Non-Contiguous States: Arctic Tundra to Pacific Islands - Fourth Grade Social Studies
Look at a wall map of the United States and you will notice something peculiar in the bottom left-hand corner: two states separated from the lower forty-eight states and placed inside special inset boxes. These are Alaska and Hawaii, the two non-contiguous states of the American West. While they share the distinction of not touching any other American state, they could not be more physically and culturally distinct from one another. Alaska is a colossal subarctic and arctic wonderland of towering glaciated peaks, permafrost tundra, and northern lights; Hawaii is an isolated tropical archipelago of emerald volcanic islands, swaying palm trees, and active lava flows in the warm central Pacific Ocean. Together, these two unique states expand the geographic boundaries, natural wealth, and cultural heritage of our nation.
Alaska: The Last Frontier
Covering over 663,000 square miles, Alaska is by far the largest state in the Union—more than twice the size of Texas! If you superimposed a map of Alaska over the lower forty-eight states, its borders would stretch all the way from Florida to California.
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| ALASKA'S FOUR PHYSICAL PROVINCES |
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| 1. PACIFIC MOUNTAIN SYSTEM: Towering coast ranges; includes Denali |
| (20,310 ft), the highest peak in N. America|
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| 2. INTERIOR BASIN: Vast boreal forests (taiga), winding rivers|
| (Yukon River), and extreme seasonal temps. |
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| 3. BROOKS RANGE: Northernmost extension of the Rockies; |
| rugged, treeless arctic mountain barrier. |
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| 4. ARCTIC COASTAL PLAIN: Flat, frozen tundra bordering Arctic Ocean;|
| (The North Slope) underlain by permanent permafrost; oil rich|
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The Purchase of Alaska: "Seward's Folly"
In 1867, United States Secretary of State William H. Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million (roughly two cents an acre). American critics and newspapers mocked the purchase, ridiculing it as "Seward's Folly," "Seward's Icebox," and "President Andrew Johnson's Polar Bear Garden." However, Seward's critics were silenced when massive gold strikes were discovered in the Yukon and Nome in the 1890s, followed by the discovery of colossal oil reserves at Prudhoe Bay in 1968! Alaska was admitted as our 49th state on January 3, 1959.
The Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights
Because northern Alaska sits above the Arctic Circle, it experiences extreme solar cycles. In midsummer, the sun never sets below the horizon for weeks at a time, earning Alaska its title as "The Land of the Midnight Sun." In winter, long weeks of permanent darkness are illuminated by the aurora borealis (the Northern Lights), dazzling green, purple, and crimson ribbons of light dancing across the night sky, caused by solar wind particles colliding with Earth's magnetic field.
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| THE PERMAFROST AND TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE |
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| PERMAFROST: A layer of soil, gravel, and sand that remains completely |
| frozen solid for two or more consecutive years. |
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| THE PROBLEM:Hot crude oil (140 deg F) pumped from Prudhoe Bay would |
| melt the permafrost, turning solid ground into soupy mud |
| and causing the pipeline to sag and break! |
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| ENGINEERING Built 800 miles of steel pipeline elevated above ground |
| SOLUTION: on 78,000 vertical support posts equipped with heat pipes |
| that radiate heat away, keeping the permafrost frozen! |
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Hawaii: The Aloha State
Located in the central Pacific Ocean more than 2,400 miles southwest of California, Hawaii is an archipelago of 137 volcanic islands, eight of which are considered the main inhabited islands. Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state on August 21, 1959.
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| THE EIGHT MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS |
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| KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI LANAI |
| (Garden Isle) (Honolulu & (Friendly (Pineapple Isle) |
| Pearl Harbor) Isle) |
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| MAUI KAHOOLAWE NIIHAU HAWAII (The Big Island)|
| (Valley Isle) (Uninhabited) (Forbidden) (Active Volcanoes) |
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Volcanic Hotspot Formation
Unlike other island chains that form along the edges of tectonic plates, the Hawaiian Islands were created by a stationary volcanic hotspot deep within Earth's mantle. As the Pacific Plate moves slowly northwestward over this hot spot (at about three to four inches per year), magma punches through the crust, building underwater shield volcanoes that eventually rise above sea level. Once the moving plate carries an island past the hotspot, its volcano becomes dormant, and a new volcanic island begins forming behind it!
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| HOW THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND CHAIN FORMED |
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| NORTHWEST <================== PACIFIC PLATE MOVES ==================== |
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| KAUAI OAHU MAUI HAWAII (THE BIG ISLAND)|
| Oldest island; Dormant; Dormant; Currently over hotspot;|
| eroded into heavily Haleakalā Kilauea & Mauna Loa |
| deep canyons populated crater ACTIVE VOLCANOES! |
| ^ |
| | |
| [STATIONARY HOTSPOT IN EARTH]
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Kilauea and Mauna Loa
On the Big Island of Hawaii, the hotspot is actively fueling two of the world's most famous volcanoes: Mauna Loa (the largest active shield volcano on Earth) and Kilauea (one of the most continuously active volcanoes on the planet). Because Hawaiian lava is low in silica, it flows in smooth, glowing rivers rather than exploding violently, continuously pouring into the ocean where it cools into black basalt rock, literally adding brand-new land to the island every year!
The Kingdom of Hawaii and Royal Heritage
Polynesian voyagers first reached the Hawaiian Islands more than fifteen hundred years ago, navigating across thousands of miles of open ocean in double-hulled sailing canoes guided only by ocean swells, flight paths of birds, and the stars.
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| THE RISE AND OVERTHROW OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM |
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| 1795-1810: King Kamehameha I uses diplomacy and weapons to unite the |
| independent islands into the sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii. |
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| 1800s: American sugar and pineapple plantation owners (Dole) |
| gain immense commercial power and demand annexation. |
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| 1893: Queen Lili'uokalani seeks a new constitution to restore |
| power to native Hawaiians; she is overthrown by American |
| businessmen backed by US Marines. |
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| 1993: US Congress passes the "Apology Resolution," officially |
| apologizing for the illegal overthrow of the kingdom. |
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Queen Lili'uokalani: Grace Under Fire
Queen Lili'uokalani was Hawaii's last reigning monarch. A gifted composer who wrote the beloved song "Aloha 'Oe," the Queen fought courageously to protect native Hawaiian rights and self-rule. When armed businessmen surrounded her palace in 1893, she yielded her throne under protest to avoid bloodshed, hoping the United States government would honor international law and restore her crown. Although Hawaii was annexed in 1898, native Hawaiian culture, hula traditions, and language are proudly celebrated today.
Comparing Our Non-Contiguous States
While separated by thousands of miles of ocean, Alaska and Hawaii both enrich the United States through their distinct geography, cultural heritage, and ecological marvels.
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| ALASKA VS. HAWAII COMPARISON |
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| ATTRIBUTE ALASKA HAWAII |
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| Statehood 49th State (Jan 3, 1959) 50th State (Aug 21, 1959) |
| Land Area 663,268 sq miles (#1 in US) 10,931 sq miles (#43) |
| Climate Subarctic, Arctic, Maritime Tropical maritime |
| Major Resources Crude oil, seafood (salmon) Tourism, pineapple, sugar|
| Key Landmark Denali (20,310 feet) Pearl Harbor & Kilauea |
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Chapter Practice Exercises
Question 1: What does "non-contiguous" mean, and which two states in the West hold this geographic distinction?
Question 2: Why was the 1867 purchase of Alaska originally called "Seward's Folly," and what discoveries proved that nickname wrong?
Question 3: Explain the geological process that formed the Hawaiian island chain using the concept of a stationary volcanic hotspot.
Question 4: Who was Queen Lili'uokalani, and what historical event occurred in Hawaii in 1893?
Solutions and Explanations
Solution 1: "Non-contiguous" means not touching or sharing a physical land border with other states. Alaska and Hawaii hold this distinction: Alaska is separated from the continental United States by Canada, and Hawaii is an isolated island chain located thousands of miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
Solution 2: The purchase was mocked as "Seward's Folly" because critics believed Secretary of State William Seward had wasted $7.2 million on an uninhabitable, frozen wasteland of ice and polar bears. The nickname was proven wrong when prospectors discovered rich gold deposits in the 1890s and engineers struck massive reserves of crude oil at Prudhoe Bay in 1968.
Solution 3: The Hawaiian island chain was formed by a stationary volcanic hotspot deep within Earth's mantle that shoots magma upward through the ocean crust. As the Pacific tectonic plate slowly creeps northwestward across this fixed hotspot, new volcanic islands are built one after another, creating an age-progressive chain where northwest islands (Kauai) are the oldest and eroded, while southeast islands (Hawaii) are actively erupting.
Solution 4: Queen Lili'uokalani was the last reigning monarch and queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1893, she was overthrown in an illegal coup d'état orchestrated by wealthy American sugar and pineapple plantation owners backed by United States Marines, leading to Hawaii's eventual annexation as an American territory.