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Alexander Archipelago

The Alexander Archipelago is an archipelago, or group of islands, off the southeast coast of Alaska. The islands are the tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels separate the islands and cut them off from the mainland. The northern part of the Inside Passage winds its way among the islands.

The largest islands are Chichagof Island, Admiralty Island, Baranov Island, Wrangell Island, Revillagigedo Island, Kupreanof Island, and Prince of Wales Island. All the islands are rugged, densely forested, and have an abundance of wildlife.

The Tlingit and Kaigani Haida people are native to the area. The Tsimshian people found on Annette Island are not originally from the area, having immigrated to the region from British Columbia in the late 19th century.

Ketchikan on Revillagigedo Island and Sitka on Baranov Island are the largest towns on the islands. The largest town of the region, Juneau, is actually on the mainland and hence not part of the archipelago.

Tourism, fishing, and logging are the main industries of the islands.

The archipelago was visited by the Russians in 1741 and was later explored by Britain, Spain, and the United States. Control of the islands passed from Russia to the United States with the Alaska Purchase in 1867.

The archipelago received its name from Alexandr Baranov, the head of the Russian fur trading company, the Russian-American Company, in the early 1800s.

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