Introduction

The nickname of Alaska is the "Last Frontier". Alaska is the largest state in area and is the largest peninsula in the Western Hemisphere. Mt. McKinley in the Alaska Range is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet and one of the greatest challenges for mountain climbers. Juneau is the state's capital and the state flower is the pale-blue forget-me-not.

Denali National Park and Mendenhall Glacier in North Tongass National Forest are of interest, as is the large totem pole collection at Sitka National Historical Park. The Katmai National Park includes the "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes", an area of active volcanoes. The Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian live in south central Alaska and the southeast Panhandle of the state. They depend upon the ocean and rivers for their food and means of travel. Although they have similar cultures, their languages are different.

The Alaska Native population, the indigenous peoples of Alaska, include Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts. More than half of all Alaska Natives are Eskimos. The two main Eskimo groups, Inupiat and Yupik, are distinguished by their language and geography. The former live in the north and northwest parts of Alaska and speak Inupiaq, while the latter live in the south and southwest and speak Yupik.

About 36% of Alaska Natives are American Indians. The major tribes are the Alaskan Athabaskan (11,696) in the central part of the state, and the Tlingit (9,448), Tsimshian (1,653), and Haida (1,083) in the southeast.

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