Alaska is the largest state of the United States in area. It is almost a fifth as large as all the rest of the United States, and more than twice the size of Texas, the second largest state. But Alaska has a relatively small population. According to the 2000 census, Alaska ranks 48th among all the states in population. Only Wyoming and Vermont have fewer people than Alaska. Alaska is often called the Last Frontier because much of the state is not fully settled. Juneau is Alaska's capital. Anchorage is the state's largest city in terms of population.

When Alaska entered the Union in 1959, it was the first new state in 47 years. About 500 miles (800 kilometers) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington, the nearest of the other U.S. states. Alaskans often refer to the rest of the continental United States, including Washington, as the "lower 48." The Alaska Highway, which runs between Delta Junction in Alaska and Dawson Creek in the Canadian province of British Columbia, connects Alaska with the road systems of the other states as well as with Canada.

The Alaskan mainland's most western point is only 51 miles (82 kilometers) from Russia. Alaska's Little Diomede Island, in the Bering Strait, is about 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) from Russia's Big Diomede Island. No other part of North America is closer to Asia.

Almost a third of Alaska lies north of the Arctic Circle. However, Point Barrow, the northernmost point, is almost 1,300 miles (2,090 kilometers) south of the North Pole. The state has a wide range of temperatures