In comparison to the 365 million acres of land making up the total of Alaska, the settled or altered area currently amounts to less than one-twentieth of 1 percent. This statistic also includes all the land used for the pipeline, oil fields, and mining. In Alaska, the status of land is continually changing. The free market affects patterns of land ownership in most places, but in Alaska, until recently, all patterns of land ownership were the result of a century-long process of a single landowner, the United States Government.

Alaska has 17 out of the 20 highest mountains in the United States, including the highest mountain on the North American continent, Mount McKinley. The South Peak is 20,320 feet high and the North Peak is 19,470 feet in elevation. Alaska is host to the northern most mountain range in North America,the Brooks Mountain Range.

The Arctic Circle is the line of latitude approximately 66º 33' north of the equator. It circumscribes the northern frigid zone. It is also the southernmost point at which the sun does not set at summer solstice or rise at winter solstice. On the day of summer solstice, June 20 or 21, the sun does set for the Arctic Circle. Because of refraction of sunlight, it appears the sun does not set for four days. At Barrow, the northernmost community, in the United States, the sun does not set from May 10 to August 2. During the winter solstice, December 21 or 22, the sun does not rise for one day at the Arctic Circle. At Barrow, it does not rise for 67 days.

The Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, are charged particles produced by sunspot activity colliding with gases in the earth's upper atmosphere in the northern latitudes. It causes spectacular multi-colored drapery and arc-like patterns of light in the night sky. Colors include red, yellow, violet, green and vary with intensity of interaction. The Northern Lights are visible in varying degrees all around the state. They are considered best in the interior and far north during the months of August to May.

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was written to clear up the issue of the Natives' claims in Alaska. This act provided for the creation of Alaska Native village and regional corporations, and gave the Alaska Eskimos, Aleuts and Indians nearly $1 billion and the right to select 44 million acres from a land "pool" of some 115 million acres. This act was passed on December 18, 1971. In August 1980, the Senate passed a compromise version of the Alaska Lands bill that created 106 million acres of new conservation units and affected a total of 131 million acres of land in Alaska. In November 1980, the House accepted the Senate version of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law on December 2, 1980. The 131 million acres of land was set aside for future generations as national parks and wildlife refuges.

Click here for pictures of the Interior.

 

[Starting Point] [Alaska Lands] [Geologic Past] [Hiking/Bush Life] [Environmental Problems] [Flora & Fauna] [Food] [Maps] [Traditions] [History] [Interviews] [Native Heritage Links] [Search the Site] [Feedback] [About the Site] [Acknowledgement]

© 1999 ThinkQuest ID 26020