North & Central America 
Area Destination Guides

In the Beginning Russia's first human beings arrived in Alaska between 15,000 and 13,000 BC.
At that time Alaska was part of a land bridge that extended across to Siberia. People followed the herds of animals they hunted. In the era in the 18th century, Europeans arrived. In 1741 a man known as Vitus Bering led a Russian expedition to Alaska. During this expedition, they discovered there was great wealth in the form of animal furs in Alaska. Unfortunately, they also brought diseases that the native people had no immunity to. The British arrived in 1778 when Captain Cook sailed there. (Cook Inlet is named after him). George Vancouver sailed to Alaska in 1794.

Arizona was originally a part of the Mexican state of Sonora before being taken over by the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican-American War. It started as part of the Territory of New Mexico but split into its own territory in 1863. Arizona became a state in 1912, beginning mainly as a rural area depending on agriculture, but during the 1940s, the state saw a boom in population as people began to appreciate the warm climate.

The first European explorer to encounter Costa Rica was the Great Navigator himself, Christopher Columbus. The day was September 18, 1502, and Columbus was making his fourth and final voyage to the New World. As he was setting anchor off shore, a crowd of local Carib Indians paddled out in canoes and greeted his crew warmly. Later, the golden bands that the region's inhabitants wore in their noses and ears would inspire the Spaniard Gil Gonzalez Davila to name the country Costa Rica, or Rich Coast.

A country rich in history, tradition and culture, Mexico is made up of 31 states and one federal district. It is the third largest country in Latin America and has one of the largest populations—more than 100-million—making it the home of more Spanish speakers than any other nation in the world. Despite the political and social changes that have occurred over the centuries, evidence of past cultures and events are apparent everywhere in Mexico.

When he sailed into San Diego Bay from Mexico, Spaniard Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered the city of San Diego in 1542. Cabrillo claimed the area for the Spanish Empire. The permanent colonization of California never occurred until 1769, when a chain of explorers from Spain began exploring parts of the state.

San Francisco was founded in 1835 by Willaim Richardson. A small settlement of approximately 800 people quickly grew in size and popularity when gold was discovered in 1848. People from all over the country quickly flocked to San Francisco during what is now known as the California Gold Rush. In the years to follow, San Francisco was destroyed by a fire and earthquakes that required the city to rebuild, but the well-established industries kept the city alive. Today, San Francisco is a thriving multicultural city known for its history and innovations.