Southwest Alaska facts for kids

Southwest Alaska is a huge area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It's not defined by exact government borders. It also doesn't always have a clear natural boundary. This region is known for its amazing nature and unique cultures.

Exploring Southwest Alaska's Geography

Southwest Alaska stretches about 500 miles (800 km) from the western Bering Sea coast to Cook Inlet. Much of this area is along the coast. But it also includes many thousands of square miles of forests, swamps, and highlands. It has the huge Aleutian Range of mountains.

The Aleutian Range is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This means it has many active volcanoes. Some famous ones include Mount Katmai, Novarupta, and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Other volcanoes are Mount Redoubt, Mount Iliamna, and Augustine Volcano.

This region includes many islands and coastlines. These are the Pribilof Islands and Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea. It also has the huge delta where the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River meet. There are hundreds of miles of inland highlands. These include the lower and middle parts of the Kuskokwim River area.

The region also covers the entire areas around Goodnews Bay and Bristol Bay. It has other southern coastal parts. These include mountain ranges and large inland lakes. Some of these lakes are the Wood-Tikchik Lakes, Lake Iliamna, and Lake Clark. The western parts of the Alaska Range are here. This range continues south as the Aleutian Range along the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. The Kodiak Archipelago, east of the Alaska Peninsula, is the easternmost part of Southwest Alaska.

Southwest Alaska is made up of several boroughs and census areas. These include Aleutians East, Bristol Bay, Kodiak Island, and Lake and Peninsula boroughs. It also includes parts of the Kenai Peninsula Borough west of Cook Inlet. The census areas are Aleutians West, Bethel, Dillingham, and Kusilvak. All these areas together are about 170,732 square miles (442,190 km2). This is a bit larger than the state of California.

How Southwest Alaska's Land Formed

Volcanic eruptions and mountain building are still happening here. This is because the region is on the Pacific Ring of Fire. In far western Alaska, you can find lava fields that are only a few thousand years old. The rocks in this area tell a long story. Some are as old as 2.07 billion years.

Over time, pieces of continents, ocean floor, and island arcs moved around. They were torn apart and put back together by plate tectonics. This created the older rock layers. Newer rocks were then laid on top of them. Or they pushed their way into the older rocks.

People of Southwest Alaska

Kodiak from above

In 2000, Southwest Alaska had about 53,349 people. This is less than one-tenth of all of Alaska's people. Most of the people here are Alaska Natives. About 58.1% said they were fully or partly "Native American" in the 2000 census. There are about 121 towns and villages in the region. They are usually far apart and have populations in the hundreds.

Southwest Alaska is home to four of the twelve main Alaska Native Corporations. These corporations were set up in 1971. They help manage land and support villages.

The Calista Corporation region is in the Yukon/Kuskokwim delta. It also covers the lower and middle parts of the Kuskokwim River. This area has 56 villages and about 23,000 people. Bethel is the largest town with 5,471 people. It is the main business center for the Kuskokwim region. Calista owns a lot of land, about 4,997,263 acres (20,223 km2). Most other land is owned by the state or federal government.

In the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) region, Dillingham is the largest town with 2,466 people. The BBNC region has 29 villages and about 8,000 people. This area includes part of the Alaska Peninsula and the Bering Sea coast. It also has parts of the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges.

Koniag, Incorporated covers the Kodiak Archipelago and part of the Alaska Peninsula. Kodiak is the largest town with 6,334 people. It is on Kodiak Island. Kodiak is the main business center for this area. The Koniag region is similar to the Kodiak Island Borough. This borough has about 14,000 people in 11 communities.

Aleut Corporation's lands are on the Aleutian Islands. They are also on the western end of the Alaska Peninsula. Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is the largest town with 4,283 people. About 8,000 people live in this region. They live in about a dozen towns and some military towns.

The Native people in Southwest Alaska are mainly Central Yup'ik. They live in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Bristol Bay areas. Alutiiq people live on the eastern Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island. Aleut people live in the Aleutians, Pribilofs, and western Alaska Peninsula. A few Dena'ina Athabaskans live near the western shore of Cook Inlet.

How People Make a Living in Southwest Alaska

Most of the land in Southwest Alaska is owned by the federal government and the state of Alaska. Alaska Native Regional Corporations also own and manage land. These include Calista, Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay, Aleut, and Koniag. There is not much private land, except for what the Native Corporations own.

The economy here depends on getting resources from the land and sea. People also rely on subsistence activities. This means they hunt, fish, and gather food for themselves and their families. Government spending also helps the economy.

Fishing is the most important part of the economy. Both commercial fishing (selling fish) and sport fishing (fishing for fun) are big. Kodiak and Unalaska are among the busiest fishing ports in the United States. Fishing for salmon, trout, king crab, and halibut brings in a lot of money. The Bristol Bay area has the world's largest commercial sockeye salmon industry. About 80% of these fish are caught by people who don't live in the area. Some of the fish are processed (made ready to sell) locally. Only a small part of the money from fishing stays in the region. This money is mainly from wages and taxes.

Hunting and other tourism activities are also important. They bring in money, but they are smaller and happen only during certain seasons. People enjoy watching bears and other wildlife.

Mining has been a part of the economy since Alaska was bought from Russia. People mainly mine for gold, platinum, and mercury. Right now, mining is small scale. But there are plans for bigger projects. One big discussion is about the proposed Pebble Mine. This would be a large gold and copper mine. It would be at the start of the Nushagak and Kvichak rivers. These rivers are important for the Bristol Bay salmon. Also, the government is thinking about allowing oil drilling in Bristol Bay.

Most smaller towns rely on subsistence activities. Many people in the area own shares in a Native Corporation.

Amazing Wildlife of Southwest Alaska

Southwest Alaska is one of the best places in the world for salmon. Bristol Bay has the world's largest commercial salmon fishery. This area also has a very high number of brown bears. The bears eat the salmon, as well as berries and other plants. Watching bears is a popular activity for tourists at Katmai National Park and Preserve.

This region is also home to many caribou herds. The Mulchatna herd is the third largest in Alaska. The westernmost place where caribou and bears live is on Unimak Island. This is the first island in the Aleutian chain. Islands further west in the Aleutians do not have mammals larger than a fox. In the summer, many kinds of migratory birds nest on the tundra here. There are also many large places where seabirds gather in the Aleutian Islands.

Getting Around Southwest Alaska

Southwest Alaska has only small local road systems. Only a few nearby villages are connected by roads. The area is mostly reached by air, sea, or river. Alaska Airlines flies 737 passenger jets to Bethel, King Salmon, Dillingham, Adak, Dutch Harbor, and Kodiak. Bethel is also a key place for moving goods. Large ocean barges bring freight or fuel. Smaller barges then take these goods up the Kuskokwim River.

Aniak, Iliamna, and other communities have scheduled flights from Anchorage. These are on PenAir and smaller airlines. These small planes are very important for connecting to smaller communities. Alaska Marine Highway ferries connect the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska Peninsula, and some Aleutian Islands to ports in Southcentral Alaska. A mix of ocean and river barges are important for towns along the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers. In winter, traveling by snowmachine is very important. An ice road for vehicles is used along parts of the Kuskokwim River.

Rivers of Southwest Alaska

• Yukon River
• Anvik River
• Innoko River
• Iditarod River
• Kuskokwim River
• Aniak River
• Holitna River
• Stony River
• Big River
• Swift River
• Kvichak River
• Naknek River
• Newhalen River
• Nushagak River
• Mulchatna River
• King Salmon River

Lakes of Southwest Alaska

• Becharof Lake
• Lake Clark
• Iliamna Lake
• Naknek Lake
• Lake Brooks
• Wood-Tikchik Lakes

Mountain Ranges of Southwest Alaska

• Nulato Hills
• Kaiyuh Mountains
• Kilbuck Mountains
• Portage Mountains
• Russian Mountains
• Horn Mountains
• Kuskokwim Mountains
  • Sischu Mountains
  • Mystery Mountains
  • Sunshine Mountains
  • Cripple Creek Mountains
  • Beaver Mountains
  • Wood River Mountains
  • Buckstock Mountains
  • Kiokluk Mountains
  • Chuilnik Mountains
• Nushagak Hills
• Alaska Range
  • Revelation Mountains
  • Teocali Mountains
  • Trimokish Hills
  • Terra Cotta Mountains
  • Tordrillo Mountains
  • Neocola Mountasins
• Aleutian Range
  • Chigmit Mountains
  • Walatka Mountains

Protected Natural Areas

Southwest Alaska has many state and federal protected areas. These places help keep nature safe.

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
• Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge
• Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve
• Becharof National Wildlife Refuge
• Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
• Katmai National Park and Preserve
• Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
• Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
• Wood-Tikchik State Park
• Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge