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The Alaska Panhandle
The Alaska Panhandle

The Alaska Panhandle, sometimes referred to as Southeast Alaska, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies just west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C The majority of the panhandle's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United States' largest national forest. At 17 million acres (69000 km² the Tongass National Forest (ˈtɑŋgəs in southeastern Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States "National forest" redirects here for the National Forest in England see National Forest England; for those in Brazil see List of Brazilian National Forests In many places, the international border runs along the crest of the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains (see Alaska boundary dispute). Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions such as Governments States or subnational administrative The Boundary Ranges, also known in the singular and as the Alaska Boundary Range, are the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. The Coast Mountains are a Mountain range of the Pacific Cordillera, running along the north western shore of the North American continent extending south The Alaska Boundary Dispute was a Territorial dispute between the United States and Canada (then a British Dominion with its foreign affairs

Misty Fjords Waterfall and kayak
Misty Fjords Waterfall and kayak
Tongass Forest near Ketchikan
Tongass Forest near Ketchikan
Cruise ships at Ketchikan
Cruise ships at Ketchikan

Contents

Geography

The Alaska Panhandle is the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, a protected waterway of convoluted passages between islands and fjords, beginning in Puget Sound in Washington state. Inside Passage of the Alaska Panhandle and coastal British Columbia is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a series of passages between the mainland and the Puget Sound (ˈpjuːʤᵻt is an arm of the Pacific Ocean, connected to the rest of the Pacific by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the Pacific Northwest Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. This was an important travel corridor for native canoeists, as well as gold-rush steam ships, and in modern times is an important route for ferries and cruise ships. The Panhandle has a land area of 91,008. A panhandle or salient is an informal geographic term for an elongated tail-like protrusion of a geo-political entity such as an 18 km2 (35,138. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand 46 square miles), comprised of four entire boroughs and three census areas, in addition to the part of Yakutat Borough lying east of 141° West longitude. A county-equivalent in the United States is a term used by the Federal government to describe one of the two following state subdivisions A A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular Community defined for the purpose of taking a Census. Yakutat City and Borough (ˈjækətɑːt is a unified city- borough in the U Although it has only 6. 14 percent of Alaska's land area, it is larger than the state of Maine, and almost as large as the state of Indiana. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union The 2000 census population of the Panhandle was 72,954 inhabitants, about 42 percent of whom were concentrated in the city of Juneau.

It includes the Tongass National Forest, Glacier Bay National Park, Admiralty Island National Monument, Misty Fjords National Monument, Alaska's Inside Passage, and myriad large and small islands. At 17 million acres (69000 km² the Tongass National Forest (ˈtɑŋgəs in southeastern Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States The area around Glacier Bay in southeastern Alaska was first proclaimed a U Admiralty Island National Monument is located on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska Misty Fjords National Monument was created December 1, 1978, and covers 2294343 acres Inside Passage of the Alaska Panhandle and coastal British Columbia is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a series of passages between the mainland and the The largest islands are, from North to South, Chichagof Island, Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, Kupreanof Island, Revillagigedo Island and Prince of Wales Island. Chichagof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Alaska Panhandle. Admiralty Island is an Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, at. Baranof Island, also sometimes called Baranov Island or Sitka Island, is an Island in the northern Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Kupreanof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska at. Revillagigedo Island is an Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the southeastern region of the For other islands named after the Prince of Wales see Prince of Wales Island. Major bodies of water of the Alaska Panhandle include Glacier Bay, Lynn Canal, Icy Strait, Chatham Strait, Stephens Passage, Frederick Sound, Sumner Strait, and Clarence Strait. Glacier Bay is a Bay in south-eastern Alaska, United States. It runs north northwest to south south-east for about 105 km (65 miles between two pinchets The Lynn Canal is an Inlet (not an artificial Canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. The Icy Strait is a Strait in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska, at about. Chatham Strait is a narrow passage of the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U Stephens Passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U Frederick Sound (also called Prince Frederick Sound or Prince Frederick's Sound) is a passage of water in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Sumner Strait is a Strait in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U Clarence Strait, originally Duke of Clarence Strait, is a Strait in southeastern Alaska, in the United States in the Alexander Archipelago

On August 20, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve, which formed the heart of the Tongass National Forest that covers most of the region. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T At 17 million acres (69000 km² the Tongass National Forest (ˈtɑŋgəs in southeastern Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States "National forest" redirects here for the National Forest in England see National Forest England; for those in Brazil see List of Brazilian National Forests

National Parks and Monuments

Ecology

Southeast Alaska is a temperate rain forest within the Pacific temperate rain forest zone, which extends from northern California to Prince William Sound. The area around Glacier Bay in southeastern Alaska was first proclaimed a U Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park commemorating the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s Sitka National Historical Park (also known as Indian River Park and Totem Park) is a National Historical Park in Sitka in the U Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve is a United States Admiralty Island National Monument is located on Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska Misty Fjords National Monument was created December 1, 1978, and covers 2294343 acres Temperate rainforests are Coniferous or broadleaf Forests that occur in the Temperate zone and receive high rainfall The Pacific temperate rain forests of North America are the largest Temperate rain forest zone on the planet California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Prince William Sound is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U The most common tree species are sitka spruce and western hemlock Wildlife includes brown bears, black bears, wolves, Sitka deer, humpback whales, orcas, five species of salmon, bald eagles, harlequin ducks, scoters, and marbled murrelets. The Sitka Spruce ( Picea sitchensis) is a large Coniferous Evergreen Tree growing to 50-70 m tall exceptionally to 100 m tall and Tsuga heterophylla ( Western Hemlock) is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the The Brown Bear ( Ursus arctos) is an Omnivorous Mammal of the family Ursidae, distributed across much of northern Eurasia and The American Black Bear ( Ursus americanus) is the most common Bear Species native to North America. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora The Sitka Deer or Sitka Black-tailed Deer ( Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) is a subspecies of Black-tailed Deer, sometimes referred to as the Mule The humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae) is a Baleen Whale. The Orca or Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca) less commonly Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the Oceanic dolphin family Salmon is the common name for several species of Fish of the family Salmonidae. The Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a Bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and The Harlequin Duck, Histrionicus histrionicus, is a small sea duck. The scoters are stocky Seaducks in the Genus Melanitta. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills The Marbled Murrelet ( Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small Seabird from the North Pacific.

Cities and towns

Major cities are Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Ketchikan (ˈkɛtʃɪkæn is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States and the southeasternmost sizable city in that state Other towns are Petersburg, Wrangell, Metlakatla, Haines, Hoonah, Angoon, Kake, Craig, Klawock, Yakutat, Skagway, and Gustavus. Petersburg is a city in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. Wrangell is a city and borough in Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2308 Metlakatla (ˌmɛtləˈkætlə is a Census-designated place (CDP on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska, Haines is a Census-designated place (CDP in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. Hoonah is a city on Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. Angoon (sometimes formerly spelled Angun) is a city on Admiralty Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. Kake is a city in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. Craig is a first-class city in the Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area in the Unorganized Borough in the U Klawock is a city in Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area in the U Yakutat City and Borough (ˈjækətɑːt is a unified city- borough in the U Skagway (ˈskægweɪ is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. Gustavus is a city in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the US state of Alaska. There are also many tiny (under 100 people) towns and villages, such as Pelican, Tenakee Springs, Port Protection, Port Frederick, Port Alexander, Baranof Warm Springs, Elfin Cove, Excursion Inlet, Hyder, and Meyers Chuck. Pelican is a city in the northwestern part of Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the U Tenakee Springs is a city on Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States. Port Protection is a Census-designated place (CDP in Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska, United States. Port Alexander is a city at the southeastern corner of Baranof Island in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. Baranof Warm Springs is a small primarily seasonally-occupied community in the U Elfin Cove is a Census-designated place (CDP near the northwestern corner of Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United Excursion Inlet is a Census-designated place (CDP in Haines Borough in the U Hyder is a Census-designated place (CDP in Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska, United States. Meyers Chuck is a Census-designated place (CDP in Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska, United States.

Culture

This area is the traditional homeland of the Tlingit people, and home of a prehistoric settling of Haida as well as a modern settlement of Tsimshian. Not to be confused with the Turkic Telengit people The Tlingit (ˈklɪŋkɪt in English also /-gɪt/ or Tlinkit /ˈtlɪŋkɪt/ which The Haida (19th C-early 20th C Indigenous nation of the west coast of North America. The Tsimshian ( Sm'algyax: Ts’msyan) /'sɪmʃiæn/ are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The region is closely connected to Seattle and the American Pacific Northwest economically and culturally. The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean

Industry

Major industries in Southeast Alaska include commercial fishing and tourism (primarily the cruise ship industry). Commercial fishing, also known as industrial fishing, is the activity of capturing Fish and other Seafood for commercial Profit, mostly Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Logging has been an important industry in the past, but has been steadily declining with competition from other areas and the closure of the region's major pulp mills. Logging is the process in which Trees are cut down for Forest management and Timber.

Transportation

Due to the extremely rural nature of Southeastern Alaska, almost all communities (with the exception of Hyder, Skagway, and Haines) have no road connections outside of their locale, so aircraft and boats are the major means of transport. The Alaska Marine Highway passes through this region. Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS is a Ferry service operated by the government of the U

Air transportation

Alaska Airlines is by far the largest air carrier in the region, with Juneau's Juneau International Airport serving as the aerial hub for all of Southeast and Ketchikan's Ketchikan International Airport serving as a secondary hub for southern Southeast Alaska. Alaska Airlines, ( is an airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States, near Seattle. Juneau International Airport is a public Airport located seven miles (11 km northwest of the Central business district of Juneau, a city and borough Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned public-use Airport located one Nautical mile (2 km west of the Central business district of However, Alaska Airline's Boeing 737s can only be handled by a few airports in the region and Alaska's bush airlines serve many of the smaller and more isolated communities and villages in the regions. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout L.A.B. Flying Service (based out of Haines), Wings of Alaska (based out of Juneau), Alaska Seaplane Service (based out of Juneau), and Skagway Air Service (based out of Skagway) are the primary bush carriers in region and also offer cargo service to smaller communities. LAB Flying Service is an American Airline based in Haines, Alaska, U Wings of Alaska is an American scheduled and charter Airline company based in Juneau in the U Alaska Seaplane Service is an Airline based in Juneau, Alaska, USA. The following is a list of airlines that operate and/or are based within the U

Numerous carriers serve other parts of the Alaska Panhandle. For example, [Sunrise Aviation] (based in Wrangell), provides flightseeing and chartered service to outlying areas and international charters up the Stikine River to places such as Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake as well as numerous lakes and communities in Northern British Columbia.

Marine transportation

Southeast Alaska is primarily served by the state-run Alaska Marine Highway and secondarily by the Prince of Wales Island-based Inter-Island Ferry Authority although small companies like Sitka-based Alaska Catamaran and a myriad of independent operators in the Lynn Canal also occasionally offer marine passenger service. Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS is a Ferry service operated by the government of the U For other islands named after the Prince of Wales see Prince of Wales Island. The Inter-Island Ferry Authority ( IFA) is a Ferry service in the U The Lynn Canal is an Inlet (not an artificial Canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska.

External links

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