Geography & Climate

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The Last Frontier is first in the nation in its size. Alaska contains 570,374 square miles (1,477,262 square kilometers or 147,726,188 hectares) of land, and 86,051 square miles (222,871 square kilometers or 22,287,107 hectares) covered by water. The state’s total area of 656,425 square miles (1,700,133 square kilometers or 170,013,294 hectares) makes it the largest of all the United States. Alaska also boasts the most coastline, at 6640 miles (10,686 kilometers); including islands, this gives 33,000 miles (53,108 kilometers) of shoreline, more than any other state. The state is bordered to the south by the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean, to the west by the Bering Sea, to the north by the Arctic Ocean, and to the east and south by Canada.

Alaska is divided geographically into four land areas: the Pacific Mountain system, Central Uplands and Lowlands, Rocky Mountain System, and Arctic Coastal Plain. Alaska’s highest point is Mt. McKinley, actually the highest point in North America at 20,320 feet (6.2 kilometers) above sea level. In fact, 17 of the 20 highest mountain peaks in the United States reside within Alaska’s borders.

Alaska is traversed by approximately 3,000 rivers. Of these, the Yukon River ranks as the third longest in the nation at over 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) in length. Over 3 million lakes exist within the Last Frontier. Glaciers cover roughly 5 percent of the state, with nearly 100,000 glaciers.

Due to its enormous size and high latitude location (from roughly 51 degrees North to 71 degrees North, extending into the Arctic Circle), Alaska experiences a broad range of climate variability. Its northern latitudes contribute to dramatic differences in daylight across the year, with areas north of the Circle enjoying full sun throughout the day (hence the nickname, Land of the Midnight Sun) in summer, and essentially complete darkness in winter. Since Alaska is almost completely surrounded by water, the oceans and ice influence weather patterns across the state, although more inland areas reflect weather patterns more associated with the North American continent climate. Tremendous variations in elevation also affect weather patterns.

Temperatures can range from a summer average high of 71.8 degrees F (22.1 degrees C) to a winter average low of -21.5 degrees F (-29.7 degrees C), with the greatest variability within inland regions. Precipitation ranges according to location, with approximately 200 inches (508 centimeters) of annual precipitation in the southeastern panhandle of Alaska, about 150 inches (381 centimeters) on the northern coast of the Gulf of Alaska, about 60 inches (152.4 centimeters) on the south side of the Alaska Range, and as little as 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) within the Arctic. Much of the total annual precipitation occurs in the form of snow.

Alaska is also noted for its numerous active volcanoes and for its powerful earthquakes.

• The Alaska Climate Research Center
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Climate Data

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