This video is sponsored in part by Curiositystream Alaska and Hawaii or The Last Frontier and The Aloha State The two states that donât border another
state in these United States Both the last two states to join the Union. Both have a really high cost of living. This is because not only are the two desirable
states to live in, but they are so isolated, so far away from most other places where most
things are produced. The high cost of shipping causes everything
in both states to be much more expensive. That said, Alaska has a lower cost of living
compared to Hawaii. Perhaps because of the high cost of living,
both states are slowly losing residents. Both are dominated by their largest cities. Anchorage, in Alaska, and Honolulu in Hawaii. Around half of all Alaskan residents live
in the Anchorage metropolitan area, and more than 2/3 of all of Hawaiiâs residents live
in the Honolulu metropolitan area. Both have dramatically diverse and beautiful
natural scenery, and both have dramatically diverse rainfall patterns. Itâs kind of crazy actually. Ok, so in southeast Alaska in the coastal
mountain ranges there, they can often get more than 200 inches (508 cm) of precipitation
a year! While just south of the Alaska Range they
get about 60 inches (152.4 cm) a year, 12 inches (30.5 cm) a year in the interior, and
less than 6 inches (15.2 cm) a year in the North Slope. In Hawaii, itâs just as crazy. Around the summit of Mauna Kea it gets about
8 inches (20.3 cm) a year, but down near Big Bog on the windward slope of Haleakala, Maui,
they can get up to 404 inches (1026.2 cm) a year! Woahness. Both have lots of islands. Well, Hawaii is...just islands. There are eight main islands, but 137 in total. Alaska has 2,670 islands total! Here they all are. Did you read that? Wow youâre good. The most well known of these are the Aleutian
Islands, which shoot out into the northern Pacific Ocean, way past the 180th meridian. Some of those islands should technically be
part of tomorrow, you know...since they are west of the International Date Line. The one furthest out that is part of Alaska,
Attu, is the largest uninhabited island in the country and 1500 miles from Anchorage. Itâs about 15 times the size of Manhattan
Island, but no one lives there because the weather sucks so bad. Most fun fact ever. Attu is both the United Statesâ westernmost
AND easternmost point. Anyway, the Aleutian Islands form the northernmost
part of the Ring of Fire, an area where lots of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions tend
to occur. And yep, there are 57 volcanoes on those islands. 2,433 miles, or 3916 kilometers, separate
them from Hawaii, and yep, both Hawaii and Alaska have to worry about volcanoes. Heck, Hawaii only exists BECAUSE of volcanoes. Lava rising from the ocean floor over millions
of years created them. The Big Island, which is only 300,000 years
old, is still getting bigger due to the Kilauea volcano continuously erupting. Both also have to worry about earthquakes,
although Alaska more so. The most powerful earthquake in North American
history happened in Alaska. The Good Friday earthquake, which happened
on March 27, 1964, lasted four minutes and thirty-eight seconds and destroyed towns across
south-central Alaska, ultimately killing 131 people. Look at that picture. Yeah, that happened in Anchorage. It caused the land to literally rise several
meters in many areas, and caused tsunamis that reached as far away as...you guessed
it...Hawaii. Residents of both speak a lot of different
languages. Hawaii has two official languages. English and Hawaiian, although many there
also speak Hawaiian Pidgin, an English-based creole language. But thatâs about all the two states have
in common. Before I get into all the differences,
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video. (taking a deep breath) Ok, letâs do this. Here are all the big differences between the
two. Alaska is bigger. 89 times bigger! Alaska is by far the biggest state in the
country, and I think most folks really donât realize just how big it is. You could fit almost four Californias into
°Alaska, and itâs more than twice as big as Texas. While Alaska borders Canada, Hawaii is the
only U.S. state not actually connected to North America. Itâs part of a bigger region of more than
1,000 islands known as Polynesia. Hawaii is the only island state and only state
in the tropics. Hawaii has more people. (A- 732,000, H- 1.4 million) And 1 more electoral
vote. The population density is of course much higher in Hawaii. (A-1.3 people per square mile, H- 218.6 people
per square mile) Alaska is easily the most sparsely populated state in the country. Both states are in different time zones. Well, a portion of the Aleutian Islands share
the same time zone as Hawaii. While both do have a big variety of climate
zones, the climate of both states overall is very different. Alaska has a reputation as this very cold
place all the time, but parts of it get quite warm during the summer. In the far north, yes itâs cold all year
long. Thatâs the tundra, where the polar bears
chill out. Most of the state has a continental climate
and subarctic climate. In these areas, of course it gets ridiculously
cold during the winter, but summers are usually nice. Oh but they have that permafrost to worry
about. Fairbanks, Alaska is a great example to demonstrate
the wide range of temperatures. The lowest recorded temperature there is -65.9°
F (-54.4° C), but the highest recorded temperature there is 99° F (37.2° C). Donât get me wrong, it gets pretty freaking
cold in Alaska, but folks also forget that the temperature is moderated along the coasts,
especially down by Juneau in southeast Alaska, where it rarely gets that cold in the winter
compared to I donât know Minnesota. Also, being at such high latitude, the summer
days are looong in Alaska but the fall and winter days are shooort. Hawaii is known as a tropical paradise, with
generally perfect weather, but did you know that it has 10 different climate zones? It has a tundra climate, too. Say what? Oh you know it. Well, at its really high elevations. But yeah Hawaii also has subpolar oceanic,
oceanic, humid subtropical, cold-summer mediterranean, warm-summer mediterranean, hot semi-arid,
savanna, monsoon, and rainforest. Whew! But yeah the local wind patterns are all crazy
due to the varied landforms on the islands. The vast majority of Alaska is wilderness. Almost 96% of Alaskan land is public. Just 19% of Hawaii is public land. Alaska is only 51 miles, or 82 kilometers
from Russia, at the most narrow point of the Bering Strait. Yep, just that narrow strip of water separates
the United States and Russia, believe it or not. Oh it used to be connected. Several thousand years ago, when the earth
was covered with much, much more ice, it was the Bering Land Bridge, and itâs likely
that the earliest humans who migrated to the Americas crossed it. Hey, letâs go through some history, shall
we? Hawaiiâs earliest settlers were Polynesian
voyagers, arriving there more than 1,000 years before European explorers ever got there. And thousands of years before that, indigenous
peoples lived all over what is now Alaska. Europeans first came across the area in the
1700s, maybe even before that. It was those Russians. One famous Russian expedition was led by a
Danish dude named Vitus Bering. Oh hey, Bering. Yep, the Bering Strait was named after him. After his expedition, Russian hunters were
regularly making trips to Alaska to make some money, and many stayed out there. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov established the
first permanent Russian colony in Alaska on Kodiak Island. Meanwhile, in 1778, the British explorer James
Cook was the first European to reach Hawaii, although the Spanish possibly stopped by 200
years before and didnât document it. Anyway, James Cook called them the Sandwich
Islands, because that was his favorite food. Just kidding. He named them that to honor his sponsor, John
Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. The English recorded the native name for the
islands as Owyhee. Cook visited Hawaii twice, and afterward published
several books about his voyages, which attracted further European visitors- mostly folks who
wanted to make money of course. For the rest of the 1700s, Spain sent expeditions
to Alaska to try to stake claims all over the Pacific Northwest. However, the Russian-American Company was
more successful at colonizing Alaska in the first part of the 1800s. The Russians were probably less harsh to the
natives than most European groups, but sadly many indigenous peoples died from diseases
the Russians brought over due to not being immune to them. Many indigenous peoples also sadly died from
diseases they werenât immune to from Europeans who came to Hawaii. In 1795, the warrior chief Kamhameha the Great,
who led the independent island of Hawaiâi, conquered the other independent islands of
Oâahu, Maui, Molokaâi, and LÄnaĘťi and unified them under one government, beginning
the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1820, American Protestant missionaries
began arriving trying to all Westernize the islands and stuff. Five years later, King Kamehameha III took
over and ended up being the longest reigning monarch in the Kingdomâs history, eventually
helping it transfer from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. By 1840, Britain, France, and the United States
were all regularly interacting with the Kingdom of Hawaii trying to influence it. To fight off the influence of Britain and
France, King Kamehameha III signed a treaty with the United States that placed Hawaii
under its protection. More and more Americans came out there to
set up plantations to grow sugar. Many immigrants from Japan, China, and the
Philippines, also eventually came to work at those plantations. In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United
States for $7.2 million, just happy to get rid of it. I have a whole video about that here. Maybe check it out and stuff? Most people made fun of the American who made
the deal, William Seward, saying what good is that icebox? In the following decades, the United States
didnât do much with Alaska, but at least they owned it! In 1887, the Kingdom of Hawaii granted the
United States permission to build a naval base at Pearl Harbor. And then, private businessmen overthrew Queen
LiliĘťuokalani, after years of reducing the monarchyâs power, and straight up ended
the Kingdom of Hawaii, establishing Hawaii as a republic in 1893. A few years later, the United States annexed
Hawaii, and it became a U.S. territory in 1900. By that time, gold had been discovered in
Alaska, which brought thousands of settlers up there trying to strike it rich. Because of this, Alaska became a U.S. territory
in 1912. During the first half of the 1900s, more and
more Americans began moving to both Alaska and Hawaii. During World War Two, Hawaiiâs importance
as a military outpost became critical when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941. That attack led to the United States declaring
war on Japan, and thus entering the entire war. The next year, Japan occupied two of the outer
Aleutian Islands of Alaska- Kiska, and the aforementioned Attu, where a brutal, 2-week
long battle took place in which hardly any Japanese surrendered. Because of World War Two, the United States
built several military bases in Alaska, which further helped the territory grow. By the 1950s, both had enough people to become
states, and both became states in 1959, although Alaska joined the Union first. (A- Jan. 3, 1959, H- Aug. 21, 1959)
Also, in the 1950s, the plantation owners finally lost power as the descendants of immigrant
laborers, who were now U.S. citizens, voted against them. This dramatically changed Hawaiin politics
afterward. In 1968, the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay,
and then later the completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in 1977, led to an oil boom in Alaska. Today, mostly because of that oil, Alaska
residents pay WAY less taxes than Hawaii, overall. In fact, Alaskans pay less taxes than residents
of all other states. They even get money back from the government. Yep, funded by the stateâs oil revenue,
every year citizens get a payout via the Alaska Permanent Fund. It has paid out an average of around $1600
each year to every resident since it began in the 1970s. Also, Alaska doesnât have an income tax. Hawaii does (H-11%), as well as a much higher
sales tax (A- 1.76%, H- 4%). Still, the median household income is higher
in Hawaii. (A- $74,346, H- $80,212) Also, the poverty
rate is lower there. However, the minimum wage
is currently slightly higher in Alaska. The median age is higher in Hawaii. More Hawaii residents have
college degrees. Hawaii is more ethnically diverse. The largest ethnic group there is Asian American,
which makes up about 37% of its population. The second largest ethnic group is European
American, followed by Hispanic and Native Hawaiian. Alaskaâs largest minority ethnic group is
Native Alaskans. 1 in 5 Alaska residents identify as either
American Indian or Alaska Native. This is the highest percentage of any state. Politically speaking, Alaska is generally
more conservative, or more accurately more libertarian. Hawaii residents generally tend to be pretty
loyal to the Democratic Party. They havenât elected a Republican for President
since Ronald Reagan in 1984. Meanwhile, Alaska residents have only voted
for a Democrat for President once- for Lyndon Johnson, way back in 1964. Alaska has had a couple of independent governors
since it became a state. Major industries in Hawaii include tourism,
agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare. Major industries in Alaska also include tourism,
but additionally petroleum, fishing, and mining. Alaska is experiencing higher job growth,
and Hawaiiâs economy was hit harder by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Alaska has more national parks. Alaska has way, way, way more wilderness. While both have beaches, believe it or not,
Hawaiian beaches are some of the best in the world. Due to the influence of its unique mix of
Hawaiian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, and North American cultures, Hawaiiâs culture
is one of the most distinct cultures in the world. I mean, just by a sampling of Hawaiian food
you quickly learn that. Oh, and I gotta mention Spam. Not that kind of spam. Yes, that kind of Spam. Per capita, more Hawaiians eat Spam than any
other area of the world other than Guam. Originally American soldiers brought it with
them to Hawaii as part of their rations, but it became an important source of protein for
Hawaiians after fishing was prohibited during World War Two. The main two ways to get to Alaska and around
in Alaska are by plane and boat. Only one highway, which is really just a glorified
road in some places, makes it all the way up there from the contiguous United States
through Canada, the Alaska Highway, which fun fact- Iâve been on. Thereâs not even a road that leads to Juneau,
Alaskaâs capital. Surfing, of course, remains a huge part of
Hawaiian culture as well. In fact, the ancient Polynesians were the
first known humans who surfed. Alaska has Denali, the tallest peak in North
America. Oh, and the North Pole is actually there. Thereâs a post office in Hawaii where you
can mail a coconut. I mean, like, without putting it in the box. Just the coconut. Look, there is so much more I could get into,
but I grow weary for now, so just know that I shall come back to these two magical places
for future videos, because they are indeed two of the most epic states of all of these
United States. I want to give a special shout out to Adam
Christians for helping me make this video. He helped out with some of the research and provided some
of the animations. It was amazing to have that kind of help. Thank you Adam. You rock! Also a shout out to a couple people who have mailed me stuff. I have a PO Box, remember. This Maryland shirt! Thank you Chris for that. And I got a postcard. From @classicfumble. I don't know your real name, but thank you much. Ok, I have never been to Hawaii but hope to go
some time soon. My brother and I did drive all the way from
Kansas to Alaska and back in 2010 and I made a little documentary about it, which Iâll
link in the description of this video. I couldnât include everything, so what did
I miss? Also, which states should I compare next? As always, let me know down below, and thanks
for watching!
Bingo.