Historian Harry Ritter once wrote that Alaska is “like nowhere else—harsh, thrilling and astonishing.” A common concept is that when someone considers moving to Alaska, they might want to know what they are getting into. Alaska size comparison Or, if someone is exiting Alaska for the Lower 48, they might want to know what they are leaving behind.
To make a better sense of how Alaska sizes up to the rest of the United States, few comparisons.
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How Big Is Alaska?
Many people know that Alaska is the largest state in the U.S. Its area is 665,384 square miles, making it well ahead of the following largest conditions:
- The total area of Alaska is 665,384 miles’ square
- The total area of Texas is 268,596 miles square
- This total area of California is 163,694 miles square
- The total area of Montana is 147,039 miles’ square
- The total area of New Mexico is 121,590 miles square
However, it is not possible to realize exactly how large Alaska’s 665,384 square miles are.
Some surprising facts: Alaska size comparison
Some of the surprising facts to comprehend the size of Alaska are given below:
- Alaska is around one-fifth the size of the Lower 48.
- The following primary state, Texas, can fit into Alaska 2.5 times.
- If we combine Texas, California, and Montana, the total area will be still less than the size of Alaska.
- From East to west, Alaska measures 2,500 miles. This distance is equal to the distance from Savannah, Georgia, to Santa Barbara, California.
- Alaska is considered the seventh-largest country subdivision in the whole world. It ranks just below the State of Queensland in Australia; however, Queensland boasts just over 5 million inhabitants, only 737,438 count themselves as Alaska inhabitants.
Water vs. Land Area of Alaska
Whenever we look at the United States to observe the bodies of water within state boundaries, we will discover some new names in the top five:
- The water area of Alaska is 94,743 mi2
- The water area of Michigan is 40,174 mi2
- This water area of Florida is 12,132 mi2
- The water area of Wisconsin is 11,338 mi2
- The water area of Louisiana is 9,174 mi2
So there is noticeable variation, but Alaska still tops the list. Whether we are looking at water, land, or total combined area, Alaska always comes at number one in every category. Even Michigan’s Great Lakes cannot compete square-footage-wise with Alaska’s more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes. The Yukon River, which starts in British Columbia and streams through Alaska into the Bering Sea, consider the third-longest river in the United States.
People Live in Alaska: Alaska size comparison
While comparing Alaska to the Australian state of Queensland, the population density is low. It has a population density of 1.3 people per square mile. To have some contrast, these statistics from other regions of the U.S might be helpful:
- Wyoming, which is a second-least dense state, keeps 6.0 people per square mile.
- New Jersey, the state with the highest population density, contains 1,210 people every square mile.
- Washington, D.C. possesses a population density of 10,589 people per square mile.
People who live in Alaska aren’t spread out evenly. In its place, many can be found in Alaska’s cities and towns.
Also read: Pairwise comparison method
