The Southeast Region is known as the Panhandle. This means that if the rest of the state was a giant pan, the southeastern part would be the handle.

There are many geographic features here: massive ice fields, glacier- scoured peaks, steep valleys, gulfs, reefs, straits, isthmuses, peninsulas, sounds, capes, archipelagos, fjords, inlets and more than a thousand named islands.

The region's economy revolves around fishing and fish processing, timber, and tourism. Most of the people that live in the southeast earn a living by either logging or fishing. Spruce, hemlock and cedar are harvested by the region's timber industry, and cover many of the mountain sides. Salmon, halibut, herring, shrimp,and crab are caught by commercial, subsistence and sport fishermen.

The weather in Southeastern Alaska is maritime. This means that what happens everyday is affected by the ocean. The ocean helps the weather stay mild. Average temperatures range from 50šF to 60šF in July and from 20šF to 40šF in January. Average annual precipitation varies from 80 to more than 200 inches. Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, gets about 100 inches of rain each year. In Southeast Alaska there are a lot of glaciers. The glaciers cool the air and effect the weather and the temperature. It snows here too. The panhandle receives from 30 to 200 inches of snow in the lowlands and more than 400 inches in the high mountains.

Because the Southeast is full of islands and mountains, airplanes and boats are the easiest way to get around. A lot of people use the Alaska Marine Highway system.