The U.S. Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 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.
Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. It is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America;
about 500 miles of British Columbia (Canada) separate Alaska from Washington state. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States.
It is technically part of the continental U.S., but is often not included in colloquial use; Alaska is not part of the contiguous U.S.,
often called "the Lower 48."
The capital city, Juneau, is situated on the mainland of the North American continent, but is not connected by road to the rest of the
North American highway system.
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