Alaska Myths

Nicknamed "The Last Frontier," the state of Alaska seems remote and mysterious to those of us in the lower 48, resulting in many popular misconceptions. See if you can separate fact from fiction.
image
Alaska natives have nearly 100 words for "snow," while in English we have only one.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
While it depends on how you define a word, the native peoples of Alaska do have a multitude of ways to describe snow. But then, so do we: snow, sleet, slush, blizzard, flurry, dusting, avalanche, powder and drift -- to name a few. In fact, there are at least 40 words describing snow in the English language, so it's not all that remarkable that people who spend much of their lives in the snow have many different ways to refer to it as well.

Several scholarly papers have been written about the number of different words the indigenous people of Alaska (who prefer not to be called Eskimos) have for "snow," but what they don't say is that based on the way their language is structured, they could just as easily have as many words for "dirt" or "shoe" or any other everyday word.  While there are only a couple of dozen root words for "snow," a number of modifiers can be added to each one to create a seemingly endless supply of new snow-related words.
All the crude oil produced in Alaska is sold to Japan.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
While it is cheaper to ship crude oil from Alaska to Japan than to transport it to the continental United States, federal laws and regulations prohibit Alaskan oil producers from doing so.  Even during a brief period from 1995 to 2000 when crude oil exports were allowed, only 7 percent of the crude produced in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) was shipped overseas. Current ANS oil production averages about 740,000 barrels per day, none of which is sold to Japan or any other foreign country.
If an impact is unavoidable, it is better to hit a moose with your car at high speed than to hit the brakes and slow down.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
Alaska has the highest number of moose-vehicle collisions in North America, with more than 500 per year, so it's important to know what to do if you encounter a moose on the road. The theory here is that when you hit the brakes, the front end of your car moves down, increasing the risk of the moose going through your windshield. If you accelerate, on the other hand, the front of the car goes up and hits the animal at a higher point, causing it to bounce off the car and fly harmlessly out of the way.

Not so much. Your average moose is over 6 feet tall and weighs about 1,000 pounds, so no matter where you hit it, it's going to cause some serious damage to your vehicle – and possibly yourself – at high speeds. By slowing down, you'll lessen the impact, and most likely the damage as well.
Every Alaska resident gets an annual check from the state.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
Every man, woman and child who is a permanent resident of Alaska receives a yearly dividend from the Alaska Permanent Fund. Established in 1976 by a constitutional amendment supported by Alaska voters, the fund requires at least 25 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Alaska's mineral resources (such as oil) to be set aside as an income-producing investment for the people of Alaska.  The 2008 Fund dividend was $3,269 per person.
According to ancient Japanese folklore, a child conceived under the Northern Lights will be exceptionally smart and lucky.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
While it's true that Japanese tourists flock to Alaska in the winter to see the aurora borealis, this little bit of "folklore" likely originated from an episode of the early-'90s TV series Northern Exposure (set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska) and was perpetuated by the Alaskan tourism industry. Think about it – if the Northern Lights are not actually visible from Japan, how could they be part of their ancient lore?
Alaska has the highest ratio of unmarried men to women in the United States.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
For every 100 single ladies in Alaska, there are 114 bachelors, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But before you pack your bags and head to Alaska, ladies, keep in mind that a high percentage of those single men are employed by the fishing, oil and construction industries and have some of the world's most dangerous jobs.
A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cartographer was fired for posting a map showing caribou breeding grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) became the focus of much controversy when George W. Bush promised to consider oil exploration there as part of his 2000 presidential campaign platform. So when a letter circulated on the Internet in March 2001 from a USGS employee who claimed he was fired for posting a map of caribou breeding ground in ANWR, a firestorm of environmental activism ensued.

Unfortunately, the letter distorted the facts a teeny bit. Ian Thomas, the letter's author, was not a USGS employee but a contractor whose superiors (who were opposed to drilling in ANWR) had already decided not to renew his contract due to a number of problems with his work -- not for political reasons. Furthermore, the data he posted was out of date and completely outside the scope of his job.
Alaska contains the northernmost, the easternmost and the westernmost points in the United States.

True

False

You chose: You chose:
It probably comes as no surprise that Alaska boasts the northernmost (Point Barrow) and westernmost (Amatignak Island in the Aleutians) points in the United States, but the easternmost? Well, it depends on your criteria, but if you are looking at it longitudinally, the Aleutian Islands cross the International Date Line, which makes Pochnoi Point on Semisopochnoi Island the easternmost point in the entire U.S. territory.

Correct

So, just how much did you know about Alaska? 

100%-70% - Are you from Alaska? You sure know a lot about "The Last Frontier" state.

69%-30% - Sorta a local, but not really.

29%-0 - Um ... better stick to the lower 48 states.
 Comments | Post a Comment

comments ( )

 

our sites

video

 

mobile

shop

stay connected

corporate

Image Credits Photo: DCL | |

Copyright © 2012 Discovery Communications, LLC. The number-one nonfiction media company.