140 Alaska Trivia Questions and Answers

Alaska officially joined the United States of America in the year 1959. Also referred to as America’s last great frontier, thanks to its abundance of wildlife, natural resources, and diverse landscapes.

Also known as America’s largest state, Alaska covers a fifth of the entire USA and is twice the size of Texas. In fact, about 12 New York states or 470 Rhode Island states can fit in Alaska!

As established, Alaska is vast. There is plenty of nature within its scenic borders. So it only makes sense that Alaska is home to America’s largest national forest – the Tongass.

Alaska Facts Trivia Questions and Answers

The indigenous communities of Aleuts, Inupiat, Yuit, Athabascans, Tlingit, and Haida make up the major native American groups of Alaska. At only 19%, the state of Alaska has a higher Indigenous population than any other state.

For a perfect conversation starter, use this random fact: Alaska is the only state name you can type on one row of a QWERTY keyboard.

Ready to explore Alaska? Take up these Alaska trivia questions and answers.

 

1. The First Russian Orthodox Church was founded in 1795 in what Alaskan city?

Kodiak

 

2. Virtually all of Southeast Alaska, known as Alaska’s Panhandle, is located within which national forest?

Tongass

 

3. Alaska is the largest U.S. state by what?

Area

 

4. Alaska is the largest of the U.S. states; how much of the total land area of the United States does it represent?

One-fifth

 

5. Of the 50 US states, which is the least densely populated?

Alaska

 

6. Nome is situated in Western Alaska on a headland named after a politician who was successful in acquiring Alaska from Russia. What is the name of that peninsula?

Seward Peninsula

 

7. During World War II, which three Aleutian Islands were invaded by Japanese troops?

Attu, Agattu and Kiska.

 

8. What is the geographic name of the group of islands, inlets and fjords that make up Southeast Alaska?

Alexander Archipelago

 

9. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s largest what?

Wildlife refuge, comprising 16 million acres

 

10. The Dalton Highway in Alaska was featured on some seasons of the show “Ice Road Truckers”. It begins north of Fairbanks and ends in which settlement close to the Arctic Ocean?

Deadhorse

 

11. About half of Alaska’s population resides in what area?

The Anchorage metropolitan area

 

12. How much money did the United States pay for Alaska when it bought Alaska from Russia?

$7.2 million

 

13. There is an island in southeastern Alaska called Admiralty Island, which is part of the Tongass National Forest. What’s so special about this island?

It’s a national monument

 

14. On what date was Alaska organized as a territory?

May 11, 1912.

 

15. Which strait separates Kodiak Island from the mainland of Alaska?

Shelikof Strait

 

16. On what date was the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the USA?

October 18, 1867

 

17. Of all the US states, Alaska has the largest percentage of what religious group members in its population?

Quakers

 

18. The Aleutian Islands are a chain that stretch for a great distance. Which of the following choices gives the correct extent for the Aleutian Islands’ extreme longitude measurements?

172° E and 163° W

 

19. The Census Bureau, as of 1960, reported Alaska’s American Indian and Alaska Native population to be what percentage of the total population?

18.8%

 

20. How much precipitation does Juneau average per year?

Over 50

 

21. In what year was Fairbanks founded?

1901

 

22. In 2010, what type of community broke ground on the first mosque in the state of Alaska?

A Muslim

 

23. Ketchikan averages how many inches of precipitation a year?

Over 150 inches

 

24. Where would you be if you were riding your mountain bike toward a glacier with the Twin Peaks and Bold Ridge on your left?

Eklutna Lake Trail

 

25. How much snow does Anchorage receive on average per year?

About 75 inches

 

26. On March 27, 1964, the massive “Good Friday Earthquake” killed how many people in Alaska?

133 people

 

27. Alaska has been identified as being one of the 3 least religious states of the USA, judging by what?

Church membership

 

28. The Good Friday Earthquake was the third-most-powerful earthquake in history and was over one thousand times more powerful than the 1989 where?

 

29. What is the capital of Alaska?

Juneau

 

30. Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on what date?

January 3, 1959

 

31. In fall and winter, Alaska hosts the world’s largest group of __________?

 

32. Alaska has a longer “what” than all the other U.S. states combined?

Coastline

 

33. What is Alaska’s official state sport?

Dog mushing

 

34. Alaska has how many indigenous languages known locally as “native languages”?

22

 

35. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge includes nearly 20 million acres (about the size of South Carolina). Where is it located?

Northeast corner of Alaska

 

36. Studies of DNA done in Alaska have provided evidence for the settlement of North America by way of what?

The Bering land bridge

 

37. Can you remember Alaska’s state flower?

Forget-me-not

 

38. Alaska’s territorial waters touch what other countries territorial waters in the Bering Strait?

Russia’s

 

39. At the turn of the twentieth century, the population of Nome, Alaska was estimated to be in excess of 12,000, an exponential increase from ten years earlier. Why did so many people decide to go to Nome?

Gold discovery

 

40. An oil boom resulted after the 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and the 1977 completion of the what?

Trans-Alaska Pipeline

 

41. What term do Alaskans use to describe the isolated interior of the state, an area that can’t be reached by road or the Alaska Marine Highway?

The Bush

 

42. The climate of the interior of Alaska is what?

Subarctic

 

43. Which city, which is the northernmost city in the United States, is in a region which the Inupiat Eskimo called ‘Ukpeagvik’?

Barrow

 

44. In 1989, what ship hit a reef in the Prince William Sound,and spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil?

The Exxon Valdez

 

45. Which Danish explorer discovered Alaska in 1741?

Vitus Jonassen Bering

 

46. Alaska is over twice the size of, the next largest state which is what state?

Texas

 

47. Between what two peninsulas do the Aleutian Islands lie?

Alaska Peninsula and Kamchatka Peninsula

 

48. Panhandle or Inside Passage is the part of Alaska that is closest to the rest of the what?

United States

 

49. What is the highest recorded temperature in Alaska?

100 °F in Fort Yukon. June 27, 1915

50. Who was Fairbanks founded by?

E.T. Barnette

 

51. What is the is the highest peak in Alaska?

 

52. If you want to do the Crow Pass Crossing route the hard way (“backward”), what would be your starting point?

Eagle River Nature Center

 

53. In Alaska, the North Slope is known for its huge reserves of what?

Crude oil

 

54. What is Alaska’s state bird?

Willow ptarmigan

 

55. The National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, and the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field are located in what part of Alaska?

The North Slope

 

56. How many rivers does Alaska have?

Over 3,000

 

57. What is the lowest recorded temperature ever taken in Alaska?

−80 °F in Prospect Creek on January 23, 1971

 

58. What is the name of the mountain range which serves as the backbone of the Refuge?

Brooks Range

 

59. What city is the northernmost city in the United States?

Barrow

 

60. Identify the National Monument located just east of Revillagagedo Island?

Misty Fiords

 

61. What is generally held to be the first European vessel to reach Alaska?

The St. Gabriel

 

62. In 1741, Vitus Bering led an expedition for the Russian Navy aboard what ship?

The St. Peter

 

63. In 2014, what was the largest ethnic group in Nome, Alaska?

 

64. The Aleutian Islands are over 300 small, volcanic islands which stretch over 1,200 miles into the what?

Pacific Ocean

 

65. Many of the place names in Alaska are taken from the first European owners of the territory. Which country was this?

Russia

 

66. In July, the average low temperature in Barrow is what?

34 °F

 

67. Which U.S. National Park located in Alaska is entirely above the Arctic Circle and is the northernmost national park under the protection of the U.S. National Park Service?

Gates of the Arctic

 

68. Why was the International Date Line drawn west of 180°?

To keep the entire North American continent within the same legal day.

 

69. Which famous explorer is credited with being the first to use the name Kodiak for the island?

James Cook

 

70. When was the first permanent European settlement established in Alaska?

In 1784

 

71. Which of these isn’t a predominant fish in Alaska?

Pompano

 

72. Alaska is the northernmost, easternmost and “what ” state in the union?

Westernmost

 

73. Who was Fairbanks named after?

Charles W. Fairbanks

 

74. How many miles of tidal shoreline does Alaska have?.

34,000 miles

 

75. Another question about the Crow Pass Crossing: Crow Pass (the normal beginning of the route) and Eagle River Valley (the long finishing stretch) are connected by another short alpine valley. What is it called?

Raven Valley

 

76. Between 1774 and 1800, in an effort to assert its claim over the Pacific Northwest, what country sent expeditions to Alaska?

Spain

 

77. This river, found in southcentral Alaska, is one of the state’s best known as a result of its world class salmon fishing. In fact, the world’s largest sport caught Chinook (King) salmon was landed in this river.

Kenai River

 

78. Alaska has many active what?

Volcanoes

 

79. Mount Shishaldin, an occasionally active volcano, has the most perfect what?

Volcanic cone

 

80. What is the state tree?

Sitka sprucee

 

81. In 1789, where was a Spanish settlement and fort established?

Nootka Sound

 

82. In Alaska the length of daylight is ___________ ?

More in the summer

 

83. In Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage, one of the world’s largest tides occurs with tidal differences that can be more than how many feet?

35 feet

 

84. What is Alaska’s largest city in population?

Anchorage

 

85. How many lakes does Alaska have?

More than three million

 

86. How many square miles are covered by marshlands and wetland permafrost?

188,320 square miles

 

87. Name the town in Southeast Alaska that is referred to as “Little Norway”?

Petersburg

 

88. Glacier ice covers how many square miles?

Some 16,000 square miles land and 1,200 square miles of tidal zone.

 

89. How many glaciers does Alaska have?

Over 100,000

 

90. What is Alaska’s state mineral?

Gold

 

91. The Aleutian Islands are home to what people?

The Aleut people

 

92. Nome, Alaska is not exactly the warmest place in the world, but July is when the temperatures are the highest. In which range would the average daily high (F) be for that month?

Fifties

 

93. What people occupy the North Slope and Little Diomede Island?

The Inupiat people

 

94. How does Alaska compare in size to the state of Texas?

More than twice as large

 

95. In the 1890s and into to the early 1910s, what brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska?

Gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory.

 

96. Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in the U.S., is located just a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Which of the following is another name for the mountain?

Denali

 

97. What did people call the purchase of Alaska in 1867?

Seward’s Folly

 

98. What area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are the Aleutian Islands a part of?

Pacific Ring of Fire

 

99. What is the state sea animal?

Bowhead whale

100. In 1998 which Alaskan High school won the 4A state championship for football?

Service

 

101. On what date did Alaska officially became the property of the United States?

October 18, 1867

 

102. Alaska has the most pilots per capita of any state and out of the estimated 663,661 residents, how many are pilots?

10,378 active pilots

 

103. Each spring, the Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain is the calving ground for a herd of caribou. Which river is this herd named after…?

Porcupine River

 

104. On how many oceans does Alaska have coastline?

two

 

105. The state sport of Alaska, dog mushing, is a hugely popular sport within the state. The big event for serious mushers is the Iditarod, which is a 1,049 mile sled dog race run from Anchorage to Nome. Who won it the most times in the 20th century?

Rick Swenson

 

106. The original inhabitants of Kodiak and the surrounding islands were the Alutiiq people. To an Alutiiq, what is a “barabara”?

A partially underground dwelling place

 

107. What name were the Aleutian Islands known as before 1867?

Catherine Archipelago

 

108. What is Fairbanks’ record low temperature?

-66 degrees

 

109. What is the state fish?

King salmon

 

110. In 2002 Anchorage had a record snowfall for a 24-hour period. How much did they get?

30inches

 

111. What is Alaskan Libby Riddles noted for?

First woman to win the Iditarod

 

112. What is Alaska’s official state gemstone?

Jade

 

113. The _______ Glacier is located just north of downtown Juneau?

Mendenhall

 

114. What does Alaska have instead of counties?

Boroughs

 

115. What is the name of the ice that forms on fences, telephone poles, trees, and other structures during cold temperatures?

Hoarfrost

 

116. In what year did Bennie Benson design Alaska’s state flag?

1926

 

117. If you headed due south along the meridian of Attu Island at the extreme tip of the Alaskan Aleutians, what is the first major city you would encounter?

Christchurch, New Zealand

 

118. On which Aleutian Island is the 5,691 feet tall peak known as Makushin Volcano located?

Unalaska Island

 

119. What structures do people live in, in Fairbanks?

houses, apartments, condos, cabins

 

120. Which Alaskan National Park is the nation’s largest?

Wrangell- St. Elias

 

121. In what year did Mount Augustine erupt?

1986

 

122. Kennecott Mines is an abandoned mining camp that is an Alaskan landmark. What type of mines were located there?

Copper

 

123. What is the longest stretch of sunlight that Fairbanks gets during the summer?

22 hours

 

124. What is Alaska’s state song?

“Alaska’s Flag”

 

125. The Alaska Highway runs from _______ to _______?

Dawson Creek, Can.- Delta Junction, Alaska

 

126. What is the name of the study area, for oil and gas development, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?

1002 Area

 

127. Identify the town located at the northernmost point of “The Inside Passage”, which was the home of Soapy Smith, and the start of the Chilkoot Trail?

Skagway

 

128. Like a lot of things in Alaska the Trans-Alaska pipeline is big. How much oil could potentially move through it every hour?

88,000 barrels worth

 

129. What does alakshak mean?

Great lands & peninsula

 

130. What is the name of the famous winter dog sled race that ends in Fairbanks?

Yukon Quest

 

131. What’s the meaning of the term ‘Cheechako’?

Newcomer to Alaska

 

132. The title of this quiz, “Nome Wasn’t Built in a Day”, sounds a lot like the proverb that is in reference to which European city?

Rome

 

133. The most powerful earthquake in the United States in the 20th century, a magnitude 9.2, hit south-central Alaska on what day?

Good Friday

 

134. In January 1950, and again in September 2007, strange phenomena were reported in the vicinity of Kodiak Island in Alaska. What were they?

UFO Sightings

 

135. What primary source of work were most Aleut people forced to partake in by the Russians during the late 1700s?

Hunting of sea otters and fur seals

 

136. What city can you reach by road only if you drive through Fairbanks?

Deadhorse

 

137. If you ordered muktuk, what would you be served?

Raw whale blubber

 

138. When is Seward’s Day celebrated?

Last Monday in March

 

139. When was Alaska’s first newspaper begun?

1868

 

140. In what Alaska city will you find Northern Lights Boulevard?

Anchorage

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