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Project in Economics: Audreylim Bsa 101 Mrs. Shiela Orozco
Project in Economics: Audreylim Bsa 101 Mrs. Shiela Orozco
in
Economics
AudreyLim
BSA 101
Mrs. Shiela Orozco
The history of Alaska dates back to the Upper Paleolithic period (around
14,000 BC), whenSiberian groups crossed the Bering land bridge into what is now
western Alaska. At the time of European contact by the Russian explorers, the area
was populated by Alaska Native groups. The name "Alaska" derives from
the Aleut word Alaxsxaq (also spelled Alyeska), meaning "mainland" (literally, "the
object toward which the action of the sea is directed"). [1]
In the 1890s, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory brought
thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was granted territorial status in
1912.
In 1942, two of the outer Aleutian IslandsAttu and Kiskawere occupied by the
Japanese and their recovery for the U.S. became a matter of national pride. The
construction of military basescontributed to the population growth of some Alaskan
cities.
Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959.
In 1964, the massive "Good Friday earthquake" killed 131 people and leveled
several villages.
The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and the 1977 completion of the TransAlaska Pipeline led to an oil boom. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in Prince
William Sound, spilling between 11 and 34 million US gallons (42,000 and 130,000
m) of crude oil over 1,100 miles (1,600 km) of coastline. Today, the battle between
philosophies of development and conservation is seen in the contentious debate
over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Prehistory of Alaska
Main article: Prehistory of Alaska
Paleolithic families moved into northwestern North America sometime between
16,000 and 10,000 BC across the Bering land bridgein Alaska.[2] Alaska became
populated by the Inuit and a variety of Native American groups. Today, early
Alaskans are divided into several main groups: the Southeastern Coastal Indians
(the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian), the Athabascans, the Aleut, and the two groups
of Eskimos, the Inupiat and the Yup'ik.[3]
The coastal migrants from Asia were probably the first wave of humans to cross
the Bering Land Bridge in western Alaska, and many of them initially settled in the
interior of what is now Canada. The Tlingit were the most numerous of this group,
claiming most of the coastal Panhandle by the time of European contact and are the
northernmost of the group of advanced cultures of the Pacific Northwest
Coast renowned for its complex art and political systems and the ceremonial and
legal system known as the potlatch. The southern portion of Prince of Wales
Island was settled by the Haidas fleeing persecution by other Haidas from
the Queen Charlotte Islands (now part of British Columbia). The Aleuts settled the
islands of the Aleutian chain approximately 10,000 years ago.
Cultural and subsistence practices varied widely among native groups, who were
spread across vast geographical distances.
Economy
The 2007 gross state product was $44.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per capita
personal income for 2007 was $40,042, ranking 15th in the nation. According to a
2013 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Alaska had the fifth-largest number
of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.75 percent. [60] The oil
and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the
state's revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska's main export product
(excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab.
Agriculture represents a very small fraction of the Alaskan economy. Agricultural
production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes nursery stock,
dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most
foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere.
Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource
extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component
of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Federal subsidies are also an
important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial
outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and
other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a
growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by
supporting local lodging.
Popular Industries
Alaskas economy is driven by
the following industries:
Oil
Tourism
Fishing
Timber
Mining
Agriculture
The oil and gas industry is the largest component of Alaskas economy.
Nearly 85 percent of the state budget is supplied by oil revenues. The
fortunes of Alaskas oil industry, and therefore many sectors of the
economy, are dependent upon world oil prices.
Oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, on the arctic coast, in 1968. Pipeline
construction began in 1974 and was completed in 1977. The 800 mile pipeline is the
Government of Alaska
Like all other U.S. states, Alaska is governed as a republic, with three branches of
government: an executive branchconsisting of the Governor of Alaska and the other
independently elected constitutional officers; a legislative branchconsisting of
the Alaska House of Representatives and Alaska Senate; and a judicial
branch consisting of the Alaska Supreme Court and lower courts.
The state of Alaska employs approximately 16,000 people statewide. [86]
The Alaska Legislature consists of a 40-member House of Representatives and a 20member Senate. Senators serve four-year terms and House members two.
The Governor of Alaska serves four-year terms. The lieutenant governor runs
separately from the governor in the primaries, but during the general election, the
nominee for governor and nominee for lieutenant governor run together on the
same ticket.
Alaska's court system has four levels: the Alaska Supreme Court, the Alaska Court of
Appeals, the superior courts and the district courts. [87] The superior and district
courts are trial courts. Superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, while
district courts only hear certain types of cases, including misdemeanor criminal
cases and civil cases valued up to $100,000. [87]
The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals are appellate courts. The Court of
Appeals is required to hear appeals from certain lower-court decisions, including
those regarding criminal prosecutions, juvenile delinquency, and habeas corpus.
[87]
The Supreme Court hears civil appeals and may in its discretion hear criminal
appeals.[87]