Sea · United States
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska is a wide arm of the Pacific Ocean along the southern coast of Alaska. Its shores are lined with forests, mountains and glaciers that reach all the way down to the sea.
Picture credit: Leonid Berger (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Gulf of Alaska?
Part of: Pacific Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: the United States.
The story behind it
The Gulf of Alaska stretches from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to Cape Spencer in the east and covers about 1.53 million km². Its coast is cut by fjords – long, narrow bays carved out by ice – and by inlets such as Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound. Huge glaciers, such as the Malaspina and Bering glaciers, spill out onto the coast. Even so, thanks to ocean currents, the gulf stays free of sea ice all year. It is known as a great maker of storms, which often travel south along the coasts of Canada and the United States. The water is rich in life: fishing boats catch salmon and halibut, and deep-water corals grow on the seabed. Ports include Anchorage, Seward and Valdez, the northernmost ice-free harbour in North America. In Lituya Bay, a fjord on its coast, the largest tsunami ever recorded took place.
Find it on the globe
Gulf of Alaska is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Gulf of Alaska?
The Gulf of Alaska covers about 1.53 million km². It stretches from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to Cape Spencer in the east.
Does the Gulf of Alaska freeze in winter?
No. Although glaciers reach its coast, ocean currents keep the gulf free of sea ice all year. Valdez is even the northernmost ice-free harbour in North America.
Why is the Gulf of Alaska known for storms?
Many storms are born over the gulf. They often move south along the coasts of Canada and the United States and bring rain and wind there.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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