At 663,300 square miles, Alaska is by far the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states Texas, California, and Montana combined

Alaska has the lowest population density in the nation at approximately one person per square mile. If Manhattan, New York had the same population density as Alaska, only 22 people would be living on the island.

The Russians were the first Europeans to settle the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state. The expense and difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million, or approximately two cents per acre.

Juneau is unique among U.S. capitals in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of the state. This is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city, which makes Juneau a de facto island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat.

Beginning around May 11 or 12, the sun remains above the horizon the entire day, and the phenomenon known as the midnight sun is observed. The sun does not set for about 80 days, until around July 31 or August 1.

The greatest claim to fame of Prospect Creek, Alaska is being home to the United States record low temperature of -79.8 °F (-62.1 °C) which happened on January 23, 1971. The area has a subarctic climate and has consistently been known for having the coldest winters in the country.

There are 231 federally recognized tribes in Alaska, and 20 indigenous languages spoken in the state. These twenty can be divided into four separate families: the Eskimo-Aleut languages, Athabaskan, Haida, and Tsimshian.

Although the Northern Lights can be spotted anywhere in Alaska, the city of Fairbanks is often cited as the best vantage point, with the lights visible an average of 243 days a year. It's home to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, which issues forecasts on Aurora viewing conditions.

While most brown bears weigh between 115 and 360 kg (254 and 794 lb), the Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) commonly reaches sizes of 300 to 600 kg (660 to 1,320 lb), and has even been known to exceed weights of 680 kg (1,500 lb).

You might be surprised to learn that Alaska contains over 130 volcanoes, all of which have been active in the last two-million years. Approximately 50 of these have been active since roughly 1760, including the awesome eruption of 1912 at Novarupta in what is now Katmai National Park and Preserve, which released 30 times the volume of magma of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and ranks as the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.