Alaska

Alaska is the largest state of the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. As of 2009, Alaska remains the least densely populated state of the U.S.

The U.S. Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867, for $7.2 million at about two cents per acre. The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.

The name "Alaska" (Аляска) was already introduced in the Russian colonial time, when it was used only for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland" or more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed".  It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land" which is an Aleut word derived from the same root.

The Frozen Toe Guide to Real Alaskan Livin'
Alaska: Into the Wilderness
Alaska: A Novel
Alaska (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Alaska travel books
Gourmet Food from Alaska