In 1867, due to financial difficulties, the Tsar** decided to give Alaska to the United States, which had just ended the Civil War, for $7.2 million**. The Civil War made it impossible for the U.S. federal federation to focus on external affairs, so the Alaska deal may have been completed earlier.
In the Crimean War of 1856, Tsarist Russia suffered heavy losses and was in dire need of funds to recover. Far east, Alaska became a bargaining chip in the hands of Tsarist Russia, and became the object of their trade with the United States.
Before the American Civil War, Tsarist Russia had already had initial contact with the United States, and both expressed their intention to cooperate. Immediately after the end of the war, the two sides restarted negotiations on the Alaska deal, and eventually successfully completed the area of 17170,000 square kilometers of land for trading.
The deal was very cheap, less than 2 cents per acre. Interestingly, despite the fact that Alaska was purchased by the United States, there is a general consensus in the country that this is too high to be worth buying.
Thirty years later, however, the discovery of gold in the Kayukon Plateau in central Alaska sparked a gold rush. Mining in a few years** is enough to buy the next Alaska.
Finally, in 1959, Alaska and Hawaii became the last two states of the United States.
More than 150 years ago, the United States bought Alaska, and what is the development of this cold and barren land today?Although one-third of Alaska is located within the Arctic Circle, with year-round temperatures below freezing, and a population of only seven or eight hundred thousand, the average one person per two square kilometers.
However, under this seemingly barren land, there are abundant resources such as oil, coal, copper, and so on. In particular, a large oil and gas field was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, beginning in the 60s of the last century, and later more oil and gas fields were discovered to the east and west of the field.
So far, Alaska has proven oil reserves of more than 1.5 billion tons and natural gas of more than 1,000 billion cubic meters, ranking among the top states in the United States.
At the end of the 80s of the last century, Alaska set a record of 100 million tons of oil per year, accounting for a quarter of the oil production in the United States.
Between 1958 and 2004, Alaska's cumulative oil production reached a staggering 212.6 billion tons, a figure that accounted for 118%。
Alaska's natural gas production has also shown a steady upward trend in recent years, making Alaska one of the most important oil and gas producing regions in the United States.
In addition, due to the influence of the Alaska Warm Current, the islands along the Strait Bay in southern Alaska have become world-famous fishing grounds, where delicious salmon and halibut are abundant.
Since the fishing area was designated in 1959, Alaska has accumulated more than 170 billion pounds of seafood, which is a staggering number.
Alaska is one of the most important economic pillars of the United States due to its abundant seafood resources and thriving tourism. More than 9,400 fishing vessels catch more than 6 billion pounds of seafood each year, making it the most of the nation.
In addition, Alaska's tourism industry has also developed rapidly since the first decade of the last century, attracting more than 1.8 million tourists each year and generating $2 billion in local revenue.
The Klondike River Gold Rush National Historical Park also receives millions of visitors a year, making it a must-see place for visitors to commemorate the gold rush of that year.
These all prove that Alaska is a region with great economic potential and tourism resources.
Alaska, a beautiful state in North America, has a GDP of about $60 billion, with a per capita GDP of 7$50,000, ranking sixth in the United States.
In addition to its great economic power, Alaska's importance in the field of military defense is self-evident. Its unique geographical location allows the United States to better control Canada, while also having a deterrent effect on Russia.
Overall, Alaska is not only an economic powerhouse for the United States, but also a key factor in the United States.
Alaska will play a vital role in the future development of the Arctic route and the development of the Arctic Ocean's resources due to global warming leading to the melting of Arctic glaciers. However, looking back, Russia made a loss-making deal back then, and now it seems that it regrets it.