Why didn’t Canada buy Alaska in the first place? Is there any twist behind this?
A Brief Introduction About Alaska – Why Didn’t Canada Buy Alaska?
Alaska is the biggest state in the U.S. by size. It portrays the seventh most extensive subnational division on the globe.
Alaska is the only non-contiguous U.S. state in continental North America. Basically, it is a part of the U.S. continental, but occasionally, it is not included in everyday use. Juneau is the state’s capital city. It is located on the North American continent’s mainland but is not linked by road to the remains of the North American freeway system.
The Special Location
Once you take a look at the U.S. map, you cannot see Alaska at the first glance. Why? It is because the state of Alaska doesn’t link with any other state. In contrast, you can figure out right away that it’s Canada that lies between this state and the remains of the U.S.
So, if it’s so close to Canada, why isn’t it part of Canada?
Back To History – Why Didn’t Canada Buy Alaska?
In fact, historically, Russia was the owner of this land. In 1741, Russia proclaimed Alaska as its domain. After that, it had troops occupying all parts of Alaska. As a result, all of the resources here belonged to the Russian. For example, it took advantage and turned fur trading into a fundamental industry. Over time, the consequence of this is the exhaustion of the otter population in Alaska.
Meanwhile, on the other side of North America, Britain was rising.
From 1829 to 1907, the British and Russian empires encountered many contradictions in their bilateral relations. They both desired to extend their power in Central Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, a feud was born. Hostilities have sparked and intensified military conflicts.
After being defeated in the Crimean War, Russia had to reconsider the value of Alaska. It felt pressure since both Great Britain and the young United States developed their influence throughout North America. And when the fur trade decreased, it decided to sell the territory.
Eventually, in 1867, Russia gave the extensive parts of Alaska to the U.S. for the deal price of $7.2 million. So, another question popped up, why didn’t Canada buy it?
Why Didn’t Russia Sell Alaska To Canada?
There are two primary reasons. First of all, at that time, Canada was not an independent country. Secondly, Canada was still under the control of the Great Britain empire. And of course, Russia didn’t want to make a deal with its rival.
After purchasing Alaska, Canada and the U.S had a prolonged and bitter quarrel. They couldn’t decide on where precisely the Alaskan boundary was. Finally, the argument was resolved and a 1,538 miles border of Alaska with Canada was set. Alaska became the 49th state of the U.S. in 1959.
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