Cordova

City in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area (population (1990) 10,000), southeastern Alaska, USA, on Prince William Sound, surrounded by the Chugach National Forest, 240 km/150 mi east-southeast of Anchorage; population (1990) 2,100. It is a fishing centre, accessible only by ferry or plane.

Cordova's harbour was explored and named by Spanish navigators in 1792, but development came after 1910, with the discovery and mining of copper to the north and northeast, especially in the Kennecott region. Cordova was the terminus of the 314 km/195 mi-long Copper River and Northwestern Railway, until the mines and the railroad closed in 1938.

The Copper River delta, a major spring birding site, is to the northeast.