Landscape

The Southeast has lots of islands.  There are over 1,000 of them, which are collectively called the Alexander Archipelago.  These include six of Alaska's ten largest islands (all shown on the map above).  Prince of Wales Island is the second largest in Alaska, followed by Chichagof Island (#3), Admiralty Island (#5), Baranof Island (#8), Revillagigedo Island (#9), and Kupreanof Island (#10).  

Besides the islands, there is a narrow strip of the mainland coast, where the cities of Juneau, Haines, Skagway, and Gustavus are located.  Between the islands and the mainland are deep channels and fjords.  These channels form a network of protected passages called the Inside Passage, which is the main transportation route in the Southeast.

The border between Canada and the Southeast is separated by the high and largely inaccessible mountains of the Coastal Range, many of whose peaks are over 10,000 feet.  Both the islands and coastal strip of the Southeast are mountainous and heavily forested.  In many places, towns are located on small land areas between steep mountainsides and the ocean (see photo of Skagway below).  As could be expected from its geography, the communities and economy of the Southeast region are centered around the ocean.

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