funny Alaska Laws

■ In Fairbanks, it is illegal to drink alcohol to moose.
■ While it is permitted to shoot bears, it is forbidden to wake them up for the purpose of photographing them.
■ You cannot watch moose from an airplane.
■ It is considered a crime if you push a live moose out of an airplane.
And for lovers of the mysteries of history, I post this article.

E.P. TOLMACHEV

Alaska we lost
“The editors received several letters from their readers in America. Here they are:

Hello!
Many Americans ask me about the sale of Alaska, and when I say that Alaska was loaned for 100 years and was not returned to Russia, they are all indignant. When I was still studying at the Pedagogical Institute, the history teacher told us that there are documents confirming the fact of the lease of Alaska. I myself have not seen any documents. I asked here in America, and all I could find was an announcement by the American president about the purchase of Alaska. Where is the truth? Tsar Alexander sold Alaska or leased it?
Maybe one of your authors will find time to answer this question? Believe me, I have been trying to find the answer myself for more than one day, but I cannot find any Russian sources.
Thank you in advance, Oksana Shiel, USA.

…I asked the question in an internet conference where there are about 1,500 or so people who are in one way or another connected with partners from the former Soviet Union… Only 25 considered it possible to answer this question and one third of them seriously believe, that Alaska was leased out.
From a letter to the editor by Richard L. Williams, USA.
We turned to E.P. Tolmachev, Doctor of Historical Sciences, with a request to tell the story of the sale of Alaska and received his kind consent.

Editorial

It has been repeatedly noted that the discovery and development of America was not a one-time event, but was a long-term and complex process.
As Academician N.N. Bolkhovitinov rightly noted, the American continent was discovered and mastered by representatives of different countries and peoples, just as outer space is being studied by international efforts today. It is no coincidence that New England, New Spain, New France once existed on the territory of North America ... Our country has the honor of discovering this continent from the East, from Asia.
As a result of numerous voyages of Russian sailors, explorers, and entrepreneurs, in the 18th century, Asia “came together” with America, and permanent and strong contacts were established between the two continents. Russia has become not only a European and Asian, but, to some extent, an American power. The term “Russian America” appeared and later won the rights of citizenship, which united Alaska, part of Northern California, and the Aleutian Islands.

G.I. Shelikhov

The first Russian settlement in North America was founded by merchant-entrepreneur G.I. Shelikhov in 1784 on Kodiak Island. Novo-Arkhangelsk, founded in 1799, received this name in 1804, and later renamed Sitka, became the administrative center of Russian settlements in America.
On July 8, 1799, by decree of Paul I, "under the highest patronage" for the development of Russian lands in America and on the adjacent islands, a trade association was created - the Russian-American Company (RAC). One of its founders and first directors was N.P. Rezanov. With the support of the Russian government, the company founded many settlements, took an active part in the development of Sakhalin and the Amur region. She organized 25 expeditions (15 around the world; the most famous and largest - I.F. Kruzenshtern and Yu.F. Lisyansky), carried out significant research work in Alaska. The activity of the company was generally dual in nature. Predatory fur trade and, at the same time, facilitating the introduction of arable farming, cattle breeding and gardening in a number of areas.
Since the beginning of the XIX century. The activities of the Russian-American Company were complicated by the struggle with British and American entrepreneurs who armed the natives to fight against the Russians and sought to eliminate Russian settlements in America.
The Russian-American Convention, adopted on April 5, 1824 in St. Petersburg, established the border of Russian settlements and industries. The Russians undertook not to settle to the South, and the Americans - to the North of the parallel 54 o 40 'N. In an effort to maintain friendly relations with the United States, St. Petersburg made concessions: fishing and sailing along the coast of America in the Pacific Ocean were declared open to ships of both countries for 10 years.
N.P.Reza

The convention aroused obvious dissatisfaction with the leadership of the Russian-American Company. The Americans met the conclusion of the Convention with satisfaction. However, the ruling circles of America and the developing bourgeoisie did not stop the expansionist policy in the North Pacific, which was eventually one of the reasons for the sale of Alaska by Russia in 1867.
A similar convention was signed with England on February 28, 1825: it determined the southern borders of Russian possessions on the same parallel.
It is believed that both conventions meant unilateral concessions on the part of Russia and the beginning of its retreat from North America.
Aggravation of Russian-English relations

During the Crimean War, the US government, using the aggravation of Russian-English relations in the Middle East, offered Russia to buy Alaska from her. Petersburg rejected this proposal. As the modern historian V.N. Ponomarev notes, the anxiety of the RAC administration and the Americans, inspired by the truth by different motives, was the prerequisite for the appearance of a fictitious agreement on the sale of Russian America. The text of the document indicated that it was signed on May 19, 1854 on behalf of the RAC by P.S. Kostromitinov, who, while holding the post of Russian vice-consul in San Francisco, was also an agent of this company; and on the other hand, the document was sealed with the signature of the representative of the Californian American-Russian Trading Company (ARTC) A. MacPherson. In accordance with the agreement, the first party (i.e., RAC) ceded to the second (ATRC) for a period of three years all its property, trades and privileges in North America. The second party, in turn, was obliged to pay the first party 7 million 600 thousand dollars. It is interesting that this amount almost coincides with the one (7 million 200 thousand) for which Russian America was sold in 1867.
The purpose of the fictitious treaty was to force the British to abandon the attack on the territory of Russian possessions. In the event of an attack, a new conflict between England and the United States would inevitably arise, which, in the conditions of already tense Anglo-American relations, was undesirable for Albion. According to the authors, and especially Kostromitinov, it should have come into force only in case of emergency.
The idea of ​​a possible sale of Russian America to the United States after the end of the Crimean War was further developed.

Russian envoy in Washington E.A. Stekl
The main supporter of the sale of Alaska was the head of the Naval Ministry, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, who sent a special letter on this subject to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Gorchakov in the spring of 1857. The proposal of the Grand Duke was further supported by Admiral E.V. Putyatin, Captain 1st Rank I.A. Shestakov and the Russian envoy in Washington E.A. Stekl.
Although the US government considered this purchase very profitable, it offered only 5 million dollars for Russian possessions, which, according to A.M. Gorchakov, did not reflect "the real value of our colonies."
The American Civil War, which began in April 1861, delayed the development of negotiations on this issue. The sympathies of the Russian government and the public were on the side of the North, which fought for the elimination of slavery.
In 1862, the French government proposed to England and Russia to implement diplomatic intervention in the struggle between North and South on the side of the southerners. Alexander II refused this, which prevented the European powers from entering the civil war. The emperor well remembered how, during the Crimean War, the United States openly declared its friendly relations with Russia. Then they revived trade, supplying weapons and equipment to the warring army. In addition, the United States reported on the advance of enemy ships and was even ready to send volunteers.
In an atmosphere of political excitement raised in 1863 by France, England and Austria around the Polish question, the Russian government, in agreement with the US government, took retaliatory steps.
Two squadrons were sent to the territorial waters of the United States: the squadron of Rear Admiral S.S. Lesovsky (3 frigates, 2 corvettes and 3 clippers) arrived in New York in July 1863, and the squadron of Rear Admiral A.A. Popov ( 5 corvettes and 4 clippers) in October 1863 - in San Francisco.
Military operations and maneuvers
The Russian fleet, in the event of a war with Great Britain and France, was supposed to protect the coast of the United States from a possible enemy attack and strike at its distant communications and colonies. The unexpected appearance of Russian ships off the coast of the United States, enthusiastically received by the Americans, had a great political resonance. There was no end to receptions, balls and parades in honor of the Russian Navy. In mid-September 1863, the "first lady" of America, Mary Todd-Lincoln, arrived in New York to visit the admiral's flagship. She was solemnly greeted by Russian sailors and a military band, who performed the US anthem and "God Save the Tsar." All newspapers of America wrote about this celebration. The Russian ships provided moral support to the federal government, promoted Russian-American rapprochement, and forced Britain and France to change their position. The Russian squadrons, united in April 1864 in New York, were withdrawn when the troops of the northerners broke the resistance of the Confederate South, and in July 1864 left the shores of North America.
It should be noted that Russians, Ukrainians and Poles who emigrated from Russia to the United States fought in the army of the North. Former Colonel of the General Staff I.V. Turchaninov, who moved to America after the Crimean War, commanded a regiment of Illinois volunteers. On June 17, 1862, by decision of President Lincoln, he was awarded the rank of brigadier general.
US unity
The failure of the Anglo-French intervention plans and the friendly position of Russia contributed to the victory of the North over the South and the restoration of US unity.
During the war, Secretary of State W. Seward reported to St. Petersburg that "the president expressed satisfaction with the reasonable, fair and friendly course" pursued by the Russian government. And his Russian counterpart Gorchakov, at the end of the Civil War, emphasized the importance of restoring "the ancient alliance that constituted the strength and prosperity of the American Republic."
The revival of the idea of ​​selling Russian possessions in North America could not help but be facilitated by the end of the Civil War in the United States and the friendly visit of the American squadron led by Assistant Secretary of the Navy G.V. Fox to Russia in the summer of 1866.

Starting a new relationship
The immediate reason for the resumption of discussions about the fate of Russian America was the arrival in St. Petersburg of the Russian envoy in Washington, E.A. Stekl. Having left the United States in October 1866, until the beginning of the next year, 1867, he was in the capital, where he had meetings with such key figures as Grand Duke Konstantin, Foreign Minister Gorchakov and Finance Minister Reitern.
On December 16, 1866, a “special meeting” was held in the front office of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Palace Square with the personal participation of Alexander II. The meeting was also attended by V.K. Konstantin, Gorchakov, Reitern, Crabbe (head of the Naval Ministry) and Stekl. All participants spoke in favor of selling the Russian colonies in North America to the United States, and the departments concerned were instructed to prepare their views for the envoy in Washington.
Several reasons contributed to the Russian government's decision. Russia hoped by selling Alaska to maintain a "close alliance" with the United States and postpone everything "that could give rise to disagreement between the two great powers." In the face of the United States in the Pacific, this deal created a counterbalance to England. The purchase of Alaska gave the United States the opportunity to weaken the position of the Canadian "Hudson's Bay Company" and squeeze British Columbia, as it were, in a vise between their possessions.
On March 27, 1867, K. Marx wrote to F. Engels that by selling Alaska, the Russians would “make a mess” for the British in the USA. Relations between the United States and England were strained at the time due to the support that London provided to the southerners during the Civil War.
Takeover of Alaska?
Petersburg was afraid of the capture of Alaska by England and, moreover, was not able to protect Russian possessions in America from North American animal dealers and smugglers. In addition, the sale of Alaska was due to the unsatisfactory state of affairs in the RAC, the existence of which had to be supported by "artificial measures and monetary donations from the treasury." The main attention, it was believed, should be focused on "the successful development of the Amur Territory, where Russia's future lies in the Far East."
Returning to Washington in March 1867, Stekl reminded Secretary of State Seward "of the proposals that have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies," and stated that at present the Russian government "is disposed to enter into negotiations."
The agreement on the sale of Alaska (Russian America) by Russia to the United States was signed on March 18, 1867 in Washington by Secretary of State Seward and Russian envoy Steckl. According to the agreement, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia with the nearby Aleutian Islands for a small amount - 7 million 200 thousand dollars (11 million rubles), receiving a territory of 1519 thousand square meters. km, for the development of which the Russian people spent a lot of effort and money for 126 years. In 1959 Alaska became the 49th US state.
Twenty-five thousand dollars was granted by the king to the envoy. More than a hundred thousand dollars were written off by St. Petersburg under a secret item of expenditure "for matters known to the emperor." (Steckl had to bribe editors for newspaper support, politicians for speeches in Congress.)
On May 3, 1867, the treaty was ratified by Alexander II. On June 8 of the same year, the instruments of ratification were exchanged in Washington.
Russian society did not immediately understand the essence of the deal. The Golos newspaper, which had a reputation as an “official” newspaper, was indignant: “Surely the labors of Shelikhov, Baranov, Khlebnikov and other selfless people for Russia should be used by foreigners and collect their fruits for their own benefit?” Ambiguous reactions to the purchase of Russian America and some politicians in the United States. Most of the newspapers unleashed a "frantic campaign" against the treaty, describing the areas of Alaska as wild and unsuitable for anything, a zoo of polar bears.
Transfer of Alaska
The official ceremony of transferring Alaska to the United States took place in Novo-Arkhangelsk on October 6, 1867. An American military detachment (250 people) headed by General L. Russo and Russian soldiers lined up on the square in front of the residence of the Chief Ruler of Russian America, Prince D.P. Maksutov ( 100 people) under the command of Captain A.I. Peshchurov. After the announcement of the US treaty with Russia and a salute of 42 shots, the Russian flag was lowered and the American Stars and Stripes was raised.
The acquisition of Russian America strengthened the position of the United States in the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean, greatly facilitating their further expansion in this region.
But the saddest thing about this whole story is that the money for Alaska never made it to Russia. A significant part of the $7.2 million was paid in gold, which was loaded onto the Orkney ship, which headed for St. Petersburg. In the Baltic Sea, a group of conspirators tried to seize gold, but failed. And for some reason, the ship sank along with the precious cargo ... "