The Panhandle includes the Tongass National Forest , Glacier Bay National Park , Admiralty Island National Monument , Misty Fjords National Monument , Alaska's Inside Passage , and myriad large and small islands. The largest islands are, from North to South, Chichagof Island , Admiralty Island , Baranof Island , and Prince Of Wales Island . Major bodies of water of the Alaska Panhandle include Glacier Bay , Lynn Canal , Icy Strait , Chatham Strait , Stevens Passage , Fredrick Sound , Summer Strait , and Clarence Strait .
Wildlife includes Brown Bear s, Black Bears , Wolves , Sitka Deer , Humpback Whale s, Orca s, five species of Salmon , Bald Eagle s, Harlequin Duck s, Scoter s, and Marbled Murrelet s.
Major cities are Juneau , Sitka , and Ketchikan . Other towns are Petersburg , Wrangell , Metlakatla , Haines , Hoonah , Angoon , Kake , Craig , Klawock , Yakutat , Skagway , and Gustavus . There are also many tiny (ie, less than 100 people) towns and villages, such as Pelican , Tenakee Springs , Port Protection , Port Frederick , Port Alexander , Baranof Warm Springs , Elfin Cove , Excursion Inlet , Hyder , and Meyers Chuck .
This area is the traditional homeland of the Tlingit people.
On August 20 , 1902 , President Theodore Roosevelt established the Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve, which formed the heart of the Tongass National Forest that covers most of the region.
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