State of Alaska Facts

Admitted to Statehood: January 3, 1959

Capital: Juneau

Nicknames: Land of the Midnight Sun, Great land and The Last Frontier

Motto: "North to the Future"

Bird: Willow Ptarmigan

Fish: King Salmon

Flower: forget me not

Gem: Jade

Tree: Sitka Spruce

Song: "Alaska's Flag"

Origin of Name: Russian

Origin of the Name "Alaska"

The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in October 1867 for 7.2 million dollars, or two cents per acre.

Many Americans thought this was a waste of money and called Alaska "Seward's Folly," after Secretary of State William H. Seward who championed the purchase.

Facts about Alaska

Each year Alaska has approximately 5,000 earthquakes, including 1,000 that measure above 3.5 on the Richter scale. Of the ten strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the world, three have occurred in Alaska.