SEND North - Geography
If you were asked to imagine what the Far North looks like, what would you picture? Would it be a vast, frozen wasteland? Would you shiver thinking about frigid temperatures and months without sunshine? If this is all that comes to your mind, it’s time to expand your horizons and discover the real North.
Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas with just under 600,000 square miles. With so much space comes a wide variety of climates and geographical features. The Yukon Territory is the westernmost area of Canada, adjacent to Alaska. Its southern border is located at 60 degrees latitude—to live “north of 60” means to live in the Far North.
Alaska’s climate ranges from a temperate rain forest in the southeast to the chills of the Arctic Circle in the north. The southeast, home of the state capitol, Juneau, rarely experiences temperatures below freezing and receives annual rainfall of up to 160 inches. In Barrow, in the extreme north, the sun does not rise for 65 days in the winter and does not set for 84 days in the summer. The Yukon’s climate is very similar to Alaska’s. However, it does not receive as much snow as many assume due to the costal mountains “washing out” much of the precipitation.
The tallest peak in North America, Mt. McKinley (or Denali), sits in the Alaska Range, one of five mountain ranges stretching across the state. And 80% of the active volcanoes in the US are in Alaska. Most of those volcanoes sit on the Aleutian Islands, a chain of about 150 islands in southwestern Alaska. Earthquakes are a common occurrence with an average of 5,000 a year. Alaska’s many rivers, winding across the state, serve as transportation to places with no roads. The Yukon, the main river, stretches from Canada to the Bering Sea.
Alaska is divided into five regions: Southeast, Southcentral, Southwest, Interior, and the Brooks Range. Two-thirds of Alaska’s residents live in Southcentral, also home to Anchorage. Much of the Far North is above the Arctic Circle and many settlements in Alaska can only be reached by plane or boat. In contrast, there are sixteen communities in the Yukon and all but one, Old Crow, are connected by road. Whitehorse, the capital, is home to two-thirds of the Territory’s population. The Yukon experienced major population booms with the Gold Rush of ’98 and the building of the Alaska Highway during World War II.
Size
Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas with just under 600,000 square miles. With so much space comes a wide variety of climates and geographical features. The Yukon Territory is the westernmost area of Canada, adjacent to Alaska. Its southern border is located at 60 degrees latitude—to live “north of 60” means to live in the Far North.
Climate
Alaska’s climate ranges from a temperate rain forest in the southeast to the chills of the Arctic Circle in the north. The southeast, home of the state capitol, Juneau, rarely experiences temperatures below freezing and receives annual rainfall of up to 160 inches. In Barrow, in the extreme north, the sun does not rise for 65 days in the winter and does not set for 84 days in the summer. The Yukon’s climate is very similar to Alaska’s. However, it does not receive as much snow as many assume due to the costal mountains “washing out” much of the precipitation.
Geographical Features
The tallest peak in North America, Mt. McKinley (or Denali), sits in the Alaska Range, one of five mountain ranges stretching across the state. And 80% of the active volcanoes in the US are in Alaska. Most of those volcanoes sit on the Aleutian Islands, a chain of about 150 islands in southwestern Alaska. Earthquakes are a common occurrence with an average of 5,000 a year. Alaska’s many rivers, winding across the state, serve as transportation to places with no roads. The Yukon, the main river, stretches from Canada to the Bering Sea.
Regions
Alaska is divided into five regions: Southeast, Southcentral, Southwest, Interior, and the Brooks Range. Two-thirds of Alaska’s residents live in Southcentral, also home to Anchorage. Much of the Far North is above the Arctic Circle and many settlements in Alaska can only be reached by plane or boat. In contrast, there are sixteen communities in the Yukon and all but one, Old Crow, are connected by road. Whitehorse, the capital, is home to two-thirds of the Territory’s population. The Yukon experienced major population booms with the Gold Rush of ’98 and the building of the Alaska Highway during World War II.
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