Alaska – Alaska's capital is Juneau

(Pronounced uh-las-kah)

NOTE:

We are going to assume that you can already picture Alaska as a snowswept landscape.

To remember the capital of the US state Alaska, use the following mnemonic:

Imagine Alaska with a desert dune in the shape of an 'O' (Juneau) on it.

Before it was a U.S. state, Alaska was a region that belonged to Russia. America bought it from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million. It's one of two states that are not part of the U.S. mainland (the other is Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean). Alaska's neighbour to the east is Canada. The Bering Strait and Russia lie to the west. It's a cold state, particularly in the north where snow is possible all year round. Alaska's economy is based mainly on oil production, fishing and tourism. In the 1880s Alaska was the focus of a "goldrush" when prospectors erected towns of tents and shacks as a mining industry grew up.

Interesting facts about Juneau:

- Waterbound Capital: Juneau is one of the most uniquely isolated state capitals in the United States, as it is completely inaccessible by road and can only be reached by boat or airplane.

- Massive Glacier: The city limits encompass the massive Mendenhall Glacier, an immense river of ice that stretches for about twelve miles and flows right down toward the edge of the urban area.

- Gold Rush Roots: The city owes its original founding and rapid growth to the discovery of gold in the late nineteenth century, transforming from a mining camp into a bustling hub that eventually became the territorial and state capital.