Printable Blank Map of Alaska with Boroughs
Capturing North America's largest sub-national jurisdiction across 586,412 square miles, this blank outline map of Alaska features all 19 organized boroughs and the massive Unorganized Borough. Rendered in the equal-area NAD83 Alaska Albers projection, the geometry avoids polar exaggeration while displaying the Aleutian island arc and Arctic coastal plains.
About this Blank Map of Alaska
This printable blank map represents Alaska on the authentic NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 ellipsoidal datum. All 6 interactive visual variants—including Blank Outline, Boroughs & Census Areas Boundaries, Centroid Labels, Capital City Marker (Juneau), and High-Contrast Printer B&W—are generated synchronously from identical coordinate geometry.
| Specification | Value | Compliance & Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction / Entity | Alaska | US State |
| Subdivisions Rendered | 29 Boroughs & Census Areas | Verified Topological Polygon Mesh |
| Primary Capital City | Juneau | Marked on the capital variant |
| Cartographic Projection | NAD83 ALASKA ALBERS EQUAL AREA | Distortion-Minimized Coordinate Map |
| Reference Datum | NAD83 (2011) / WGS84 | NOAA NGS / EPSG:3338 (State Plane Coordinate System) |
Alaska Boroughs & Census Areas at a Glance
- Boroughs & Census Areas
- 30
- Capital
- Juneau
- Population (2020)
- 733,374
- Land area
- 570,641 sq mi
Most populous boroughs and census areas
- Anchorage Municipality (Anchorage): 291,244 people, 39.7% of the state
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Matanuska-Susitna): 107,068 people, 14.6% of the state
- Fairbanks North Star Borough (Fairbanks North Star): 95,660 people, 13.0% of the state
- Kenai Peninsula Borough (Kenai Peninsula): 58,801 people, 8.0% of the state
- Juneau City and Borough (Juneau City and): 32,256 people, 4.4% of the state
Largest boroughs and census areas by land area
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area (Yukon-Koyukuk): 145,575.5 sq mi
- North Slope Borough (North Slope): 88,823.6 sq mi
- Bethel Census Area (Bethel): 40,627.1 sq mi
- Northwest Arctic Borough (Northwest Arctic): 35,663.3 sq mi
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area (Southeast Fairbanks): 24,831.1 sq mi
Figures: US Census Bureau 2020 Census populations and Gazetteer land areas. The full sortable list with seats and FIPS codes is on the Alaska borough map & list page.
How Big Is Alaska? Size Comparisons
Geography Notes: Alaska
Alaska Albers Equal-Area Projection Standards
Standard cylindrical projections distort Alaska into an unrecognizable landmass; Albers equal-area mathematics preserve continental proportions.
Standard parallels at 55°N and 65°N maintain true equal-area scale across four time zones from the maritime panhandle of Ketchikan to the tundra of Point Barrow.
Cartographers mapping natural resource leases and federal wildlife refuges rely on this coordinate baseline to accurately calculate acreage across the Brooks Range and Yukon River basin.
Equal-area projection guarantees that the North Slope Borough (88,817 sq mi) reflects its true proportional size relative to Southeast Alaska panhandle boroughs.
Organized Boroughs vs the Unorganized Territorial Void
Unlike the lower 48 states, over half of Alaska's territory lacks county-level municipal government.
Under Article X of the Alaska Constitution, territory is organized into boroughs where population warrants; however, 323,440 square miles remain in the Unorganized Borough, administered directly by the state legislature.
The US Census Bureau partitions the Unorganized Borough into 11 statistical Census Areas (such as Yukon-Koyukuk and Bethel) to facilitate decennial demographic tracking.
The Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area alone spans 145,505 square miles, larger than the entire state of Montana.
Curated Classroom Activities & Spatial Labs for Alaska
Pedagogical lesson plans and spatial analysis activities designed specifically for printable vector maps of Alaska:
Arctic Circle & Trans-Alaska Pipeline Spatial Lab
Objective: Map the subarctic transportation corridor and analyze extreme territorial distances across Alaska.
Materials: Printed blank map of Alaska, fine-point markers, ruler, atlas.
- Draw the 66.5°N Arctic Circle line across the Seward Peninsula, Yukon-Koyukuk, and the North Slope Borough.
- Trace the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline route from Prudhoe Bay south across the Brooks Range to the ice-free port of Valdez.
- Calculate the flight distance from the state capital in Juneau to Utqiaġvik (Barrow) on the Arctic Ocean.
Organized Borough vs Census Area Classification
Objective: Differentiate incorporated home-rule boroughs from unincorporated state-administered census areas.
Materials: Printed Alaska county/borough outline map, highlighters.
- Shade the 19 organized boroughs in blue and highlight the unified municipality of Anchorage.
- Outline the 11 federal Census Areas in the Unorganized Borough using dashed borders.
- Locate the Aleutian Island chain extending westward past the 180th meridian.
The 6 Synchronized Variants Explained
We generate 6 synchronized variations of Alaska from the same master vector dataset. Each variant is aligned to identical coordinate geometry:
1. Blank Boundary Outline
The foundational boundary outline of Alaska. Rendered with a clean exterior stroke and zero fill—the optimal version for in-class labeling exams, custom cartographic overlays, or clean graphic design.
2. With Subdivisions (29 Boroughs & Census Areas)
Displays the exterior boundary plus internal administrative borders for all 29 boroughs & census areas. Each subdivision possesses a unique SVG element ID for direct styling and choropleth shading in vector editors.
3. Labeled with True Centroids
Features authentic typographic labels positioned at each administrative territory's mathematical center of mass. Perfect as a master grading answer key or self-study reference sheet.
4. Adjacent-Contrast Color Fill
Filled using an adjacency-contrast pastel palette so neighboring jurisdictions never blend together. Excellent for tactile visual discrimination and regional geography units.
5. With Capital City (Juneau)
Pinpoints the official capital city of Juneau using a high-visibility star marker and typographic callout, positioned at precise geodetic coordinates.
6. High-Contrast Printer B&W
Optimized specifically for monochrome desktop laser and inkjet printers. Uses pure black vector paths (#000000) and ultra-clean white fills to prevent ink-bleeding and toner smudging.
Tools to Use With This Map
- Interactive US county mapZoom into county lines on a live map.
- What county am I in?Find your county from your device location.
- True size comparisonDrag Alaska over other places to compare real areas.
- Map area calculatorDraw a shape and measure its area on the WGS84 ellipsoid.
- Color a mapShade regions online and download your own map.
Alaska Borough Map & Full List
See 2020 Census populations, seats, land areas and FIPS codes for every borough or census area in Alaska, with an on-page map and CSV export.
Need Definitions for Map Projections, SVG Vectors, or Centroids?
Explore our centralized Cartography Glossary for detailed definitions of national and global geodetic datums, equal-area vs. conformal projections, TopoJSON topological arcs, and choropleth classification standards.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska Blank Maps
Authoritative answers to common questions regarding printing, licensing, vector customization, and curriculum use:
How does this Alaska blank map handle the Unorganized Borough?▼
The Unorganized Borough is rendered as a contiguous single territory or subdivided into its 11 statistical Census Areas used by federal agencies.
What projection is best for printing an Alaska basemap?▼
The Alaska Albers Equal Area projection (EPSG:3338) is the gold standard because it eliminates high-latitude area distortion.
Why does Alaska have boroughs instead of counties?▼
Alaska’s 1956 Constitutional Convention adopted boroughs to avoid the rigid, overlapping county structures of older states and to accommodate vast unpopulated wilderness areas.