Alaska
– was 49th to join the Union North America
– Asia was once connected by a land link, but are now separated by Bering Strait
– covered area: 586 412 sq. miles = 1/6 total area of the USA
– native inhabitants – the Inuits, Yupik Eskimos, Aleuts and several tribes of Indians
– 1700s : Russians trappers discovered the valuable (cenost ) fur of the sea otter (vydra) and started their living in Alaska
– American trappers, traders from Europe came to try and make a fortune there
– Mt. Mc Kinley – the tallest mountain in North America – 20 320 ft.
– Russians rulers
– ruled Alaska until the 1860s
– often used the national people as slaves
– when the Crimerian War ended in 1856 Russians Government needed money, they
decided to sell Alaska to the US
– American congress bought it for 7,2 million
– The icy land was called Seward`s Folly, since the congressmen didn`t believe the purchase ( koupě ) would pay off
– Good defense outpost, but it took a lot of soldiers to provide military cover
– In 1880 two men discovered gold near Juneau (more on the Klondike river – Yukon Territory), next cities began to grow
– Black gold – oil exploration became in the 1960s, Alaska became a very wealthy state
