The two newest states are unlike any others. One is huge and cold; the other is a chain of warm islands. Both joined in 1959.
Key idea
Alaska is the largest state, with glaciers, tall mountains (including Denali) and tundra; its capital is Juneau and its biggest city is Anchorage. Hawaii is a chain of islands built by volcanoes in the middle of the Pacific; its capital, Honolulu, is on the island of Oahu.
Why it works
How did volcanoes make Hawaii? Deep under the Pacific is a hot spot where melted rock rises. The Pacific plate slowly slides over it, and the hot spot builds one volcano after another, like a conveyor belt. The oldest islands are in the northwest; the island of Hawaii, in the southeast, is the youngest and still has active volcanoes.
Worked example: How much bigger?
Alaska covers about 665,000 square miles and Texas about 269,000. About how many times as big is Alaska?
- Divide: 665,000 ÷ 269,000.
- That is about 2.5.
- So Alaska is about two and a half times as big as Texas.
Answer: About 2.5 times as big.
Common mistake
Small inset boxes on U.S. maps shrink Alaska to fit, so people think it is small. Alaska is more than twice as big as Texas, the second-largest state, and bigger than Texas, California and Montana put together. Always check an inset's scale.