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 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 people are native to the area.

Ketchican on Revillagigedo Island and Sitka on Baranov Island are the largest towns on the islands.

Lumbering, trapping, fishing, and canning 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.