Distance to Alaska across the Bering Strait. Date line. Flight from Kamchatka to Alaska across the Pacific Ocean. Chukotka: the easternmost mainland settlement

wondering how many km from russia to usa, first of all, you need to consider from what and to what place this distance will be measured. After all, both the United States and Russia are large countries, with a huge extent of territory. Let's say America stretches from the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. Therefore, it is necessary to consider various options.

How many kilometers from Russia to the USA with a report from Moscow

Traditionally, the distance between countries is reported from the capital to the capital. It’s more convenient, especially since these are the most popular routes for tourists, businessmen, and so on. From Moscow to Washington in a straight line - 7.8 thousand kilometers, to New York - 7.5 thousand kilometers.

The term "direct" in this case means the length of the "air" path, that is, exactly as much, how many km from russia to usa must be overcome by plane. Distance to other cities is:

  • to Chicago - eight thousand kilometers;
  • to San Francisco - 9.5 thousand kilometers;
  • to Los Angeles - 9.7 thousand kilometers.

The plane journey between Moscow and Washington will take more than ten hours. In time, the difference between our countries is ten hours in summer time and eleven in winter time (we are talking about the Pacific coast of America).

Path through the Bering Strait

Many do not think, but how many km from russia to usa, can be determined by calculating the distance through the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean, from which it is very close to Alaska.
There is a generally accepted opinion that this distance is about 86 kilometers, that is, equal to the width of the Bering Strait. Although it is even less.

Just four kilometers how many km from russia to usa, if you take the path from Ratmanov Island to Krusenstern Island, which belongs to America. According to the contract for the sale of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, signed in 1867, the border between Russia and America runs in the middle between the above islands. And the distance between them is just four kilometers. They say that when the weather is clear, there are no clouds and fog, the American coast can be seen even without binoculars.

By the way, since the end of the nineteenth century, the expediency and possibility of building a tunnel or a bridge across the Bering Strait, which would connect Chukotka and Alaska, was discussed between governments. But so far, for various reasons (financial, technical), this idea has not been implemented. Although such a tunnel could become a real "window to America."

Depths off the coast reach 43 meters.
The coast is rocky, in blocky screes, with a narrow strip of coastal beach, only the northern coast is relatively gentle. There is also a polar station. There are several rivers, two of them flow from the center of the island to the north, one flows from the top of Mount Roof to the southeast. The length of the island from north to south is 8.7 km, from east to west - 4.7 km. Extreme north point islands - Cape Horseman, to the east of which is Cape Skalisty. The southernmost point of the island is South Cape.
The infrastructure of the island is relatively developed, there is a polar station, a frontier post and many different buildings along the coast of the island and south of the center.
To date, there are no representatives of the indigenous population on the island, but there are personnel of the border troops, since the island is located on the border North America and Asia.

Big Diomede Island is washed by the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and therefore has a huge strategic importance. Ratmanov Island is geographic point, Where New Year in Russia comes first, because when it's midnight on the island - on the western border of Russia, 12 hours 35 minutes of the previous day.
Fauna
Ratmanov Island is home to one of the largest bird colonies in the region; a total of 11 species of sea birds with a total number of over 4 million individuals have been recorded. In June 1976, a buffy hummingbird was observed here - the only species of hummingbird whose flight was recorded in Russia.
There is a large walrus rookery on the island, and mass migrations of gray whales take place in the coastal waters
The eastern island (about 5 sq. km) - the island of Kruzenshtern (Small Diomede, the Eskimo name Ingalik - ("opposite") and the Fareway rock belong to the USA.

The distance between the islands is 4160 m and between them are state border Russia and the USA and the international date line.

The time difference is 23 hours. Thus, when residents on Little Diomede look across the strait to Big Diomede, they are not just looking at another country, they are “studying tomorrow”. For example, when in the USA it is 9:00 Saturday on Small Diomede, then in Russia it is 6:00 Sunday on Big Diomede. Because of this, they are sometimes called Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island.
Both islands are flat-topped, steep-sided and isolated by rough seas. Persistent fog blankets the islands during the warmer months, and in winter, moving chunks of ice collide in open waters to form an ice bridge connecting the two islands. In times like these, one can practically walk between the United States and Russia. Of course, this can only be done in theory. Crossing the Bering Strait is not legally allowed. However, since 1989, there has been an agreement between the USSR (now Russia) and the United States on visa-free travel for local residents to visit each other.

The islands were originally inhabited by the Eskimos, as early as 3,000 years ago. The islands were first noticed in 1648 by the pioneer Cossack Semyon Dezhnev. about which there is a written report dated April 15, 1655. The official discovery is associated with the first expedition to Kamchatka, which took place in 1728. During it, Bering discovered an island called Diomede, since it was found on the day of St. Diomede. In the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the day of memory of the martyr Diomede. And in 1732, the Diomede Islands were first mapped by Ivan Fedorov and Mikhail Gvozdev. Modern titles were assigned in 1815 by Lieutenant Otto Kotzebue (Krusenstern Island and Ratmanov Island).

When the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the treaty included Krusenstern Island (Little Diomede). new frontier was carried out between these two islands.
Until the middle of the 20th century, the Inupik-speaking Eskimos lived on both islands. They were engaged in barter trade with Asian and American tribes, therefore, when creating their cultural traditions, they adopted customs that already existed on both continents.
From 1905 to 1933, there was a gradual migration of indigenous people from Ratmanov Island to the neighboring one - american island Krusenstern. With the beginning of the Cold War, through the efforts of the Soviet side, the remaining residents were forcibly relocated to the mainland of Chukotka. Big Diomede became the base of the Russian military
Since 1916, due to the weak protection of the northern borders, an American trading post, which did not pay customs duties, illegally operated on the island. In September 1925, the Vorovsky border patrol ship arrived at Ratmanov Island, after which the Americans were forced to leave Soviet territory. In 1941, a frontier post was established on the island.

Little Diomedes has developed into a small community of 75 inhabitants, with a church and a school, the Little Diomedes Eskimos fish and crab, hunt beluga whales, walrus, seals and polar bears. Food and mail are delivered by barge from the mainland.

In 2005, a seven-meter Orthodox cross was erected on the island, installed on the highest hill, which is clearly visible to residents of neighboring Alaska and ships passing through the Bering Strait.
On the initiative of the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka, Diomede (Dziuban), on August 25, 2005, an Orthodox worship cross was installed at the extreme eastern point of Russia.

Bishop Diomede arrived on the island aboard the military vessel "Captain Sipyagin". The seven-meter cross is installed on the highest hill of the island, called the Rocky, and is clearly visible to the inhabitants of neighboring Alaska and the captains of ships passing through the Bering Strait. From the place of disembarkation from the ship to Skalista - almost three kilometers. Border guards helped carry the details of the wooden cross. The cross was erected next to the observation post.
.According to some plans, a car tunnel may pass through the island, which will connect Eurasia and North America.
For the first time, the idea of ​​creating a transport artery between Alaska and Russia was expressed in 1890 by the Governor of Colorado, William Gilpin. He talked about the possibility of building a giant bridge. In the 40s and 60s of the XX century, this idea was again discussed at the highest level.

"Today a row American specialists raises the issue of connecting the coasts of Asia and America with a tunnel along the line of the Diomede Islands located in the Bering Strait, - wrote Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.A. LAMIN, CEO United Institute of History, Philology and Philosophy SB RAS. - True, the authors of the modern initiative, unlike their predecessors, are mainly focused on the development of the engineering and technical aspects of the structure: it is assumed that it can be successfully implemented in the first quarter of the 21st century. and its funding is not a problem. At the same time, the range of technical and operational parameters of the tunnel is not limited to rail traffic only. All types of modern communications will be laid in it: from cable communication lines to pipelines and power transmission systems.
The construction of the tunnel is a far-reaching project. To date, the Russian and American territories do not have the necessary road and rail access points. On the American side to be built highway over 1200 km long. Moreover, construction may be slowed down due to sharp protests from environmentalists. On Russian territory, the nearest route starts in Magadan at a distance of 1600 km from the tunnel. WITH railroad tracks things don't get much better.
On the American side, the closest road starts at Prince George. It is planned to build a rail track almost 2,000 km long.
On Russian territory, it will be necessary to lay a railway line that will connect the tunnel with the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The cost of this project was estimated at $128 billion. The design length of the tunnel, which will connect Chukotka and Alaska, is almost 100 km. Construction will take at least 20 years. This is the largest project of its kind in history, noted the German newspaper "Die Welt".
The tunnel was supposed to be laid in one of the most remote regions of the globe. In the narrowest part of the Bering Strait, Russia and Alaska are separated by only 37 km, and in the area of ​​the Diomede Islands - only 5.8. However, for safety reasons, experts recommended that the tunnel should not be laid along the shortest path, so that as a result its length will be 96 kilometers.
According to Viktor Razbegin, who worked on this project at the Ministry of Economy, it is "one of the very few projects that can radically change the development of the Russian Far East." He believed that "the chances of its implementation are quite good." The US, Russia and Canada came close to deciding to build such a tunnel as early as 1998, but the discussion was dropped after the default in Russia.


Diomede Islands. Bering Strait

The Diomede Islands (Gvozdev Islands) are two islands and several rocks located in the middle of the Bering Strait, at a distance of about 35 km from both Chukotka and Alaska. Coordinates 65°46′00″ s. sh. 169°00′00″ W d.

The western island - Ratmanov Island (Big Diomede, the Eskimo name Imaklik - "surrounded by water"), has an area of ​​​​about 10 square meters. km and belongs to Russia, being its easternmost point. The island is part of the Chukotka autonomous region. Named after naval officer Makar Ratmanov.

Highest point- Mount Roof, 505 meters. It is located a little south of the geographical center of the island.

Depths off the coast reach 43 meters.

The coast is rocky, in blocky screes, with a narrow strip of coastal beach, only the northern coast is relatively gentle. There is also a polar station. There are several rivers, two of them flow from the center of the island to the north, one flows from the top of Mount Roof to the southeast. The length of the island from north to south is 8.7 km, from east to west - 4.7 km. The extreme northern point of the island is Cape Horseman, to the east of which is Cape Skalisty. The southernmost point of the island is South Cape.

The infrastructure of the island is relatively developed, there is a polar station, a frontier post and many different buildings along the coast of the island and south of the center.

To date, there are no representatives of the indigenous population on the island, but there are personnel of the border troops, since the island is located on the border of North America and Asia.

Big Diomede Island is washed by the Pacific and Arctic oceans, and therefore is of great strategic importance. Ratmanov Island is the geographical point where the New Year in Russia comes first of all, because when it is midnight on the island, it is 12 hours 35 minutes of the previous day on the western border of Russia.

Ratmanov Island is home to one of the largest bird colonies in the region; a total of 11 species of sea birds with a total number of over 4 million individuals have been recorded. In June 1976, a buffy hummingbird was observed here - the only species of hummingbird whose migration was registered in Russia.

There is a large walrus rookery on the island, and mass migrations of gray whales take place in the coastal waters

The eastern island (about 5 sq. km) - the island of Krusenstern (Little Diomede, the Eskimo name Ingalik - ("opposite") and the Fareway rock belong to the USA.

The distance between the islands is 4160 m and between them are the state border of Russia and the United States and the international date line.

The time difference is 23 hours. Thus, when residents on Little Diomede look across the strait to Big Diomede, they are not just looking at another country, they are “studying tomorrow”. For example, when in the USA it is 9:00 Saturday on Small Diomede, then in Russia it is 6:00 Sunday on Big Diomede. Because of this, they are sometimes called Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island.

Both islands are flat-topped, steep-sided and isolated by rough seas. Persistent fog blankets the islands during the warmer months, and in winter, moving chunks of ice collide in open waters to form an ice bridge connecting the two islands. In times like these, one can practically walk between the United States and Russia. Of course, this can only be done in theory. Crossing the Bering Strait is not legally allowed. However, since 1989, there has been an agreement between the USSR (now Russia) and the United States on visa-free travel for local residents to visit each other.

The islands were originally inhabited by the Eskimos, as early as 3,000 years ago. The islands were first noticed in 1648 by the pioneer Cossack Semyon Dezhnev. about which there is a written report dated April 15, 1655. The official discovery is associated with the first expedition to Kamchatka, which took place in 1728. During it, Bering discovered an island called Diomede, since it was found on the day of St. Diomede. In the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the day of memory of the martyr Diomede. And in 1732, the Diomede Islands were first mapped by Ivan Fedorov and Mikhail Gvozdev. Modern names were assigned in 1815 by Lieutenant Otto Kotzebue (Krusenstern Island and Ratmanov Island).

When the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the treaty included Krusenstern Island (Little Diomede). A new border was drawn between these two islands.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the Inupik-speaking Eskimos lived on both islands. They were engaged in barter trade with Asian and American tribes, therefore, when creating their cultural traditions, they adopted customs that already existed on both continents.

From 1905 to 1933, there was a gradual migration of indigenous people from Ratmanov Island to the neighboring American Kruzenshtern Island. With the beginning of the Cold War, through the efforts of the Soviet side, the remaining residents were forcibly relocated to the mainland of Chukotka. Big Diomede became the base of the Russian military

Since 1916, due to the weak protection of the northern borders, an American trading post, which did not pay customs duties, illegally operated on the island. In September 1925, the Vorovsky border patrol ship arrived at Ratmanov Island, after which the Americans were forced to leave Soviet territory. In 1941, a frontier post was established on the island.

Little Diomedes has developed into a small community of 75 inhabitants, with a church and a school, the Little Diomedes Eskimos fish and crab, hunt beluga whales, walrus, seals and polar bears. Food and mail are delivered by barge from the mainland.

Interesting Facts

On November 5, 1933, the Chelyuskin steamer, completing its passage along the Northern Sea Route, was covered with ice in the Bering Strait near the Diomede Islands - from here its ice drift began. "Chelyuskin" was carried north by ice drift to the Chukchi Sea, where it sank, crushed by ice.

In 2005, a seven-meter Orthodox cross was erected on the island, installed on the highest hill, which is clearly visible to residents of neighboring Alaska and ships passing through the Bering Strait.

On the initiative of the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka, Diomede (Dziuban), on August 25, 2005, an Orthodox worship cross was installed at the extreme eastern point of Russia.

Bishop Diomede arrived on the island aboard the military vessel "Captain Sipyagin". The seven-meter cross is installed on the highest hill of the island, called the Rocky, and is clearly visible to the inhabitants of neighboring Alaska and the captains of ships passing through the Bering Strait. From the place of disembarkation from the ship to Skalista - almost three kilometers. Border guards helped carry the details of the wooden cross. The cross was erected next to the observation post.

According to some plans, a road tunnel can pass through the island, which will connect Eurasia and North America.

For the first time, the idea of ​​creating a transport artery between Alaska and Russia was expressed in 1890 by the Governor of Colorado, William Gilpin. He talked about the possibility of building a giant bridge. In the 40s and 60s of the XX century, this idea was again discussed at the highest level.

“Today, a number of American experts are raising the issue of connecting the shores of Asia and America with a tunnel along the line of the Diomede Islands located in the Bering Strait,” wrote RAS Corresponding Member V.A. the authors of the modern initiative, unlike their predecessors, are mainly focused on the development of the engineering and technical aspects of the structure: it is assumed that it can be successfully implemented in the first quarter of the 21st century and its financing is not a problem.At the same time, the range of technical and operational parameters of the tunnel is not limited all types of modern communications will be laid in it: from cable communication lines to pipelines and power transmission systems."

The construction of the tunnel is a far-reaching project. To date, the Russian and American territories do not have the necessary road and rail access points. On the American side, an automobile route with a length of more than 1,200 km is to be built. Moreover, construction may be slowed down due to sharp protests from environmentalists. On Russian territory, the nearest route starts in Magadan at a distance of 1600 km from the tunnel. The situation with railroad tracks is not much better.

On the American side, the closest road starts at Prince George. It is planned to build a rail track almost 2,000 km long.

On Russian territory, it will be necessary to lay a railway line that will connect the tunnel with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The cost of this project was estimated at $128 billion. The design length of the tunnel, which will connect Chukotka and Alaska, is almost 100 km. Construction will take at least 20 years. This is the largest project of its kind in history, noted the German newspaper "Die Welt".

The tunnel was supposed to be laid in one of the most remote regions of the globe. In the narrowest part of the Bering Strait, Russia and Alaska are separated by only 37 km, and in the area of ​​the Diomede Islands - only 5.8. However, for safety reasons, experts recommended that the tunnel should not be laid along the shortest path, so that as a result its length will be 96 kilometers.

According to Viktor Razbegin, who worked on this project at the Ministry of Economy, it is "one of the very few projects that can radically change the development of the Russian Far East." He believed that "the chances of its implementation are quite good." The US, Russia and Canada came close to deciding to build such a tunnel as early as 1998, but the discussion was dropped after the default in Russia.

Used sources.

Few people know about such a curious fact that the distance from Russia to the United States is approximately 5 bus stops.

It is interesting, but often people do not even think about the fact that the distance from Russia to America can be calculated through the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean, where Alaska is within easy reach.

Many people think that this distance is measured by the width of the Bering Strait - about 86 kilometers. Quite a bit, isn't it? In fact, it is even less. The distance to the United States is only about 4 kilometers from Ratmanov Island, owned by Russia to Kruzenshtern Island, owned by the United States. According to the agreement on the sale of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands (1867), the border between Russia and the United States runs in the middle between the islands. And the distance between the islands is just over 4 km.

Periodically, from late XIX centuries and to this day, at the level of specialists, and sometimes even governments (mainly Russia and the USA), the feasibility and possibilities of building a tunnel or bridge across the Bering Strait to connect Chukotka with Alaska are being discussed, but due to various reasons, both technical and economic none of the ideas have yet been brought to fruition.

Running errands in Alaska

So the map of history lay down - in 1867 Russia sold Alaska to the USA. The United States bought it, but for a long time did not know where to attach this, as it seemed to many then, “a suitcase without a handle.” From 1867 to 1959, the territory of Alaska was first called “County of Alaska”, then “County”, then simply “Territory”, and only in 1959 Alaska received the status of the 49th US state, and explored there natural resources- gold, gas, oil, bio-resources - made every single resident of Alaska almost a millionaire. Russian America (as Alaska was also called) is located in the extreme northwest of the North American continent, in the east it borders on Canada, in the west on a small and narrowest section of the Bering Strait - with Russia.

Pictured below is the Diomede Islands. On the left is Kruzenshtern Island, still the United States, on the right is Ratmanov Island, already Russia.

The distance between the islands is 4 km. 160 m. Between these islands is the Russian-American border, as well as the international date line. The Eskimo village of Ingalik and a unit of the Alaska National Guard are located on Kruzenshtern Island. A Russian frontier post is stationed on Ratmanov Island. Composer Serafim Tulikov and poet Mikhail Plyatskovsky, having visited Ratmanov Island in their time and impressed by what they saw, wrote a border incorruptibility, the uncomplicated refrain of which sounds like a hymn to those harsh lands:

As if from a flashlight
The dim light of the moon trembles in the sky.
And stretches for the island, for the island of Ratmanov
A streak of silence.

If you ask - which city is the capital of the state of Alaska - many will answer - Anchorage. And they will be wrong and surprised that such an honorary title in Alaska is occupied by the small town of Juneau with a population of just under 40 thousand inhabitants. In general, in America there are many small towns with the status of state capitals, and cities with a population of one million take everything else for themselves - fame, popularity, recognition. So, you can only get to the capital of Alaska by sea or by air. This is not only the only US state capital with no road connection, but also the only state capital that borders on another state, i.e. with Canada. And what about Anchorage, the most inquisitive reader will ask?

Anchorage is a separate song from Alaska. This is the most Big City largest US state. It is characteristic that today Anchorage is twice the size of New York, although only a little more than 370 thousand people live there with its agglomeration. Being the center of the entire road system of the state, the city simply could not help but become one of the main tourist routes Alaska, and the presence of a single international airport secured for him the status of the second capital of Alaska. Here it is appropriate to mention another local Anchorage attraction - Lake Hood - which is the largest water airfield on the planet. Thousands of hydroplanes, indispensable in local conditions, found shelter on this water surface, and their enchanting “ water procedures”During takeoffs and splashdowns, many tourists are forced to be distracted from their direct duties - visiting the local attractions of Anchorage! So the panorama of the city, as if crowned with a jagged crown of snowy mountains, is complemented by the magnificent parks of Chugach and Ertkwijk, and Far North and Delaney amaze everyone with the purity of wildlife. In general, in order to explore Anchorage and its environs, we advise you to contact the representatives of the Novosibirsk One-Time Errand Service, who live in Anchorage and who will gladly fulfill any of your instructions, not only related to tourism.

In general, Alaska is famous for its independent disposition and extravagance of its inhabitants. For example, the town of Talkeetna, with a population of just over 800, is famous for electing a cat named Stubbs as its mayor. In this case, everyone was satisfied: - the voters that the kote keeps neutrality in relation to party affiliation, - the entrepreneurs that the kote does not interfere in business affairs, - the owner of Stubbs that her store has become enormously popular among tourists - and Stubbsik that that everyone cherishes and respects him!

By the way, Juneau's sister city is Vladivostok. But, judging by the grandiose international project that can be implemented in the next decade, Juneau needs to make friends with Anadyr, the capital of the Chukotka Territory. The USA, Russia and other interested countries are already considering the narrowest point of the Bering Strait (about 86 km) for laying a tunnel under it, which will connect America and Asia. For the project to work, a 1,200 km long highway will have to be built across the territory of Alaska. to Fairbanks, and on Russian territory such a route will have to be pulled from the tunnel exit to land for 1600 km. to Magadan. It also provides for the construction of alternative national railway crossings. So, very soon (by the standards of the universe) no one will be surprised by the route of travel from London to Los Angeles by car or steam locomotive, with stops, for example, in Novosibirsk or Magadan.

It is impossible to describe everything that Alaska is famous for in one small article. But still, the main wealth there was and remains strong and courageous people who conquer this harsh land with their work and perseverance. Together with the Americans, rolling up their sleeves, the Russians, of whom there are about 6 thousand people, are taming Alaska. Recently, many young people have come to study or work from Russian Far Eastern cities - Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Magadan, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There is no doubt that the Russian-speaking population in Alaska is even larger - we must not forget that the Russian language was native to almost all citizens of the republics of the former Union. So there will always be work for our One-Time Assignment Service, both in the United States and in Russia. I would like to believe that the instructions of our customers will be kind and warm, despite the fact that Alaska is washed by the cold Arctic Ocean and the harsh Pacific!

Many people think that the minimum distance between the US and Russia is measured by the width of the Bering Strait - approximately 86 kilometers. If you count the distance between the continents - everything is correct.
But the border between our states can be calculated differently.

In the area of ​​the Bering Strait, which connects the Arctic Ocean (Chukchi Sea) with the Pacific Ocean (Bering Sea), the distance between the United States and Russia is only 4 km.

2.

3. The Bering Strait, which separates Asia from America, was first crossed by the Cossack S. Dezhnev and F. Popov during a fishing expedition. Then in 1728 the strait was re-discovered by the secret expedition of V. Bering, after whom it was named.

The width of the strait at its smallest point is 86 km. However, almost in the center of the strait are the islands of the mini Diomede archipelago: Krusenstern Island (USA) and Ratmanov Island (Russia).

4. On the island of Kruzenshtern there is an Eskimo village (about 130 people).


From the island of Ratmanov, the civilian population was relocated to the mainland. The easternmost border outpost of Russia is based here. The distance between the countries is about 3700 meters according to Wikipedia and 4160 meters according to the sign located at the outpost (about 5 bus stops).

5.

Periodically, from the end of the 19th century to the present day, at the level of specialists, and sometimes even governments (mainly Russia and the USA), the feasibility and possibilities of building a tunnel or bridge across the Bering Strait to connect Chukotka with Alaska are discussed, but for various reasons both technical and economic in nature, none of the ideas has yet been brought to implementation.

One of the experts on the history of the issue writes: “Ratmanov Island (formerly Big Diomede) is the most eastern land Russia. It has an irregular shape (about 9 km long, 5 km wide) and an area of ​​about 10 square meters. km; practically it is a large rock with a flat top. Just 4 km 160 m is the island of Kruzenshtern (formerly Small Diomede), with an area of ​​​​about 5 square meters. km, which belongs to the United States. There is also Fairway Rock. The name of Diomede was given to this archipelago by Vitus Bering, who on the boat "Saint Gabriel" approached big island August 16, 1728 on the day of St. Diomede. But even before this name, Ratmanov Island already had a name - Imaklik (translated from Eskimo - “surrounded by water”), which was given to it by the Eskimos who lived on it for more than two thousand years. By the way, the Eskimos called the island of Krusenstern (former Little Diomede) Ingalik, which means "opposite".

6. Ratmanov and Kruzenshtern Islands. A picture from space.

“The story of getting the island named after Ratmanov is as follows. In 1816, the famous navigator Otto Kotzebue, while exploring the Bering Strait, mistakenly counted not three islands in the Diomede archipelago (as it had been mapped since 1732), but four islands. He decided to give the “newly discovered” island the name of his colleague, naval officer Makar Ratmanov, with whom he took part in a round-the-world expedition a few years earlier. When the mistake was discovered, they decided to leave the name of Ratmanov on the map, and from the middle of the 19th century, Big Diomede changed its name.