"Alaska's southern panhandle is attached to the rest of the state by a narrow neck of land. It's the furthest south the Russians were able to claim before the British claimed the rest of the mainland around them. After the U.S. bought Alaska and began negotiating the final border with Canada, the Canadians wanted to get at least part of it to have a Pacific port for the Yukon Territory, where gold had been discovered."
"This post was updated on September 26, 2025 to clarify how the northwest angle of Minnesota was handled, the history of West Florida, and how the forming of West Virginia related to slavery. International Border Weirdness Odd boundaries between U.S. states are annoying but don't cause any real trouble. But when our international borders are out of whack, it can become an actual crisis. Here's three examples: two where we decided to keep the quirky status quo, and one where we decided to fix it."
Historical geography, resource discoveries, and political bargaining produced many irregular U.S. and international boundaries. State border oddities generally cause annoyance rather than major problems. International anomalies can create diplomatic and practical crises that prompt negotiation or correction. Alaska's southern panhandle resulted from Russian claims, British mainland control, the U.S. purchase of Alaska, and Canadian interest in a Pacific port during the Yukon gold rush. Britain conceded to U.S. claims partly for broader diplomatic priorities. The Northwest Angle of Minnesota remains a small protrusion into Canada due to historical boundary definitions and mapping outcomes.
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