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Comment by cgh | Hacker News Reader

The Alaska Panhandle (the part of Alaska that extends down the west coast of BC) and the coast of BC are actually roughly equal length (BC's coast is slightly longer, I believe). You are probably looking at a Mercator projection which distorts sizes. Try looking at a more accurate map projection.

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Its more that why does the panhandle exist at all, it should all be BC.

It exists cause Russia settled Alaska including a fort in the panhandle. There was treaty with British in 1825 that established the boundary of panhandle (but was very ambiguous for landward side). Russia then sold Alaska to the US in 1867. The landward boundary had to be decided in 1903.

There's no road along the coast, just isolated port towns, and there's a massive barrier of mountains and glaciers between it and BC, so on a human scale it's essentially not related to mainland Canada.

Why should Alaska be a weird attached island like that? It should all be Canada

American politicians and capitalists realized how valuable the western half of the continent before British Canada did and they acted on it. If you look as the west coast it’s mostly American coast, it’s kind of surprising that Americans didn’t just take it all when you think about it

They did. The US’ Oregon Territory went well above the 49th parallel (current US/Canada border on the West coast), in fact all the way to where Alaska is today (southern most point on the coast).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_boundary_dispute

Well, they didn't, though. They certainly claimed it as did the British. However, when the dust settled, we got the border we have today.

Your argument is that we have the border we have today? I know!

My argument is that the U.S. never really held the Oregon territory that they claimed (nor did the British, for that matter).

They've got plenty, and it's not like the US is big commercial shipping country. Not even a factor really.

Look at Alaska’s natural resource industry and tell me that wasn’t a good investment for the US

Long term any kind of land is a good investment.

Why should Canada exist, it should all be the US.

That idea has a long history: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny

Why do nations exist, they should pay fealty to the WEF.

Why does the WEF exist, it should just be a bunch of conspiracy theorists.

What are you, Justin Trudeau?

*SOON*

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