Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northwest Arctic Borough
Borough
The Kotzebue Sound as seen from Cape Krusenstern National Monument.
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Incorporated	June 2, 1986
Named for	Northwest and Arctic location
Seat	Kotzebue
Largest city	Kotzebue
Area
• Total	40,749 sq mi (105,540 km2)
• Land	35,573 sq mi (92,130 km2)
• Water	5,176 sq mi (13,410 km2)  12.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,423
• Density	0.182164/sq mi (0.070334/km2)
Time zone	UTC−9 (Alaska)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−8 (ADT)
Congressional district	At-large

The Northwest Arctic Borough is a special area in Alaska. It's like a county in other states. In 2020, about 7,793 people lived here. The main town and government center is Kotzebue. This borough was officially created on June 2, 1986.

Geography of Northwest Arctic Borough

The Northwest Arctic Borough is very large! It covers about 40,749 square miles. Most of this is land (35,573 square miles), and the rest is water (5,176 square miles). To give you an idea, its land area is a bit bigger than the entire state of Maine.

Coastal Waters and Wildlife

The borough has a coastline along the Chukchi Sea. This is a part of the Arctic Ocean. A very important water area here is the Kotzebue Sound. It's a key place for wildlife. In fact, the biggest polar bear ever recorded was seen near Kotzebue Sound. It weighed an amazing 2,209 pounds!

Neighboring Regions

The Northwest Arctic Borough shares borders with other areas in Alaska:

• North Slope Borough, Alaska is to the north.
• Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska is to the east.
• Nome Census Area, Alaska is to the south.

Amazing Protected Areas

This borough is home to many beautiful national parks and wildlife refuges. These places protect Alaska's unique nature and animals. Some of them include:

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (part)
• Cape Krusenstern National Monument
• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (part)
• Kobuk Valley National Park
• Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Noatak National Preserve (part)
• Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Population and People

Every ten years, the U.S. government counts how many people live in different areas. This is called a census.

Population Details from 2000

In the year 2000, there were 7,208 people living in the borough. Most people lived in families. The average household had almost four people. Many homes had children under 18. The median age was 24 years old, meaning half the people were younger and half were older. A large number of people (41.5%) were under 18.

Most of the people in the borough are Native American (82.46%). Other groups include White (12.32%), Asian (0.89%), and Black (0.21%). Some people reported being from two or more races (3.70%). A significant number of people (40%) spoke the Inupiat language at home.

Population Details from 2020

The 2020 census showed a slight increase in population. Here's a look at the different groups:

Towns and Villages

The Northwest Arctic Borough has several towns and villages. These are divided into two types: cities and census-designated places.

Cities

Census-designated places

• Noatak
• Red Dog Mine

See also

In Spanish: Borough de Northwest Arctic para niños