00:00Why does Alaska have that strange panhandle, and why isn't it part of Canada?
00:05The answer goes back to the 18th century,
00:07when Russia first claimed Alaska while Britain controlled Canada.
00:11To avoid conflict, Russia and Britain signed an agreement in 1825.
00:16Russia kept a narrow strip of coastline in southeastern Alaska,
00:20and the border followed the coastal mountains, which created Alaska's unusual shape.
00:25Later, after the U.S. bought Alaska and gold was discovered there,
00:30Canada tried to challenge the border,
00:32but an international tribunal decided the territory would stay with the United States,
00:36creating the border we see today.
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