How big is Alaska?

Even if you don't know anything else about Alaska, you know that it is big. So how big is it?

Alaska covers 570,665 square miles or more than 375 million acres. Alaska's size estimates have changed over time. Here is the latest from the Statistical Abstract:

Facts about Alaska's size:

• Alaska is bigger than many countries. If Alaska were a country, it would rank 33rd out of 239 countries in the world. The “country of Alaska” would fall between Nigeria and Venezuela in size.
• The three biggest states after Alaska are Texas, California, and Montana. Alaska is bigger than all of them put together.
• Alaska is twice the size of Texas. It is twice the size of the country Sweden.
• Alaska is one-fifth the size of all the Lower 48 states in the U.S.
• Alaska is home to 54 of the 84 million acres set aside in the National Park system. That is nearly two-thirds of all the National Park lands in the entire U.S.
• Alaska's shoreline is longer than the entire Atlantic Coast.
• Alaska spans two time zones. Until 1983 there were four time zones.
• In winter, one part of the state the temperature can be 40 degrees above zero and another part can be 40 degrees below zero.