* Alaska is as big as England, France, Italy and Spain combined

* Only one city in Alaska has a larger population than the town of Framingham, Mass. (which has less than 70,000 people)

* If New York City had the same population density as Alaska, only 16 people would be living in Manhattan

* Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, covers 1,955 square miles (including the entire political municipal district). The state of Rhode Island covers 1,045 squre miles while Delaware also covers 1,955.

* More than half the world's active glaciers are in Alaska.

* About 5 percent of Alaska is covered by glaciers.

* There are more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes in Alaska.

* Alaska is one-fifth the size of the "Lower 48," larger than the next three biggest states combined, more than twice the size of Texas and 488 times larger than Rhode Island.