Nature of Alaska: climate, relief, flora and fauna of the region

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Alaska is the largest and "harsh" US state. The homeland of the Eskimos and the Land of the Midnight Sun captures incredible landscapes. What is remarkable about the wild nature of Alaska? You will find a photo and description of the state later in the article.

Last Frontier

Alaska is located on the peninsula of the same name in the northwestern part of the continent of North America. This is the northernmost state of the United States and also an exclave (a dependent region surrounded by other states from the main territory of the country). For these reasons, Alaska has been dubbed "The Last Frontier."

Besides the mainland, the state covers Pribyvalov Island, the Aleutian Islands, the Alexander Archipelago, Kodiak Island, St. Lawrence, and other nearby islands. It borders with Canada, and across the Bering Strait with Russia. In the south, the state is washed by the Pacific Ocean, in the north it is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean, which largely influenced the formation of the nature of Alaska.

The region covers an area of 1.7 million square kilometers. If you place it on top of a US map, it will stretch from Florida to California. About 740 thousand people live here. Chief andJuneau is one of the largest cities in Alaska. Other major cities: Anchorage, Sitka, Fairbanks, College.

Climate and relief

The relief of Alaska had a significant impact on the nature. Along the entire southern coast of the region stretches the Alaska Range, where Mount McKinley is located - the highest peak in the United States. The mountain is also called Denali and stretches to a height of 6,194 meters. In the eastern part of the range, near the Canadian state of Yukon, is Mount Bona, a long-extinct volcano covered with glaciers.

To the north of the ridge there is a plateau with a range of heights from 1200 to 600 meters, which gradually turns into a lowland. Beyond the plateau is the Brooks Ridge, with altitudes ranging from 950 to 2,000 meters. Behind it lies the Arctic Lowland. In Alaska, there are "US high- altitude record holders", more than 20 peaks have an absolute height of 4 kilometers.

Due to the huge size of the state, the climate and nature of Alaska differ in different parts of it. In the very north of the state, the climate is arctic. Even in summer, the average temperature in this region is from -20 to -28 degrees. In the rest of the state, conditions are much milder.

In the south, the climate is humid with a lot of rainfall. The temperature in summer is not as severe as in the north, but still low. On average, in July it reaches 13 degrees. Alaska's lowest temperature ever recorded is -62 degrees.

Nature of Alaska

There are eight national parks in the state. The largest of them, the Gates of Alaska, is located entirely behindArctic Circle in the permafrost region. Despite the cold and harsh climate, Alaska's wildlife is quite diverse.

There are many bodies of water in the region. There are about 3 million lakes and 12 thousand rivers. The largest river is the Yukon. To the north about 40 thousand square meters. km occupied by glaciers.

In the northwest of the country there are huge sand dunes. The interior of the region is covered by woodlands and tundra. They serve as a haven for moose, grizzly bears, reindeer, minks, martens, foxes, wolverines.

In the southern part of Alaska there are meadows and coniferous forests. Wolves, coyotes, baribals, partridges, Alaskan geese, hazel grouses live here. Ungulates are dominated by caribou, moose, bighorn goats, with occasional musk oxen.

Off the coast of the state life is no less active. Walruses, sea lions, various types of whales, and seals live near Alaska. The Pacific coast is home to many shellfish, shrimp and crabs.