Interior Alaska is the central region of
Alaska's territory, roughly bounded by the
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...
to the south and the
Brooks Range to the north. It is largely
wilderness
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
. Mountains include
Denali in the
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...
, the
Wrangell Mountains, and the
Ray Mountains The Ray Mountains is a mountain range in central Alaska named for the Ray River, itself named for United States Army Captain Patrick Henry Ray, who established a meteorological station in Barrow, Alaska, in 1881.Donald J. Orth. Dictionary of Alask ...
. The
native people of the interior are
Alaskan Athabaskans. The largest city in the interior is
Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...
,
Alaska's second-largest city, in the
Tanana Valley. Other towns include
North Pole, just southeast of Fairbanks,
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
,
Tok,
Glennallen
Glennallen (''Ciisik’e Na’ '' in Ahtna) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Copper River Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 439, down from 483 in 201 ...
,
Delta Junction
Delta Junction ( uk, Делта-Джанкшен, Delta Dzhankshen) is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 958, up from 840 in 2000. The 2018 estimate was down to 931. T ...
,
Nenana,
Anderson,
Healy and
Cantwell. The interior region has an estimated population of 113,154.
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Climate
Interior Alaska experiences extreme seasonal temperature variability. Winter temperatures in Fairbanks average −12 °
F (−24 °
C) and summer temperatures average +62 °F (+17 °C). Temperatures there have been recorded as low as −65 °F (−54 °C) in mid-winter, and as high as +99 °F (+37 °C) in summer. Both the highest and lowest temperature records for the state were set in the Interior, with 100 °F (38 °C) in
Fort Yukon and −80 °F (−62 °C) in
Prospect Creek.
Temperatures within a given winter are highly variable as well; extended cold snaps of forty below zero can be followed by unseasonable warmth with temperatures above freezing due to
chinook wind effects.
Summers can be as wet for extended periods creating ideal fire weather conditions. Weak thunderstorms produce mostly dry lightning, sparking wildfires that are mostly left to burn themselves out as they are often far from populated areas. The
2004 season set a new record with over burned.
The average annual precipitation in Fairbanks is 11.3 inches (28.7 cm). Most of this comes in the form of snow during the winter. Most storms in the interior of Alaska originate in the
Gulf of Alaska, south of the state, though these storms often have limited precipitation due to a
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...
effect caused by the
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...
.
On clear winter nights, the
aurora borealis can often be seen dancing in the sky. Like all subarctic regions, the months from May to July in the summer have no night, only a twilight during the night hours. The months of November to January have little daylight. Fairbanks receives an average 21 hours of daylight between May 10 and August 2 each summer, and an average of less than four hours of daylight between November 18 and January 24 each winter.
The interior of Alaska is largely underlined by discontinuous
permafrost
Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...
, which grades to continuous permafrost as the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
is approached.
Image:Fires in Interior Alaska.jpg, Fires in Interior Alaska from July 7, 2009.
Image:Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burning in Interior Alaska (natural).jpg, The thick pall of smoke the fires were creating (August 2, 2009).
Image:Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burning in Interior Alaska.jpg, Visible, short wave and near- infrared image showing burned areas (brick red) and unburned vegetation (bright green) (August 2, 2009).
Alaska Natives
While the vast majority of indigenous
Native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
people of Interior Alaska are
Athabaskan Indians, large
Yup'ik and
Iñupiaq populations reside in
Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...
.
[ihs.gov]
Interior Alaska Service Area
/ref>
The federally recognized tribes of Interior Alaska:
* Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
(CATG): Beaver Village
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
, Birch Creek Tribe
Birch Creek (''Łiteet'aii'' in Gwich’in) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 33 at the 2010 census, up from 28 in 2000.
Geography
The village is along Birch Creek, abou ...
, Circle Native Community
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is cons ...
, Native Village of Fort Yukon
Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in language, Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska N ...
, Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
Venetie ( ;Corey Goldberg," ''New York Times'', 9 May 1997. ''Vįįhtąįį'' in Gwich’in), is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. At the 2010 census, the population was 166, down from 202 in 2000. It include ...
(also known as Arctic Village and Village of Venetie).
* Tanana Chiefs Conference
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the traditional tribal consortium of the 42 villages of Interior Alaska, is based on a belief in tribal self-determination and the need for regional Native unity. TCC is a non-profit organization that works toward ...
(TCC): Allakaket Village, Alatna Village
Alatna (''Alaasuq'' in Iñupiaq ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 37 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Alatna is at (66.548906, -152.8 ...
, Village of Anaktuvuk Pass
Anaktuvuk Pass ( ik, Anaqtuuvak, , or , ) is a city
in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 282 at the 2000 census and 324 as of the 2010 census.
History
Anaktuvuk Pass was named after the Anaktuvuk River. ''An ...
, Chalkyitsik Village
Chalkyitsik (''Jałgiitsik'' in Gwich'in), meaning "to fish with a hook, at the mouth of the creek", is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on the left (south) bank of the Black Riv ...
, Village of Dot Lake
Dot Lake (''Kelt’aaddh Menn’'' in Tanacross) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on the Alaska Highway between Delta Junction and Tok. The population was 13 at the 201 ...
, Native Village of Eagle
Eagle ( in Hän Athabascan) is a city on the south bank of the Yukon River near the Canada–US border in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It includes the Eagle Historic District, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The ...
, Evansville Village
Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Indiana, ...
(also known as Bettles Field), Galena Village (also known as Louden Village), Healy Lake Village Healy may refer to:
*Healy (surname)
* USCGC ''Healy'' (WAGB-20), a United States Coast Guard icebreaker
Places
* Healy (crater), a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon
* Healy (Metra station), a commuter rail station in Chicago
* Heal ...
, Hughes Village
Hughes may refer to:
People
* Hughes (surname)
* Hughes (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency
* Mount Hughes, Oates Land
* Hughes Basin, Oates Land
* Hughes Bay, Graham Land
* Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...
, Huslia Village
Huslia (; in Koyukon) is a city
in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. Rarely known as Hussliakatna, it is inhabited by Koyukuk-hotana Athabascans. The population was 293 at the 2000 census and 275 as of the 2010 census.
G ...
, Village of Kaltag
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
, Koyukuk Native Village Koyukuk may refer to:
* Koyukuk, Alaska
Koyukuk () (Koyukon: ) is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 96, down from 101 in 2000.
, Koyukuk is one of a number of Alaskan communiti ...
, Manley Hot Springs Village Manley may refer to:
* Manley (surname)
* Manley (given name)
* Manley, Cheshire, England, a village and civil parish
* Manley, Devon, a location in England
* Manley, Illinois, United States, an unincorporated community
* Manley, Minnesota, United ...
, Native Village of Minto
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entertai ...
, Nenana Native Association
Nenana ( taa, Toghotili; is a home rule city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the Unorganized Borough in the Interior of the U.S. state of Alaska. Nenana developed as a Lower Tanana community at the confluence where the tributary Nenana Rive ...
, Nikolai Village
Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to:
People Royalty
* Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855
* Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Nik ...
(Edzeno’ Native Council), Northway Village
Northway Village ( Upper Tanana: ''K'ehtthiign'') was a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. It was merged with Northway CDP prior to the 2020 Census.
The population was 98 at the 2010 censu ...
, Nulato Village
Nulato (; "chum salmon fish camp" in Koyukon language, Koyukon; russian: Нулато) is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 239.
History
Nulato was a ...
, Rampart Village
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the U ...
, Native Village of Ruby
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entertai ...
, Native Village of Stevens
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entertai ...
, Native Village of Tanacross
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
, Telida Village
Telida (''Tilaya-di'' or ''Tilayadi’'' in Upper Kuskokwim) is an unincorporated community located in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2010 census the population was 3, unchanged from 2000.
Geography
Telida ...
, Native Village of Tetlin
Tetlin (''Teełąy'' in Upper Tanana Athabascan) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 127, up from 117 in 2000.
Geography
Tetlin is located at (63.1 ...
.
* Tanana Tribal Council Tanana may refer to:
Places
* Tanana, Alaska
Tanana ( in Koyukon language, Koyukon) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census the po ...
: Native Village of Tanana
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entertai ...
.
* Other places in the Interior Service Area not Federally Recognized as Tribes: Alcan, Anderson, Big Delta
Big Delta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 591 at the 2010 census, down from 749 in 2000. Big Delta is at the confluence of the Delta River and the Tanana River and g ...
, Canyon Village
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
, Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, Chatanika, Chicken, Clear, Delta Junction
Delta Junction ( uk, Делта-Джанкшен, Delta Dzhankshen) is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 958, up from 840 in 2000. The 2018 estimate was down to 931. T ...
, Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...
, Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
, Indian River, Kokrines, Lake Minchumina, Medfra
Medfra is an unincorporated community located in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Geography
Medfra is located on the north bank of the Kuskokwim River, about by air northwest of Nikolai.
History
Medfra may have b ...
, North Pole, Salcha
Salcha ( Tanana: ''Soł Chaget'', Tanacross: ''Saagescheeg'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,0 ...
, Tok, Toklat, Tolovana, Wiseman, Wood River Wood River may refer to:
Rivers In Canada
* Wood River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Columbia River via Kinbasket Lake
* Wood River (Saskatchewan), a river in south-west Saskatchewan
In Ireland
* Wood River (County Clare), Kilru ...
.
References
{{Coord, 65, N, 152, W, region:US-AK_type:adm1st_scale:10000000, display=title
Regions of Alaska
Tourism regions of Alaska
Alaskan Athabaskans