KL7RA - Alaska

KL7RA Team will be active from Alaska in CQ WW DX CW Contest, 27 - 28 November 2021.
Team - KL7SB, WB2TE, KF2T, K6ZH, N7QT, KL0R.
They will operate in M/2 Category.
QSL via N4GNR.
Ads for direct QSL:
DAN CISSON, 12 HANCOCK DR, TOCCOA, GA, 30577-9388, USA.

Alaska: Wilderness parts and adventure playgrounds

Located in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, Alaska is a U.S state that is bordered by Yukon to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south. In terms of area, Alaska is the largest state in the United States.

It is dubbed as “The Last Frontier” with the name Alaska being derived from the Aleut word, “Aleyska” which means “great land.”

Geographical aspects

Alaska is the largest state in the union with a total of 586,412 square miles of land. Its coastline is approximately 6,640 miles, with a shoreline of approximately 33,904 miles inclusive of islands. In essence, Alaska boasts of a longer coastline as compared to a combination of all the other U.S. states.

Point Barrow is the northernmost point with a 156° 28' 30", west longitude and 71° 23' 25" north latitude. The southernmost point on the other hand is at the tip of Amatignak Island, Aleutian Chain, with a 179° 06' 31" west longitude and a 51° 15' 44" north latitude.

Mount McKinley which is the tallest mountain in North America stands at 20,320 feet. In addition, Alaska is home to 39 mountain ranges which comprise of 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States. Alaska which has more than 3,000 rivers has Yuko as its longest river. Yukon stretches for approximately 1,875 miles in Alaska and 2,298 total. In addition, behind the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the Yukon River ranks third in length of U.S.

The largest island in Alaska is Kodiak which is found in the Gulf of Alaska and stretches for 3,588 square miles. In total, Alaska comprises of 1,800 names islands, of which 1,000 of them are found in Southeast Alaska.

Climate

Southeast Alaska experiences a mid-latitude oceanic climate while the northern parts experience a subarctic oceanic climate. Western Alaska’s climate is largely determined by the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. The northern part of the area experiences a continental subarctic climate while the southwest part of it experiences a subarctic oceanic climate.

Three primary factors affect the climate of Alaska and these are:

Its Latitude, which is on the high level means that the state does tend to experience extreme seasonal variations in the solar radiation. This means that in the summer, the North of the Arctic circle does tend to experience constant daylight while the winter months do tend to be on the dark side for the most part.
Its location on the continent. Since it is location in close proximity to the ocean, the waters majorly influence its climatic conditions.
Its elevation above the sea level, with the lower elevations experiencing extreme coldness in the winter time and high temperatures in the summer time.

Religion

Evangelical Protestants take up a huge percentage of the population, followed by the Roman Catholics, the mainline Protestants, Mormons, Jews, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu.

In terms of church membership, Alaska is regarded as the least religious state in the United States of America.

Ethnicity

Whites take on a big percentage of the population, followed by American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, Blacks, Native Hawaiian and other races.

Facts

Juneau is Alaska’s state capital
Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959
It is the biggest state in the US in terms of area
17 of the 20 highest peaks in the US are found in Alaska
Yukon, which is the third largest river in the US is found in Alaska and its stretches for approximately 2,000 miles.
Alaska is home to over 3,000 rivers and over 3 million lakes
The official state gemstone is jade
North to the Future is the state Motto
Alaska has approximately 100,000 glaciers
It was first discovered by outsiders in 1741
The largest oil field in North America, Phudhoe Bay is in Alaska
The official state sport, which was adopted in 1972 is Dog mushing
Approximately one third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle
During the World War II, Attu, Kiska and Agattu were the only parts of North America that were occupied by Japanese troops.
Northwest of Mount Mckinley(60 miles) is Alaska’s geographical center
Alaska borders no US states while bordering Canada
Alaska is boarded by the water bodies of the Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and Beaufort Sea.
The Alaskan malamute sled dog, which was developed as a breed by a group of Eskimos known as the Malemiuts is strong and heavily coated.
The Alaska Range which stretches from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory is the largest mountain chain in the state.
The largest national forest in the US is the Tongass National forest which is found in Alaska.
Originally, during World War II, the Alaska highway was built as a military supply road.
In 1956, the constitution of Alaska was officially adopted and it became effective in 1959 hence making it the 49^th state.
A senate and House of Representatives make up the Alaska State Legislature
The state comprises the lowest population density in the nation.
In 1898, the discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush. Afterward, gold was discovered at Nome and Fairbanks.
Alaska is dubbed as America's Last Frontier.
The official state insect is the four-spot skimmer dragonfly.
The official state mineral is Gold and it was declared so in 1968.
In 1910, an unnamed draftsman created the state seal which comprises of a rising sun shining on forests, lake, fishing and shipping boats, and mining and agricultural activities.
The official state bird is the willow ptarmigan which was adopted in 1955 by the Territorial Legislature.
The official state flower is the wild forget-me-not which was adopted in 1917 by the Territorial Legislature.
The term Alaska native refers to Alaska's original inhabitants inclusive of the Eskimo, Aleut, and Indian groups.

KL7RA Alaska