Alaska

context: Alaska (i/əˈlæskə/) is a U.S. state situated in the northwest extremity of the Americas. The Canadian administrative divisions of British Columbia and Yukon border the state to the east while Russia has a maritime border with the state to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, the southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. To the south and southwest is the Pacific Ocean. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 3rd least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's residents (the total estimated at 738,432 by the Census Bureau in 2015) live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance. Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy.
qas: answers: text: 738,432
question: What is Alaska's total population according to the 2015 Census?

answers: text: Approximately half
question: How many of Alaska's residents reside in the Anchorage area?

answers: text: fishing, natural gas, and oil
question: Which industries are most prevalent in Alaska's economy?

answers: text: largest state in the United States by area
question: How does Alaska compare in size to other US states?

answers: text: 3rd least populous
question: Where does Alaska rank in population comparative to other US states?

context: Alaska is the northernmost and westernmost state in the United States and has the most easterly longitude in the United States because the Aleutian Islands extend into the eastern hemisphere. Alaska is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America; about 500 miles (800 km) of British Columbia (Canada) separates Alaska from Washington. It is technically part of the continental U.S., but is sometimes not included in colloquial use; Alaska is not part of the contiguous U.S., often called "the Lower 48". The capital city, Juneau, is situated on the mainland of the North American continent but is not connected by road to the rest of the North American highway system.
qas: answers: text: "the Lower 48"
question: What are the contiguous states sometimes called?

answers: text: Juneau
question: What is Alaska's capital city?

answers: text: 500
question: How many miles are between Alaska and Washington state?

answers: text: Aleutian Islands
question: Which set of islands extend into the Eastern Hemisphere?

context: Also referred to as the Panhandle or Inside Passage, this is the region of Alaska closest to the rest of the United States. As such, this was where most of the initial non-indigenous settlement occurred in the years following the Alaska Purchase. The region is dominated by the Alexander Archipelago as well as the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States. It contains the state capital Juneau, the former capital Sitka, and Ketchikan, at one time Alaska's largest city. The Alaska Marine Highway provides a vital surface transportation link throughout the area, as only three communities (Haines, Hyder and Skagway) enjoy direct connections to the contiguous North American road system.
qas: answers: text: Tongass National Forest
question: Which forest is the largest national forest in the US?

answers: text: Sitka
question: Which city was Alaska's former capital?

answers: text: Panhandle or Inside Passage
question: What is the area closest to the continental US called?

answers: text: Panhandle or Inside Passage
question: Where did most settlement occur after the Louisiana Purchase?

context: The North Slope is mostly tundra peppered with small villages. The area is known for its massive reserves of crude oil, and contains both the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska and the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States, is located here. The Northwest Arctic area, anchored by Kotzebue and also containing the Kobuk River valley, is often regarded as being part of this region. However, the respective Inupiat of the North Slope and of the Northwest Arctic seldom consider themselves to be one people.
qas: answers: text: The North Slope
question: Which area contains the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field?

answers: text: Barrow
question: What is the northernmost city in the US?

answers: text: massive reserves of crude oil
question: What resource is the North Slope known for?

context: With its myriad islands, Alaska has nearly 34,000 miles (54,720 km) of tidal shoreline. The Aleutian Islands chain extends west from the southern tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Many active volcanoes are found in the Aleutians and in coastal regions. Unimak Island, for example, is home to Mount Shishaldin, which is an occasionally smoldering volcano that rises to 10,000 feet (3,048 m) above the North Pacific. It is the most perfect volcanic cone on Earth, even more symmetrical than Japan's Mount Fuji. The chain of volcanoes extends to Mount Spurr, west of Anchorage on the mainland. Geologists have identified Alaska as part of Wrangellia, a large region consisting of multiple states and Canadian provinces in the Pacific Northwest, which is actively undergoing continent building.
qas: answers: text: nearly 34,000 miles
question: How much tidal shoreline does Alaska have in miles?

answers: text: Unimak Island
question: On which island is Mount Shishaldin located?

answers: text: actively undergoing continent building
question: What do geoligists believe is unique about Wrangellia?

answers: text: most perfect volcanic cone on Earth
question: What is most impressive about Mount Shishaldin in comparison to Mount Fuji?

answers: text: 10,000 feet (3,048 m)
question: How high does Mount Shishaldin rise above sea level?

context: According to an October 1998 report by the United States Bureau of Land Management, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the U.S. federal government as public lands, including a multitude of national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. Of these, the Bureau of Land Management manages 87 million acres (35 million hectares), or 23.8% of the state. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is the world's largest wildlife refuge, comprising 16 million acres (6.5 million hectares).
qas: answers: text: 65%
question: What percentage of Alaska is maintained by the US federal government?

answers: text: national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges
question: What types of areas are managed by the federal government as public lands?

answers: text: 87 million
question: How many acres is the Bureau of Land Management in charge of?

answers: text: 23.8%
question: How much of the state is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management?

answers: text: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
question: What is the world's largest wildlife refuge?

context: Of the remaining land area, the state of Alaska owns 101 million acres (41 million hectares), its entitlement under the Alaska Statehood Act. A portion of that acreage is occasionally ceded to organized boroughs, under the statutory provisions pertaining to newly formed boroughs. Smaller portions are set aside for rural subdivisions and other homesteading-related opportunities. These are not very popular due to the often remote and roadless locations. The University of Alaska, as a land grant university, also owns substantial acreage which it manages independently.
qas: answers: text: 101 million acres
question: How many acres of its land does the state of Alaska own?

answers: text: 101 million acres (41 million hectares)
question: How much land is the state of Alaska provided by the Alaska Statehood Act?

answers: text: remote and roadless locations
question: Why aren't homestead and subdivision areas more popular?

context: Another 44 million acres (18 million hectares) are owned by 12 regional, and scores of local, Native corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971. Regional Native corporation Doyon, Limited often promotes itself as the largest private landowner in Alaska in advertisements and other communications. Provisions of ANCSA allowing the corporations' land holdings to be sold on the open market starting in 1991 were repealed before they could take effect. Effectively, the corporations hold title (including subsurface title in many cases, a privilege denied to individual Alaskans) but cannot sell the land. Individual Native allotments can be and are sold on the open market, however.
qas: answers: text: Doyon, Limited
question: Which group claims it is Alaska's largest private land owner?

answers: text: hold title (including subsurface title in many cases
question: What privelege do private Alaskan corporations have that its public citizens do not?

answers: text: repealed before they could take effect
question: Was a law enacted in 1991 allowing corporations to sell land holdings or was it repealed?

context: The climate in Southeast Alaska is a mid-latitude oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) in the southern sections and a subarctic oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc) in the northern parts. On an annual basis, Southeast is both the wettest and warmest part of Alaska with milder temperatures in the winter and high precipitation throughout the year. Juneau averages over 50 in (130 cm) of precipitation a year, and Ketchikan averages over 150 in (380 cm). This is also the only region in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.
qas: answers: text: over 50 in
question: How much precipitation does Juno receive each year?

answers: text: Southeast
question: In what region of Alaska is the daytime temperature above freezing during summer?

answers: text: mid-latitude oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb) in the southern sections and a subarctic oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc) in the northern parts
question: Southern Alaska has what two Koppen climate classifications?

answers: text: over 150 in (380 cm)
question: How much precipitation does Ketchikan receive each year?

context: The climate of Western Alaska is determined in large part by the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. It is a subarctic oceanic climate in the southwest and a continental subarctic climate farther north. The temperature is somewhat moderate considering how far north the area is. This region has a tremendous amount of variety in precipitation. An area stretching from the northern side of the Seward Peninsula to the Kobuk River valley (i. e., the region around Kotzebue Sound) is technically a desert, with portions receiving less than 10 in (25 cm) of precipitation annually. On the other extreme, some locations between Dillingham and Bethel average around 100 in (250 cm) of precipitation.
qas: answers: text: Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska
question: What two bodies of water influene the climate in Western Alaska?

answers: text: tremendous amount of variety
question: Is precipitation varied or uniform in Western Alaska?

answers: text: the region around Kotzebue Sound
question: Which area of Western Alaska is techincally a desert?

answers: text: less than 10 in (25 cm) of precipitation annually
question: How much precipitation does the desert area of Western Alaska receive?

context: Numerous indigenous peoples occupied Alaska for thousands of years before the arrival of European peoples to the area. Linguistic and DNA studies done here have provided evidence for the settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge.[citation needed] The Tlingit people developed a society with a matrilineal kinship system of property inheritance and descent in what is today Southeast Alaska, along with parts of British Columbia and the Yukon. Also in Southeast were the Haida, now well known for their unique arts. The Tsimshian people came to Alaska from British Columbia in 1887, when President Grover Cleveland, and later the U.S. Congress, granted them permission to settle on Annette Island and found the town of Metlakatla. All three of these peoples, as well as other indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, experienced smallpox outbreaks from the late 18th through the mid-19th century, with the most devastating epidemics occurring in the 1830s and 1860s, resulting in high fatalities and social disruption.
qas: answers: text: Grover Cleveland
question: Which President allowed Tsimshian settlers to inhabit Annette Island?

answers: text: smallpox
question: What epidemic resulted in numerous deaths between the 1830s and 1860s?

answers: text: 1887
question: In what year did the Tsimshian people arrive in Alaska?

answers: text: the Haida
question: Which Alaskan indigenous group is now well-known for their art?

context: The Aleutian Islands are still home to the Aleut people's seafaring society, although they were the first Native Alaskans to be exploited by Russians. Western and Southwestern Alaska are home to the Yup'ik, while their cousins the Alutiiq ~ Sugpiaq lived in what is now Southcentral Alaska. The Gwich'in people of the northern Interior region are Athabaskan and primarily known today for their dependence on the caribou within the much-contested Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The North Slope and Little Diomede Island are occupied by the widespread Inupiat people.
qas: answers: text: The Gwich'in people of the northern Interior region
question: Which indigenous group is controversially known for hunting caribou on protected land?

answers: text: The North Slope and Little Diomede Island
question: The Inuplat population inhabit what areas?

answers: text: Aleut
question: Which Alaskan indigenous group was the fist to be exploited by Russians?

context: Some researchers believe that the first Russian settlement in Alaska was established in the 17th century. According to this hypothesis, in 1648 several koches of Semyon Dezhnyov's expedition came ashore in Alaska by storm and founded this settlement. This hypothesis is based on the testimony of Chukchi geographer Nikolai Daurkin, who had visited Alaska in 1764–1765 and who had reported on a village on the Kheuveren River, populated by "bearded men" who "pray to the icons". Some modern researchers associate Kheuveren with Koyuk River.
qas: answers: text: 17th century
question: During what time period do some researchers believe Russians settled in Alaska?

answers: text: Semyon Dezhnyov
question: Whose expedidion potentially landed in Alaska during a storm and founded a settlement in 1648?

answers: text: "bearded men" who "pray to the icons"
question: Whom did Nikolai Durkin say lived in a village on the Kheuveren River?

answers: text: 1764–1765
question: During which years did Nikolai Durkin visit Alaska?

context: Starting in the 1890s and stretching in some places to the early 1910s, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was officially incorporated as an organized territory in 1912. Alaska's capital, which had been in Sitka until 1906, was moved north to Juneau. Construction of the Alaska Governor's Mansion began that same year. European immigrants from Norway and Sweden also settled in southeast Alaska, where they entered the fishing and logging industries.
qas: answers: text: gold rushes
question: What event brought thousands of people to Alaska in the 1890s to early 1910s?

answers: text: 1912
question: What year was Alaska officially incorporated as a territory?

answers: text: 1906
question: In what year was Alaska's capital officially changed to Juneau?

answers: text: fishing and logging
question: Which industries did European settlers in Alaska begin?

answers: text: Norway and Sweden
question: From what countries were European settlers in Alaska?

context: Statehood for Alaska was an important cause of James Wickersham early in his tenure as a congressional delegate. Decades later, the statehood movement gained its first real momentum following a territorial referendum in 1946. The Alaska Statehood Committee and Alaska's Constitutional Convention would soon follow. Statehood supporters also found themselves fighting major battles against political foes, mostly in the U.S. Congress but also within Alaska. Statehood was approved by Congress on July 7, 1958. Alaska was officially proclaimed a state on January 3, 1959.
qas: answers: text: January 3, 1959
question: On what day was Alaska officially named a state?

answers: text: 1946
question: In what year did Alaskan Statehood gain momentum following a territorial referendum?

answers: text: Statehood for Alaska
question: What cause did James Wickersham focus on in his early Congressional tenure?

answers: text: mostly in the U.S. Congress but also within Alaska
question: From which areas did Alaskan supporters face political challenges?

answers: text: July 7, 1958
question: On what day was Alaskan Statehood finally approved by Congress?

context: On March 27, 1964, the massive Good Friday earthquake killed 133 people and destroyed several villages and portions of large coastal communities, mainly by the resultant tsunamis and landslides. It was the second-most-powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the world, with a moment magnitude of 9.2. It was over one thousand times more powerful than the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. The time of day (5:36 pm), time of year and location of the epicenter were all cited as factors in potentially sparing thousands of lives, particularly in Anchorage.
qas: answers: text: Good Friday earthquake
question: What major event happened in Alaska on March 27, 1964 killing 133 people?

answers: text: resultant tsunamis and landslides
question: Did the earthquake or resulting tsunamis and landslides do the most damage to Alaskan communities?

answers: text: second-most-powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the world
question: How did the Good Friday earthquake compare to other documented earthquakes in the world?

answers: text: The time of day (5:36 pm), time of year and location of the epicenter
question: Which factors concerning the Good Friday earthquake do some believe caused a higher survival rate?

answers: text: over one thousand times more powerful
question: How did the Good Friday earthquake compare to the 1989 San Francisco earthquake?

context: The Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks claims that at least 20 Alaskan native languages exist and there are also some languages with different dialects. Most of Alaska's native languages belong to either the Eskimo–Aleut or Na-Dene language families however some languages are thought to be isolates (e.g. Haida) or have not yet been classified (e.g. Tsimshianic). As of 2014[update] nearly all of Alaska's native languages were classified as either threatened, shifting, moribund, nearly extinct, or dormant languages.
qas: answers: text: at least 20
question: At least how many native Alaskan languages exist, according to the Alaska Native Language Center?

answers: text: Eskimo–Aleut or Na-Dene
question: What are the two main native Alaskan language families?

answers: text: nearly all
question: How many of Alaska's native languages are in danger of becoing dormant or extinct languages according to a 2014 study?

answers: text: 2014
question: A study completed in what year found that nearly all of Alaska's native languages are at risk of becoming extinct?

context: According to statistics collected by the Association of Religion Data Archives from 2010, about 34% of Alaska residents were members of religious congregations. 100,960 people identified as Evangelical Protestants, 50,866 as Roman Catholic, and 32,550 as mainline Protestants. Roughly 4% are Mormon, 0.5% are Jewish, 1% are Muslim, 0.5% are Buddhist, and 0.5% are Hindu. The largest religious denominations in Alaska as of 2010[update] were the Catholic Church with 50,866 adherents, non-denominational Evangelical Protestants with 38,070 adherents, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 32,170 adherents, and the Southern Baptist Convention with 19,891 adherents. Alaska has been identified, along with Pacific Northwest states Washington and Oregon, as being the least religious states of the USA, in terms of church membership.
qas: answers: text: 34%
question: According to the Association of Religion Data in 2010, what percentage of Alaskans are members of a relgious congregation?

answers: text: Evangelical Protestants
question: Which religion is most prevalent in Alaska?

answers: text: least religious states of the USA
question: How does Alaska compare with other states in church membership?

answers: text: Washington and Oregon
question: Which other nearby states are also considered to be less religious than others?

context: In 1795, the First Russian Orthodox Church was established in Kodiak. Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives helped the Russian immigrants integrate into society. As a result, an increasing number of Russian Orthodox churches gradually became established within Alaska. Alaska also has the largest Quaker population (by percentage) of any state. In 2009 there were 6,000 Jews in Alaska (for whom observance of halakha may pose special problems). Alaskan Hindus often share venues and celebrations with members of other Asian religious communities, including Sikhs and Jains.
qas: answers: text: First Russian Orthodox Church
question: Which church was established in Kodiak in 1795?

answers: text: Intermarriage with Alaskan Natives
question: What was one way in which Russian immigrants integrated into Alaskan society?

answers: text: Quaker population
question: Alaska has the largest population of what religious lifestyle of any state?

answers: text: observance of halakha
question: What religious tradition may be a problem for Alaskan Jews?

context: The 2007 gross state product was $44.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per capita personal income for 2007 was $40,042, ranking 15th in the nation. According to a 2013 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Alaska had the fifth-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.75 percent. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the state's revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska's main export product (excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab.
qas: answers: text: $40,042
question: What was the per capita personal income in Alaska in 2007?

answers: text: 15th in the nation
question: How does Alaska's per capita personal income rank against other states?

answers: text: 80%
question: How much of Alaskan state revenue comes from petroleum extraction?

answers: text: seafood, primarily salmon, cod, Pollock and crab
question: Beyond petroleum, what is Alaska's largest export?

context: Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in the Fairbanks North Star, Anchorage and Kodiak Island boroughs, as well as Kodiak. Federal subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.
qas: answers: text: Fairbanks North Star, Anchorage and Kodiak Island boroughs, as well as Kodiak
question: In which Alaskan areas are military bases prevalent as an important part of the local economy?

answers: text: Federal subsidies
question: What program allows Alaska to keep low taxes?

answers: text: crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products
question: What are some of Alaska's industrial products?

answers: text: supporting local lodging
question: How, specifically, have tourists helped the local economy in Alaska?

context: Alaska has vast energy resources, although its oil reserves have been largely depleted. Major oil and gas reserves were found in the Alaska North Slope (ANS) and Cook Inlet basins, but according to the Energy Information Administration, by February 2014 Alaska had fallen to fourth place in the nation in crude oil production after Texas, North Dakota, and California. Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope is still the second highest-yielding oil field in the United States, typically producing about 400,000 barrels per day (64,000 m3/d), although by early 2014 North Dakota's Bakken Formation was producing over 900,000 barrels per day (140,000 m3/d). Prudhoe Bay was the largest conventional oil field ever discovered in North America, but was much smaller than Canada's enormous Athabasca oil sands field, which by 2014 was producing about 1,500,000 barrels per day (240,000 m3/d) of unconventional oil, and had hundreds of years of producible reserves at that rate.
qas: answers: text: Texas, North Dakota, and California
question: What other states rank higher than Alaska in crude oil production?

answers: text: fourth
question: How does Alaska rate in comparison with other states in crude oil production?

answers: text: Prudhoe Bay
question: Which area in Alaska is the nation's second highest-yielding oil field?

answers: text: 400,000
question: How many barrels of oil does Prudhoe Bay produce per day?

answers: text: North Dakota's Bakken Formation
question: Prudhoe Bay is second place in production to what other oil field in the US?

context: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline can transport and pump up to 2.1 million barrels (330,000 m3) of crude oil per day, more than any other crude oil pipeline in the United States. Additionally, substantial coal deposits are found in Alaska's bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite coal basins. The United States Geological Survey estimates that there are 85.4 trillion cubic feet (2,420 km3) of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas from natural gas hydrates on the Alaskan North Slope. Alaska also offers some of the highest hydroelectric power potential in the country from its numerous rivers. Large swaths of the Alaskan coastline offer wind and geothermal energy potential as well.
qas: answers: text: up to 2.1 million barrels
question: How much oil can the Trans-Alaska Pipeline transport per day?

answers: text: 85.4 trillion cubic feet
question: How much recoverable gas is still undiscovered in Alaska, according to the US Geological Survey?

answers: text: wind and geothermal energy
question: Alaska's coastline also has potential in which two environmentally friendly energy types?

answers: text: hydroelectric
question: Alaska's large rivers have potential for what environmentally friendly type of energy production?

context: Alaska's economy depends heavily on increasingly expensive diesel fuel for heating, transportation, electric power and light. Though wind and hydroelectric power are abundant and underdeveloped, proposals for statewide energy systems (e.g. with special low-cost electric interties) were judged uneconomical (at the time of the report, 2001) due to low (less than 50¢/gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population. The cost of a gallon of gas in urban Alaska today is usually 30–60¢ higher than the national average; prices in rural areas are generally significantly higher but vary widely depending on transportation costs, seasonal usage peaks, nearby petroleum development infrastructure and many other factors.
qas: answers: text: low (less than 50¢/gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population
question: Why were alternative energy sources judged uneconomical in 2001?

answers: text: 30–60¢ higher
question: How much does gas cost in Alaska, in comparison to the national average?

answers: text: transportation costs, seasonal usage peaks, nearby petroleum development infrastructure
question: What are some reasons why gas prices may vary in Alaska, especially?

answers: text: diesel fuel
question: What does Alaska's economy heavily rely on?

answers: text: heating, transportation, electric power and light
question: What purpose does diesel fuel have in Alaska?

context: The Alaska Permanent Fund is a constitutionally authorized appropriation of oil revenues, established by voters in 1976 to manage a surplus in state petroleum revenues from oil, largely in anticipation of the recently constructed Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. The fund was originally proposed by Governor Keith Miller on the eve of the 1969 Prudhoe Bay lease sale, out of fear that the legislature would spend the entire proceeds of the sale (which amounted to $900 million) at once. It was later championed by Governor Jay Hammond and Kenai state representative Hugh Malone. It has served as an attractive political prospect ever since, diverting revenues which would normally be deposited into the general fund.
qas: answers: text: constitutionally authorized appropriation of oil revenues
question: What is the Alaska Permanent Fund?

answers: text: 1976
question: In what year was the Alaska Permanent Fund established?

answers: text: to manage a surplus in state petroleum revenues from oil
question: Why was the Alaska Permament Fund established?

answers: text: Governor Keith Miller
question: Who originally proposed the Alaska Permanent Fund?

answers: text: fear that the legislature would spend the entire proceeds of the sale (which amounted to $900 million) at once
question: Why did Governor Keith Miller propose the Alaska Permanent Fund before the Prudhoe Bay sale?

context: The Alaska Constitution was written so as to discourage dedicating state funds for a particular purpose. The Permanent Fund has become the rare exception to this, mostly due to the political climate of distrust existing during the time of its creation. From its initial principal of $734,000, the fund has grown to $50 billion as a result of oil royalties and capital investment programs. Most if not all the principal is invested conservatively outside Alaska. This has led to frequent calls by Alaskan politicians for the Fund to make investments within Alaska, though such a stance has never gained momentum.
qas: answers: text: discourage
question: Was Alaska's Constitution written to encourage or discourage state funds being used for a particular purpose?

answers: text: political climate of distrust existing during the time of its creation
question: Why is the Permanent Fund an exception to the premise of the Alaskan Constitution?

answers: text: outside Alaska
question: Where is the principal of the Permanent Fund invested?

answers: text: $734,000
question: How much was the initial principal of the Permanent Fund?

answers: text: $50 billion
question: How high has the principal of the Permanent Fund grown?

context: Starting in 1982, dividends from the fund's annual growth have been paid out each year to eligible Alaskans, ranging from an initial $1,000 in 1982 (equal to three years' payout, as the distribution of payments was held up in a lawsuit over the distribution scheme) to $3,269 in 2008 (which included a one-time $1,200 "Resource Rebate"). Every year, the state legislature takes out 8% from the earnings, puts 3% back into the principal for inflation proofing, and the remaining 5% is distributed to all qualifying Alaskans. To qualify for the Permanent Fund Dividend, one must have lived in the state for a minimum of 12 months, maintain constant residency subject to allowable absences, and not be subject to court judgments or criminal convictions which fall under various disqualifying classifications or may subject the payment amount to civil garnishment.
qas: answers: text: minimum of 12 months
question: How long must an Alaskan have lived in the state in order to receive a Permanent Fund Dividend?

answers: text: 5%
question: What percentage of the Permanent Fund is divided betwen Alaska's eligible residents?

answers: text: 1982
question: When did disembursements from the Permanent Fund begin?

answers: text: $1,000
question: How much was the initial disembursement from the Permanent Fund?

context: The Tanana Valley is another notable agricultural locus, especially the Delta Junction area, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Fairbanks, with a sizable concentration of farms growing agronomic crops; these farms mostly lie north and east of Fort Greely. This area was largely set aside and developed under a state program spearheaded by Hammond during his second term as governor. Delta-area crops consist predominately of barley and hay. West of Fairbanks lies another concentration of small farms catering to restaurants, the hotel and tourist industry, and community-supported agriculture.
qas: answers: text: barley and hay
question: Which crops are produced in the Delta-area?

answers: text: restaurants, the hotel and tourist industry, and community-supported agriculture
question: Small farms west of Fairbanks cater to whom?

answers: text: Delta Junction area
question: Which area did Hammond develeop during his second term?

context: Most food in Alaska is transported into the state from "Outside", and shipping costs make food in the cities relatively expensive. In rural areas, subsistence hunting and gathering is an essential activity because imported food is prohibitively expensive. Though most small towns and villages in Alaska lie along the coastline, the cost of importing food to remote villages can be high, because of the terrain and difficult road conditions, which change dramatically, due to varying climate and precipitation changes. The cost of transport can reach as high as 50¢ per pound ($1.10/kg) or more in some remote areas, during the most difficult times, if these locations can be reached at all during such inclement weather and terrain conditions. The cost of delivering a 1 US gallon (3.8 L) of milk is about $3.50 in many villages where per capita income can be $20,000 or less. Fuel cost per gallon is routinely 20–30¢ higher than the continental United States average, with only Hawaii having higher prices.
qas: answers: text: shipping costs
question: What causes food in Alaskan cities to be relatively expensive?

answers: text: 50¢ per pound ($1.10/kg)
question: How high can the cost of transport be in some remote areas?

answers: text: Hawaii
question: Which state in the US is the only to have higher fuel prices than Alaska?

answers: text: $3.50
question: How much does it cost to transport a gallon of milk in some rural areas of Alaska?

context: Alaska has few road connections compared to the rest of the U.S. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, only a car ferry, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system, or building a road connection from Haines. The western part of Alaska has no road system connecting the communities with the rest of Alaska.
qas: answers: text: Juneau, is not accessible by road
question: Why is there a debate about moving the capital of Alaska to another town?

answers: text: western part
question: Which part of Alaska has no road system connecting it to other areas?

answers: text: few
question: Compared to the rest of the US, does Alaska has many or few road connections?

context: Built around 1915, the Alaska Railroad (ARR) played a key role in the development of Alaska through the 20th century. It links north Pacific shipping through providing critical infrastructure with tracks that run from Seward to Interior Alaska by way of South Central Alaska, passing through Anchorage, Eklutna, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks, with spurs to Whittier, Palmer and North Pole. The cities, towns, villages, and region served by ARR tracks are known statewide as "The Railbelt". In recent years, the ever-improving paved highway system began to eclipse the railroad's importance in Alaska's economy.
qas: answers: text: around 1915
question: What year was the Alaska Railroad built?

answers: text: region served by ARR tracks
question: To what does "The Railbelt" refer?

answers: text: Alaska Railroad (ARR)
question: Which development in 1915 played a key role in developing Alaska?

context: The Alaska Railroad was one of the last railroads in North America to use cabooses in regular service and still uses them on some gravel trains. It continues to offer one of the last flag stop routes in the country. A stretch of about 60 miles (100 km) of track along an area north of Talkeetna remains inaccessible by road; the railroad provides the only transportation to rural homes and cabins in the area. Until construction of the Parks Highway in the 1970s, the railroad provided the only land access to most of the region along its entire route.
qas: answers: text: cabooses
question: The ARR was one of the last railroads in the US to use what?

answers: text: some gravel trains
question: When are cabooses still used occasionally?

answers: text: 1970s
question: When was the Parks Highway constructed?

context: Alaska's well-developed state-owned ferry system (known as the Alaska Marine Highway) serves the cities of southeast, the Gulf Coast and the Alaska Peninsula. The ferries transport vehicles as well as passengers. The system also operates a ferry service from Bellingham, Washington and Prince Rupert, British Columbia in Canada through the Inside Passage to Skagway. The Inter-Island Ferry Authority also serves as an important marine link for many communities in the Prince of Wales Island region of Southeast and works in concert with the Alaska Marine Highway.
qas: answers: text: the Alaska Marine Highway
question: What is the name of Alaska's ferry system?

answers: text: The Inter-Island Ferry Authority
question: Which other Ferry group works alongside the Alaska Marine Highway to coordinate travel?

answers: text: southeast, the Gulf Coast and the Alaska Peninsula
question: Which areas does the Alaska Marine Highway serve?

context: Cities not served by road, sea, or river can be reached only by air, foot, dogsled, or snowmachine, accounting for Alaska's extremely well developed bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. Anchorage and, to a lesser extent Fairbanks, is served by many major airlines. Because of limited highway access, air travel remains the most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (in 2012-2013, Alaska received almost 2 million visitors).
qas: answers: text: Anchorage and, to a lesser extent Fairbanks
question: Which two cities are served by major airlines?

answers: text: air travel
question: What is the most efficient means of transportation into and out of Alaska?

answers: text: almost 2 million
question: How many visitors came to Alaska between 2012-2013?

context: Regular flights to most villages and towns within the state that are commercially viable are challenging to provide, so they are heavily subsidized by the federal government through the Essential Air Service program. Alaska Airlines is the only major airline offering in-state travel with jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-400s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities.
qas: answers: text: Essential Air Service program
question: Which service allows government to subsidise regular air travel in Alaska?

answers: text: Alaska Airlines
question: Which airline offers in-state travel with jet-service?

answers: text: Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak
question: What are some Alaskan regional hubs?

context: The bulk of remaining commercial flight offerings come from small regional commuter airlines such as Ravn Alaska, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. Much of this service can be attributed to the Alaska bypass mail program which subsidizes bulk mail delivery to Alaskan rural communities. The program requires 70% of that subsidy to go to carriers who offer passenger service to the communities.
qas: answers: text: Ravn Alaska, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service
question: What are the names of a few regional Alaskan airlines?

answers: text: Cessna Caravan
question: What model is the most popular aicraft in Alaska?

answers: text: 70%
question: How much of the subsidized bulk mail delivery program goes to carriers who offer passenger service?

context: Many communities have small air taxi services. These operations originated from the demand for customized transport to remote areas. Perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the bush seaplane. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and many items from stores and warehouse clubs. In 2006 Alaska had the highest number of pilots per capita of any U.S. state.
qas: answers: text: bush seaplane
question: Which plane is considered quintessentially Alaskan?

answers: text: Lake Hood
question: Where is the busiest seaplane base in the world?

answers: text: Alaska
question: Which state had the most pilots per capita than any other US state?

answers: text: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
question: Lake Hood is located next to what International Airport?

context: Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled. In modern times (that is, any time after the mid-late 1920s), dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Various races are held around the state, but the best known is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,150-mile (1,850 km) trail from Anchorage to Nome (although the distance varies from year to year, the official distance is set at 1,049 miles or 1,688 km). The race commemorates the famous 1925 serum run to Nome in which mushers and dogs like Togo and Balto took much-needed medicine to the diphtheria-stricken community of Nome when all other means of transportation had failed. Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash, prizes, and prestige. The "Serum Run" is another sled dog race that more accurately follows the route of the famous 1925 relay, leaving from the community of Nenana (southwest of Fairbanks) to Nome.
qas: answers: text: dogsled
question: Which Alaskan way of transport is more for sport than for transportation?

answers: text: Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
question: Which dog-sled race in Alaska is the most famous?

answers: text: the famous 1925 serum run to Nome
question: What does the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race commemorate in Alaskan history?

answers: text: all other means of transportation had failed
question: Why were sled-dogs used to deliver medicine to Nome in 1925?

answers: text: "Serum Run"
question: Which dogsled race most accurately follows the route of the 1925 serum run?

context: Alaska's internet and other data transport systems are provided largely through the two major telecommunications companies: GCI and Alaska Communications. GCI owns and operates what it calls the Alaska United Fiber Optic system and as of late 2011 Alaska Communications advertised that it has "two fiber optic paths to the lower 48 and two more across Alaska. In January 2011, it was reported that a $1 billion project to run connect Asia and rural Alaska was being planned, aided in part by $350 million in stimulus from the federal government.
qas: answers: text: GCI and Alaska Communications
question: Which two companies provide internet and data transport to Alaska?

answers: text: 2011
question: In what year was a project to connect Asia and rural Alaska announced?

answers: text: $350 million
question: How much money did the federal government contribute via stimulus to the connectvitiy between Asia and Alaska?

answers: text: GCI
question: Which company owns and operates the Alaska United Fiber Optic System?

context: To finance state government operations, Alaska depends primarily on petroleum revenues and federal subsidies. This allows it to have the lowest individual tax burden in the United States. It is one of five states with no state sales tax, one of seven states that do not levy an individual income tax, and one of the two states that has neither. The Department of Revenue Tax Division reports regularly on the state's revenue sources. The Department also issues an annual summary of its operations, including new state laws that directly affect the tax division.
qas: answers: text: petroleum revenues and federal subsidies
question: How does Alaska finance its state government operations?

answers: text: five
question: How many states in the US do not have sales tax?

answers: text: seven
question: How many US states do not collect an individual income tax?

answers: text: Alaska
question: Which state has the lowest tax burden of the entire US?

context: Alaska regularly supports Republicans in presidential elections and has done so since statehood. Republicans have won the state's electoral college votes in all but one election that it has participated in (1964). No state has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate fewer times. Alaska was carried by Democratic nominee Lyndon B. Johnson during his landslide election in 1964, while the 1960 and 1968 elections were close. Since 1972, however, Republicans have carried the state by large margins. In 2008, Republican John McCain defeated Democrat Barack Obama in Alaska, 59.49% to 37.83%. McCain's running mate was Sarah Palin, the state's governor and the first Alaskan on a major party ticket. Obama lost Alaska again in 2012, but he captured 40% of the state's vote in that election, making him the first Democrat to do so since 1968.
qas: answers: text: Republicans
question: Which political party does Alaska generally support?

answers: text: one
question: How many elections have Democrats won in Alaska?

answers: text: Lyndon B. Johnson
question: Which candidate was the only Democrat to win Alaska in a landslide election in 1964?

answers: text: Barack Obama
question: Which Democratic candidate was the first to win 40% of the vote in Alaska since 1964?

context: The Alaska Bush, central Juneau, midtown and downtown Anchorage, and the areas surrounding the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and Ester have been strongholds of the Democratic Party. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the majority of Fairbanks (including North Pole and the military base), and South Anchorage typically have the strongest Republican showing. As of 2004[update], well over half of all registered voters have chosen "Non-Partisan" or "Undeclared" as their affiliation, despite recent attempts to close primaries to unaffiliated voters.
qas: answers: text: University of Alaska Fairbanks
question: The areas surrounding which university has been historically a Democratic stronghold?

answers: text: The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the majority of Fairbanks (including North Pole and the military base), and South Anchorage
question: Which areas of Alaska have the highest Republican concentrations?

answers: text: well over half
question: As of 2004, how many Alaskan residents refuse to select a political party?

context: The Unorganized Borough has no government of its own, but the U.S. Census Bureau in cooperation with the state divided the Unorganized Borough into 11 census areas solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation. A recording district is a mechanism for administration of the public record in Alaska. The state is divided into 34 recording districts which are centrally administered under a State Recorder. All recording districts use the same acceptance criteria, fee schedule, etc., for accepting documents into the public record.
qas: answers: text: 34
question: Into how many recording districts is Alaska divided?

answers: text: a mechanism for administration of the public record in Alaska
question: What is the function of an Alaskan recording district?

answers: text: acceptance criteria, fee schedule, etc.
question: Which documents do recording districts universally use between areas?

context: As reflected in the 2010 United States Census, Alaska has a total of 355 incorporated cities and census-designated places (CDPs). The tally of cities includes four unified municipalities, essentially the equivalent of a consolidated city–county. The majority of these communities are located in the rural expanse of Alaska known as "The Bush" and are unconnected to the contiguous North American road network. The table at the bottom of this section lists the 100 largest cities and census-designated places in Alaska, in population order.
qas: answers: text: census-designated places
question: What are CDPs?

answers: text: 355
question: How many incorporated cities and CDPs does Alaska have, according to the 2010 Census?

answers: text: unconnected
question: Are the majority of CDPs connected or disconnected from the North American road network?

answers: text: "The Bush"
question: In what area are the majority of cities and CDPS located in Alaska?

context: Of Alaska's 2010 Census population figure of 710,231, 20,429 people, or 2.88% of the population, did not live in an incorporated city or census-designated place. Approximately three-quarters of that figure were people who live in urban and suburban neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city limits of Ketchikan, Kodiak, Palmer and Wasilla. CDPs have not been established for these areas by the United States Census Bureau, except that seven CDPs were established for the Ketchikan-area neighborhoods in the 1980 Census (Clover Pass, Herring Cove, Ketchikan East, Mountain Point, North Tongass Highway, Pennock Island and Saxman East), but have not been used since. The remaining population was scattered throughout Alaska, both within organized boroughs and in the Unorganized Borough, in largely remote areas.
qas: answers: text: 2.88%
question: In 2010, what percent of Alaska's population did not live in a city or CDP?

answers: text: Ketchikan, Kodiak, Palmer and Wasilla
question: What four areas have not been established as CDPs by the Census Bureau?

answers: text: Clover Pass, Herring Cove, Ketchikan East, Mountain Point, North Tongass Highway, Pennock Island and Saxman East
question: Which seven CDPs were incorporated as part of the 1980 Census?

context: The Alaska State Troopers are Alaska's statewide police force. They have a long and storied history, but were not an official organization until 1941. Before the force was officially organized, law enforcement in Alaska was handled by various federal agencies. Larger towns usually have their own local police and some villages rely on "Public Safety Officers" who have police training but do not carry firearms. In much of the state, the troopers serve as the only police force available. In addition to enforcing traffic and criminal law, wildlife Troopers enforce hunting and fishing regulations. Due to the varied terrain and wide scope of the Troopers' duties, they employ a wide variety of land, air, and water patrol vehicles.
qas: answers: text: 1941
question: In what year did Alaskan State Troopers become an official organization?

answers: text: have police training but do not carry firearms
question: What is different about a "Public Safety Officer" that distiguishes the position from a policeman?

answers: text: hunting and fishing regulations
question: What do wildlife enforcers regulate?

answers: text: a wide variety of land, air, and water patrol vehicles
question: What type of vehicles do Troopers operate?

context: There are many established music festivals in Alaska, including the Alaska Folk Festival, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Anchorage Folk Festival, the Athabascan Old-Time Fiddling Festival, the Sitka Jazz Festival, and the Sitka Summer Music Festival. The most prominent orchestra in Alaska is the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, though the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra and Juneau Symphony are also notable. The Anchorage Opera is currently the state's only professional opera company, though there are several volunteer and semi-professional organizations in the state as well.
qas: answers: text: Anchorage Symphony Orchestra
question: What is Alaska's most prominent orchestra?

answers: text: The Anchorage Opera
question: Which company is Alaska's only professional opera?

answers: text: Alaska Folk Festival, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Anchorage Folk Festival
question: What are a few of Alaska's noteworthy music festivals?

context: One of the most prominent movies filmed in Alaska is MGM's Eskimo/Mala The Magnificent, starring Alaska Native Ray Mala. In 1932 an expedition set out from MGM's studios in Hollywood to Alaska to film what was then billed as "The Biggest Picture Ever Made." Upon arriving in Alaska, they set up "Camp Hollywood" in Northwest Alaska, where they lived during the duration of the filming. Louis B. Mayer spared no expense in spite of the remote location, going so far as to hire the chef from the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to prepare meals.
qas: answers: text: Ray Mala
question: Which Alaskan native starred in a film also set in Alaska?

answers: text: "Camp Hollywood"
question: Where did actors on the set of The Magnificent live during their stay in Alaska?

answers: text: Northwest
question: In what area of Alaska was Camp Hollywood located?

answers: text: from the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood
question: Which chef was hired to prepare meals for the actors in The Magnificent?