Alaska, USA

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Alaska

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USA

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The Living World

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cold environments

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Key facts:

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• One of the most sparsely populated places on earth.

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• Nearly half of its 750

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000 residents live in the city of Anchorage

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• Alaska’s indigenous people include the Inupiat tribes.

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•

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Varied landscapes from temperate rainforests to tundra.

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18°C -35°C

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Development opportunities:

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• Mineral extraction: Mining is one of Alaska’s biggest industries. E.g. Gold.

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• Oil and gas: Trans- Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). More than 90% of taxes raised by Alaskan

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state come from this sector.

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• Renewable energy: HEP provides 21% of the state’s energy.

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• Fishing: 3000 rivers

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3 million lakes and 11

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US$6 billion to the state economy annually.

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• Tourism: over 2 million tourist per year. Generates around US$2.5 billion a year.

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Development challenges:

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• Extreme climate: temperatures reaching -30°C. Icy cold winds and blizzards create harsh

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conditions that inhibit farming. In the north of the state

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they experience 60 days of

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darkness.

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• Inaccessibility: Many places are sparsely populated because of harsh environments and

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remote location. Snow and ice make roads unusable for most of the year. Often rely on

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planes and boats for access.

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Buildings and infrastructure: Building can only take place during summer. Thawing of

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permafrost makes building difficult. Buildings need strong

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deep foundations to prevent

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subsistence during the summer

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which is expensive.

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• The cost of living in Anchorage

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Alaska’s largest city is around 30% higher than the national

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average.

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Key

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Key

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Population Density

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People per square

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kilometre

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> 5

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1.5-4

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0.5-1.4

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0.25-0.4

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<0.25

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N

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400

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kIT

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A Figure 8.13 Variations in population density in Alaska show

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how this is an unevenly developed place

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Underlain by thick permafrost

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Generally underlain by continuous permafrost

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Generally underlain by discontinuous permafrost

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Generally underlain by isolated masses of permafrost

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Generally free of permafrost

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Winter Arctic sea ice

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Barrowe

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ALASKA

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Fairbanks

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CANADA

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Anchorage

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Bethel

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Bering

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Sea

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Juneau

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Gulf of

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Alaska

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km

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A Figure 8.14 The distribution of permafrost caused by cold

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temperatures helps to explain Alaska’s uneven development