Alaska is not contiguous to the so-called "lower 48" states, but is part of the North American land mass. Alaska also includes a number of coastal islands along its southeastern coast as well as the Aleutian islands to the southwest.

Alaska is mountainous, especially in the southeast, while much of the north is tundra and Arctic permafrost. Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America, is located in the Alaska Range which rises between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Much of central Alaska is drained by the Yukon River.

Note that, on this cylindrical projection map, the scale is true only at about the latitude of Juneau.

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