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Alaska Panhandle
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The Alaska Panhandle is the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, a protected waterway of convoluted passages between islands and fjords, beginning in Puget Sound in Washington state. This was an important travel corridor for native canoeists, as well as gold-rush steam ships, and in modern times is an important route for ferries and cruise ships. The Panhandle has a land area of 91,008.18 km2 (35,138.46 square miles), comprised of four entire boroughs and three census areas, in addition to the part of Yakutat Borough lying east of 141° West longitude. Although it has only 6.14 percent of Alaska's land area, it is larger than the state of Maine, and almost as large as the state of Indiana. The 2000 census population of the Panhandle was 72,954 inhabitants, about 42 percent of whom were concentrated in the city of Juneau.
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Southeastern Alaska, often called the Alaska Panhandle, or Panhandle, is a narrow, mountainous strip of the mainland between British Columbia and the Pacific Ocean. It is fringed by the Alexander Archipelago, a group of 1,100 islands. Between the islands and the mainland is part of the Inside Passage, a deep natural waterway used by vessels traveling along the coast. The islands of the archipelago are the tops of submerged mountains, whose peaks rise steeply about 900 to 1,500 m (about 3,000 to 5,000 ft) above the water. On the mainland the Boundary Range rises abruptly from the water’s edge, and varies in elevation from 1,500 to more than 3,000 m (5,000 to more than 10,000 ft).
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The Alaska Panhandle is ... home to tidewater glaciers and huge areas of forest land. The economy of this region is centered on these natural attributes, and tourism, fishing and outdoor adventuring are major attractions.
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The Alaska Panhandle is a land of forests. The mild climate and heavy rainfall promote dense tree growth. The huge Tongass National Forest is an area where young saplings compete for space with trees that are centuries old. Trees found there include the western hemlock, Sitka spruce, canoe cedar, and yellow cedar (... called Alaska cedar), which are all conifers. The forest floor is carpeted with berry-producing plants and moss.
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The region of the south coastal archipelago and the Gulf of Alaska islands includes the Alexander Archipelago in the panhandle region, with 1,100 islands, plus Kodiak Island and its satellites south of Cook Inlet. These islands, extensions of the southern region, are lower, less rugged, and less glaciated. All receive heavy rain and are affected by waters warmed by the Kuroshio Current.
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Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area lies at the southern end of the Alaska panhandle. It includes the communities of Craig, Klawock, Metlakatla, and several other small settlements. Following the closure of the region's largest pulp mill in 1997, the timber industry has fallen upon hard times. The fishing industry has ... suffered economically. Low prices, especially in the salmon fishery, have driven many fishermen from the industry.
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Alaska Panhandle