On the northwest edge of North America, Alaska is a non-contiguous state in the United States. It's one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, together with Hawaii, and it's a part of the Western United States. Alaska is also thought to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the nation, as the Aleutian Islands extend over the 180th meridian into the eastern hemisphere. To the east, it is adjacent to the province of British Columbia and the Canadian territory of Yukon. In the Bering Strait, it has a western maritime boundary with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Pacific Ocean is to the south, while the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are to the north. It is the largest exclave in the world and technically a semi-exclave of the United States. With an area larger than the combined areas of the next three largest states—Texas, California, and Montana—Alaska is the largest state in the United States and the seventh-largest subnational division globally. With a population of 740,133 as of 2024, it is the most populous territory in North America, primarily north of the 60th parallel, and more than quadruples the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. It is the third-least populous and sparsest populated state in the United States. Together with Juneau, the state capital, the state is home to the four biggest cities in the US by area. Anchorage is the most populated city in the state, and its metropolitan region is home to around half of Alaska's population. Alaska has been inhabited by indigenous people for thousands of years, and it is generally accepted that the Bering Land Bridge allowed the first North American settlers to arrive in the area. Beginning in the 18th century, the Russian Empire was the first to actively colonize the region, creating Russian America, which included the majority of the present state and supported and preserved a local Alaskan Creole population. It was sold to the United States for US$7.2 million (approximately to $162 million in 2024) in 1867 due to the cost and logistical challenges of maintaining this remote property. Before being formally recognized as a territory on May 11, 1912, the region saw a number of administrative changes. On January 3, 1959, it became the 49th state to join the union. Due to its abundance of natural resources, Alaska, which has one of the smallest state economies, has one of the highest per capita incomes. The state's economy is dominated by commercial fishing, oil and gas extraction, and other activities. The economy is additionally boosted by U.S. military installations and tourism; federally held land, including national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges, makes up more than half of the state. It was one of the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use and is also one of the most irreligious. At more than 15 percent, Alaska has the second-highest proportion of Indigenous people in any U.S. state, after Hawaii. The World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, the Sitka Whale Fest, the Stikine River Garnet Fest in Wrangell, the Blueberry Festival and Alaska Hummingbird Festival in Ketchikan, and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome are a few of Alaska's well-liked yearly events. The world's highest population of American bald eagles during the spring is found along the Stikine River. The Alaska Folk Festival, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Anchorage Folk Festival, the Athabascan Old-Time Fiddling Festival, the Sitka Jazz Festival, the Sitka Summer Music Festival, and the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival are just a few of Alaska's well-known music events. Although the Juneau Symphony and Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra are equally noteworthy, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra is the most well-known orchestra in Alaska. Although the state is home to a number of volunteer and semi-professional opera companies, the Anchorage Opera is now the sole professional opera company in the state. Adopted in 1955, ""Alaska's Flag"" is the official state song of Alaska, honoring the state's flag."

Covering 19,623 km2 (7,576 sq mi), Kruger National Park is located in the northeastern South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It stretches 65 km (40 mi) from east to west and 360 km (220 mi) from north to south. Skukuza is home to the administrative headquarters. The South African Republic's government first protected portions of the park in 1898, and in 1926 it was designated as the country's first national park. It is a part of the biosphere reserve known as the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. Kruger National Park is home to all five of the big game creatures and boasts 147 species of large mammals, more than any other game reserve in Africa. Webcams have been installed to watch the wildlife. There are believed to be just 400 African wild dog packs in all of South Africa, and Kruger is home to packs of these endangered animals. There is a reasonably consistent group of bird species from the park's southern to central regions, but the mopane-dominated flatlands north of the Olifants show a fall in richness.The larger birds of prey, on the other hand, breed during the dry winter, when their prey is most exposed, whereas the majority of species breed during the summer, when rainfall sustain the majority of vegetable and animal food. In 1918, Kruger National Park was declared, and a commission was formed to oversee its development and planning. A government officer named Johannes Andries (Dries) de Ridder served as the commission's first secretary. After 44 years in charge of the Kruger Park, Warden James Stevenson-Hamilton retired on April 30, 1946. Colonel J. A. B. Sandenbergh of the South African Air Force took his post. The government forcibly removed the Makuleke people from the northern portion of the park in 1969, and approximately 1500 of them were relocated to territory in the south so that their original tribal lands could be incorporated into the larger Kruger National Park. The famed Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo) are among the remarkably diverse species that makes Kruger National Park famous. The park, which spans about two million hectares, draws tourists from all around the world with its unmatched wildlife viewing opportunities.