Alaska Time Zone

Alaska

Courtesy of Stefan - Fotolia.com

Which time zones does Alaska observe?
- Alaska is one of several states that observe multiple time zones.
- The majority of the state follows Alaska Standard Time (AKST).
- The westernmost parts, including some Aleutian Islands, observe Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST).
What is Alaska known for?
- Alaska is the least populated state in the United States.
- It is the largest U.S. state by land area and is nicknamed "The Last Frontier."
Where is Alaska located?
- Alaska is located in the northwestern section of North America.
- It is geographically separated from the continental U.S. and borders Canada to the east.

Alaska History and Time Zone

What is the capital of Alaska?
- The capital of Alaska is Juneau, which has a population of around 30,000 people.
What is the largest city in Alaska?
- The largest and most well-known city in Alaska is Anchorage.
- Anchorage has a much larger population than Juneau, with over 400,000 residents.
- The city is well-known for its large military base.
What makes Alaska geographically unique?
- Alaska is the largest state by landmass in the United States.
- Despite its size, it has the lowest population of all U.S. states.
Why does Alaska have a low population?
- The low population is primarily due to Alaska’s climate and location.
- The state is situated on the northwestern edge of the North American continent.
- It has an oceanic climate with low temperatures and heavy snowfall.
What is the history of indigenous groups in Alaska?
- Various indigenous groups occupied the region for many millennia before European colonists arrived.
Which European nations attempted to colonize Alaska?
- Both Russian and Spanish settlers made attempts to colonize the area.
Why was Alaska important to Europe in the 19th century?
- Alaska became hugely important to Europe during the late 19th century due to the Klondike Gold Rush.
- Tens of thousands of miners rushed to the region in search of gold.
When did Alaska become part of the United States?
- By the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, Alaska had already been purchased from Russia by the U.S.
- The purchase price was just over seven million dollars.
- Eventually, Alaska would go on to become a U.S. state.

History of Alaska Time Zones

When was Alaska purchased by the United States?
- Alaska was purchased by the U.S. from Russia in 1867.
When did Alaska become a U.S. state?
- After being regarded as a territory for many years, Alaska officially became a U.S. state in 1959.
Did Alaska originally follow Russian dates and times?
- Yes, before 1867, Alaska used Asian dates and times because it belonged to Russia.
When did Alaska switch to American dates?
- In 1867, after the U.S. purchased Alaska, the state switched to American dates.
- This meant that the entire area went back a day on the calendar to synchronize with the rest of the U.S.
How many time zones did Alaska originally have?
- For many decades, Alaska had four different time zones used in various cities and regions.
- These ranged from UTC -8 to UTC -11.
When were Alaska’s time zones simplified?
- In 1983, two of the time zones were removed.
- After that, the state continued using just Alaskan Time and Aleutian Time.

Alaska Time Zones

What time zones does Alaska use?
- Most of the state is in the Alaska Time Zone (AKT).
- The western Aleutian Islands follow the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone.
- Uniquely, the small town of Hyder observes Pacific Time (PT) because it has stronger ties to Canada than to the rest of Alaska.
What is the Alaska Time Zone?
- The majority of Alaska follows the Alaska Time Zone (AKT).
- AKT has two distinct variants:
What is the Aleutian Time Zone?
- The Aleutian Islands, a group of several dozen islands split between Russia and Alaska, use the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone.
- This time zone also covers the U.S. state of Hawaii.
- It is ten hours behind UTC (UTC-10) but moves to nine hours behind (UTC-9) during daylight savings time.
Does Alaska observe Daylight Savings Time?
- Yes, the entire state of Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, follows Daylight Savings Time.
When does Daylight Savings Time occur in Alaska?
- During the summer months, most of the state follows Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT), which is eight hours behind UTC (UTC-8).
- During this same period, the Aleutian Islands shift to nine hours behind UTC (UTC-9).
When was Daylight Savings Time introduced in Alaska?
- Daylight Savings Time was introduced to Alaska in 1967, along with the rest of the U.S.

Plan Your Trip

Table of Contents:

1. Alaska History and Time Zone
2. History of Alaska Time Zones
3. Alaska Time Zones