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"Alaska
and the Yukon are the closest international neighbors either of
us have, so it’s appropriate we renew relations between our governments."
– Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, signing a cooperation accord with Yukon
Premier Pat Duncan, Sept. 8, 2000.
Yukon population:
31,000. Two-thirds of the population live in the capital Whitehorse.
Yukon’s total population is about the same as Alaska’s capital Juneau.
Yukon size:
186,271 square miles (482,443 sq. km.), about one-third the size
of Alaska.
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Yukon Economy:
Mining, once the mainstay of the economy, has declined
dramatically after serving as the driving force in Yukon for nearly
a century. Mining has the potential to make a modest recovery. Tourism
has taken over in the past decade as a primary economic force, largely
providing a seasonal service industry. Other industries include
oil and gas development and timber. Government – federal, territorial,
and local – is a major employer, accounting for about one-third
of the jobs. First Nations land claims, self-government and Native
enterprises have a significant impact on the economy. Yukon mining
and tourism have direct impacts on Alaska: Yukon delivered ore to
the Alaska port of Skagway for shipment to market. Many Alaska-bound
tourists travel through Yukon on the Alaska Highway, and the two
regions do joint tourism marketing.
Alaska-Yukon
Connections
- Alaska-Yukon
boundary covers about half of the 1,538-mile Alaska-Canada border.
- Scheduled
air service connects major cities of Alaska and Yukon.
- The Alaska
Highway is the main land link between Alaska and Yukon. Top of
the World/Taylor Highway is the northernmost land border crossing
in North America. The Klondike Highway provides an Alaska-Yukon
link via British Columbia.
- The White
Pass & Yukon Railway runs between Skagway and Whitehorse,
but passenger service currently is available only between Skagway
and Bennett, B.C. . There are proposals to extend the Alaska Railroad
from Fairbanks to Whitehorse.
Government
/ Politics
- Alaska Gov.
Tony Knowles and Yukon Premier Pat Duncan have exchanged visits
and recently signed an intergovernmental accord on cooperation.
- The Alaska
Legislature and the Yukon Parliament have an annual exchange program,
alternating between Whitehorse and Juneau.
Economy /
Business / Trade / Tourism
- The state
of Alaska and the Yukon government support the Alaska Highway
route for the proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline project.
- Alaska and
Yukon are engaged in joint tourism marketing, along with British
Columbia and Alberta, in a program known as "Tourism North."
- Yukon River
fisheries are important for dozens of communities in Alaska and
Canada and have presented cross-border regional management issues.
- Yukon mining
operations relied on getting ore to market by delivering it to
the terminal at the Skagway port, but mine closures have caused
that business traffic to dry up. The Alaska port remains a key
factor in Yukon economic development.
Culture /
Exchanges / Partnerships / History / Noteworthy Facts
- The capitals,
Juneau and Whitehorse, are sister cities.
- Yukon Quest
1,000-mile Fairbanks-Whitehorse sled dog race alternates the annual
start between Alaska and Canada.
- The Klondike
Gold Rush put both Alaska and the Yukon Territory on the map as
a major event in their shared history.
- Famous writers
of the Far North, Jack London and Robert Service, are associated
with both Alaska and Yukon.
- Alaska and
Yukon Territory boast the two tallest mountains in North America
and share the fifth longest waterway, the Yukon River.
- The Gwich’in
Indians, the northernmost Indians on the continent, live in a
dozen communities along the Arctic Circle or north of the Arctic
Circle in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada. Their subsistence
lifestyle depends on the Porcupine caribou herd, which migrates
between northeastern Alaska and northern Yukon.
More information
Yukon Territory
overview
Yukon Government
Business
/ Chambers of Commerce / Banking
Travel
General Information
Ancient History
Alaska-Yukon
Cooperation
Alaska-Yukon
Intergovernmental Relations Accord
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