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Arctic Alaska
Arctic Alaska or Far North Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska generally referring to the northern areas on or close to the Arctic Ocean .
It commonly includes North Slope Borough , Northwest Arctic Borough , Nome Census Area , Wade Hampton Census Area , and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area . Some notable towns there include Prudhoe Bay , Barrow , Kotzebue , Nome , Hooper Bay , Galena , and Fort Yukon .
Most of these communities have no highways and can only be reached by aircraft or snowmobile in good weather . Originally inhabited by various Eskimo groups living off abundant salmon fishing , modern settlement in Arctic Alaska was driven first by discoveries of gold and later on by the extraction of petroleum .
The ecosystem consists largely of tundra covering mountain ranges and coastal plains which are home to bears , wolves , sheep , oxen , reindeer , and numerous species of birds . Above the Arctic Circle , the sun rises in May and sets in August. Arctic Alaska is also the location of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve , and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska .
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