View source for Alaska Peninsula

{{Short description|Peninsula extending towards the Aleutian Islands in Southwest Alaska, United States}}
{{About|a peninsula in Southwest Alaska|the entire state|Alaska}}

[[File:Map Alaska Peninsula NWR.png|thumb|Map of the Alaska Peninsula]]
[[File:Map of Alaska Peninsula Volcanoes.gif|thumb|Volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula]]
[[File:AKPen1.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Ugashik-Peulik|Peulik Volcano]] and cottongrass meadow]]

The '''Alaska Peninsula'''<ref>{{cite book |url= https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska-Peninsula |title= Alaska Peninsula |series= Encyclopedia Britannica }}</ref> (also called the '''Aleut Peninsula'''<ref>{{cite book |title= Cultural Transformations and Globalization: Theory, Development, and Social Change |author= Alexander M Ervin |year= 2016 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 9781317261773 }}</ref> or the '''Aleutian Peninsula''',<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.mining.com/stars-aligning-redstar-golds-alaska-flagship/ |title= Stars aligning for Redstar Gold's Alaska flagship |author= Andrew Topf |date= 13 November 2016 |magazine= Mining.com |publisher= InfoMine }}</ref> {{langx|ale|Alasxix̂}}; [[Sugpiaq language|Sugpiaq]]: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a [[peninsula]] extending about {{convert|800|km|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} to the southwest from the mainland of [[Alaska]] and ending in the [[Aleutian Islands]]. The peninsula separates the [[Pacific Ocean]] from [[Bristol Bay]], an arm of the [[Bering Sea]].

In literature (especially Russian), the term ''Alaska Peninsula'' was used to denote the entire north-western protrusion of the North American [[continent]], or all of what is now the state of Alaska, exclusive of its [[Southeast Alaska|panhandle]] and [[list of islands of Alaska|islands]]. The [[Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska|Lake and Peninsula]] [[list of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|borough]], the Alaskan equivalent of a [[county (United States)|county]], is named after the peninsula.

The Alaska/Aleutian Peninsula is also grouped into [[Southwest Alaska]].

The other large peninsulas in Alaska include the [[Kenai Peninsula]] and the [[Seward Peninsula]].

==Geography==
[[File:AKPen3.jpg|upright|left|thumb|Springtime hiker near [[Mount Chiginagak|Chiginagak Volcano]] in May 2007]]
[[File:AKPen4.jpg|thumb|Peulik Volcano and Ukinrek Maars]]
[[File:AKPen2.jpg|upright|thumb|Gorge in [[Valley of 10,000 Smokes|Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes]]]]

The base of the Alaska Peninsula extends outward from the end of the [[Alaska Range]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Alaska Range and Denali: Geology and Orogeny (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/denali.htm |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Aleutian Range]] is a very active [[volcano|volcanic]] [[mountain range]] which runs along the entire length of the peninsula. Within it lie Wildlife Refuges, including the [[Katmai National Park and Preserve]], the [[Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve]] and the [[Becharof National Wildlife Refuge]], the [[Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge]], and the [[Izembek National Wildlife Refuge]]. The most active volcano along the volcanic mountain range is [[Mount Pavlof|Pavlof Volcano]] which is more than {{Convert|2515|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us|order=flip}}(see also: [[Aleutian Arc]]).

The southern side of the Alaska Peninsula is rugged and mountainous, created by the uplifting tectonic activity of the North [[Pacific Plate]] subsiding under a western section of the [[North American Plate]]; the northern side is generally flat and marshy, a result of millennia of [[erosion]] and general [[seismic]] stability. The northern and southern shores are likewise quite different. The northern [[Bristol Bay]] coastal side is generally turbid and muddy, experiences tidal extremes, and is relatively shallow; the [[Pacific]] side, which is also known as the "ring of fire",<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alaska Peninsula Trek - Summer 2001|url=http://www.aktrekking.com/AKpen.html|access-date=2020-10-13|website=www.aktrekking.com}}</ref> has relatively small tidal activity and the water is deep and clear.

==Administration==
The peninsula is organized as a part of four adjacent [[County (United States)|boroughs]]; the [[Aleutians East Borough]], [[Bristol Bay Borough]], [[Kodiak Island Borough]], and [[Lake and Peninsula Borough]]. The Lake and Peninsula Borough includes most of the peninsula's territory.

==Climate==
Average annual precipitation ranges from {{cvt|24|-|65|in|mm}}.  Coastal areas are subject to intense storms, wind, and rain.  Winter temperatures average between {{cvt|−11|and|1|C|order=flip}}, and in summer between {{cvt|6|and|15|C|order=flip}}. Frosts can occur any day of the year at higher elevations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/land/pubs/ecoregions/ch7.html |title=Chapter 7-Ecological Subregions of the United States |publisher=Fs.fed.us |access-date=2013-06-18}}</ref><ref name="eoearth1">{{cite web|url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Alaska_Peninsula_montane_taiga |title=Encyclopedia of Earth |publisher=Eoearth.org |access-date=2013-06-18}}</ref> The climate can be compared to that of parts of [[Scotland]], the [[Aleutian Islands]], [[Iceland]], and [[Tierra del Fuego]].

{{climate chart
| [[Port Heiden, Alaska]]
| 16.34 | 28.58 | 0.87
| 15.8 | 28.04 | 0.51
| 19.76 | 32.54 | 0.91
| 26.06 | 37.58 | 0.75
| 34.7 | 46.58 | 0.83
| 41.18 | 52.7 | 1.1
| 46.4 | 57.38 | 1.61
| 47.66 | 58.1 | 1.97
| 42.62 | 53.6 | 2.05
| 32.18 | 43.16 | 2.2
| 25.16 | 36.14 | 1.42
| 18.5 | 29.84 | 1.02
| units=imperial
}}

{{climate chart
| [[Chignik, Alaska]]
| 19.76 | 31.1 | 5.87
| 21.02 | 32.54 | 7.6
| 23.36 | 34.7 | 6.89
| 28.04 | 39.56 | 4.88
| 34.88 | 46.4 | 6.73
| 41.18 | 54.86 | 6.02
| 46.04 | 60.98 | 4.29
| 46.58 | 60.8 | 5.08
| 41.36 | 54.86 | 9.72
| 33.98 | 45.32 | 8.82
| 27.68 | 38.48 | 10.08
| 23.54 | 33.98 | 7.2
| units=imperial
}}

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Ptarmigan9.jpg|thumb|[[Willow ptarmigan]]]]
The Alaska Peninsula is home to some of the largest populations of native and undisturbed wildlife in the United States. Besides the famous [[McNeil River]] and [[Katmai National Park and Preserve|Katmai]] [[Alaska Peninsula brown bear|Alaskan brown bear]] populations, large herds of [[caribou]], [[moose]], [[Gray wolf|wolves]], [[Anseriformes|waterfowl]], and [[willow ptarmigan]] inhabit the area. The bears of the peninsula and [[Bristol Bay]] are so numerous because they feed on the world's largest [[sockeye salmon]] (''Oncorhynchus nerka'') runs, which occur here in large part because the many large lakes of the peninsula are an important element in their lifecycle. These salmon, after returning from their brief time at sea, swim into the lakes and their contributing streams to spawn. Their offspring, or ''fry'', overwinter in the deep and food-abundant depths of these lakes until their migration to the sea in one or two years.
[[File:Adult male Northern Fur Seal.jpg|thumb|[[Northern fur seal]]s]]
Exceptionally large seabird colonies exist along the coast.<ref name="eoearth1"/> Additionally, there are large populations of sea mammals in the [[Pacific Ocean|North Pacific Ocean]] between the Alaska Peninsula and [[Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka]]. This includes [[harbor seal]]s, [[ringed seal]]s, [[northern fur seal]]s, [[whale]]s, [[porpoise]]s, [[sea otter]]s and [[sea lion]]s.<ref>{{Cite report|last=Gillispie |first=Thomas E| date=June 15, 2018 |title=An Overview of Alaskan's{{sic |nolink=yes}} Prehistoric Cultures |url=https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/publications/oha173overviewofalaskaprehistory.pdf |publisher=Office of History and Archaeology |pages=61}}</ref>

The rugged southern half of the peninsula, and also the [[Kodiak Archipelago]] which lie off the south coast of the peninsula and are home to even more bears, constitute the [[Alaska Peninsula montane taiga]] [[ecoregion]] and contain a number of protected areas such as [[Katmai National Park]]. Vegetation on the peninsula consists mostly of shrub-lands, grassy meadows, or wet tundra.

==Demographics==
{{See also|Lake and Peninsula Borough}}
Besides the communities on the coast (''see: [[Bristol Bay]]''), the Alaska Peninsula also is home to several well-known villages: [[Cold Bay, Alaska|Cold Bay]], [[King Cove, Alaska|King Cove]], [[Perryville, Alaska|Perryville]], [[Chignik, Alaska|Chignik]], [[Chignik Lake, Alaska|Chignik Lake]], [[Chignik Lagoon, Alaska|Chignik Lagoon]], and [[Port Moller, Alaska|Port Moller]]. Each is primarily inhabited by [[Alaska Natives]] and each, likewise, is mostly dependent on the fishing industry for sustenance.

==See also==
* [[List of peninsulas]]

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://www.ugashik.com/ Ugashik Area website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051107073559/http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=%2Fcffiles%2Fcounties%2Fcounty.cfm&id=2164 Lake & Peninsula Borough]
*[http://www.lpsd.com/ Lake and Peninsula School District]
*[http://www.aktrekking.com/AKpen.html Alaska Peninsula Trek]
*[http://library.state.ak.us/asp/edocs/2007/04/ocn132786211.pdf  Trawl survey of shrimp and forage fish in Alaska's Westward region, 2006 / by David R. Jackson.] Hosted by [http://library.state.ak.us Alaska State Publications Program].

{{coord|56.5|N|158.75|W|source:dewiki_region:US-AK_type:landmark_scale:5000000|display=title}}

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[[Category:Alaska Peninsula| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Aleutians East Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Alaska]]
[[Category:Volcanic arcs]]