In the polar latitudes of the northern hemisphere of the planet, among the cold waters of the Bering Strait, there is a unique geographical object - Krusenstern Island, and in English - Little Diomede. A small area of American territory bears the name of the famous traveler, Russian Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern.
Geographic location
There is a piece of land in the far north of the planet in the center of the strait between the waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas. It is part of the Diomede Islands group, which consists of two parts. The western territory is the Russian island of Ratmanov, which belongs to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The eastern part - the American island of Krusenstern - is the property of the state of Alaska, USA.
Many are mistaken in thinking that Kruzenshtern Island is the Åland Islands, an archipelago belonging to Finland. But after reading the article, you will understand that the territory of the Arctic Circle between Alaska and the far north of Russia is the Aleutian and Commander Islands, the birthplace of the indigenous inhabitants of the region - the Aleuts, but not a piece of the B altic.
Geographically, the waters separating the islands are the maritime boundary of two great states. The international date line runs through them. The distance of 4 km is the shortest between the US and Russia. Kruzenshtern sees off for a day, and meets Ratmanov.
The area of the island is 7.3 square meters. km. The original inhabitants of the site were and are Aleuts, Eskimos and American Indians, who make up 98% of the population. Today, only 135 people live on Little Diomede.
Climatic conditions
The Arctic Circle has a powerful influence on the features of the subarctic climate of the area where Kruzenshtern Island is located. The harsh living conditions on its territory are associated with cold Arctic winds and currents in the Bering Sea. The ice cover of the water area is formed during the cold period of time under the influence of the Aleutian minimum. The average winter period is -25 ºС, intense cyclones bring heavy snowfalls and storm winds from September to June. The warm season, if you can call it that, lasts only two months and average temperatures reach +6 ºС. At this time, the territory where Kruzenshtern Island is located is covered with thick fogs and mostly overcast. Their duration is more than 100 days a year.
How to get to Krusenstern Island
You can get to a geographical object from the capital only with a transfer. Direct flights between Moscow - OstrovThere is no Kruzenshtern, the distance is very large and is more than 13 thousand km.
The nearest airport is Wales, Alaska, the next 43 km are covered by helicopter. It is important to remember that a US visa is required. You can get to Alaska by flying to the city of Anadyr, and then continue the journey according to the rules of the border zone and local routes. Getting there by water is not comfortable, because after all, the territory of the Arctic Circle and the island are ice-bound for ten months a year.
Interesting facts
Before you visit Krusenstern Island, you should know the description of its harsh natural features perfectly. This will help to avoid many mistakes and facilitate the journey itself. The geographical object is of interest to tourists who have conquered more than one harsh place on the planet. Because:
- only the Diomedes have the islands of Tomorrow (Ratmanov) and Yesterday (Kruzenshtern);
- Little Diomede's main natural attractions are flat tops, steep slopes, fogs and ice traps;
- The fauna of the island is scarce - crabs, polar bears, walruses, seals and sturgeons;
- grey whales migrate along the coast of the geographical feature - a beautiful and impressive sight;
- food, mail and medicines are delivered to the island territory by helicopters and barges;
- selling Alaska in 1867, Russia included in the contract, and a small piece of land - so the Russian geographical feature has been considered American for almost 150 years;
- among the settlements on the islandthere is a village, a school and a shop;
- crossing the Bering Strait is considered illegal by both states;
- 4 km distance is 21 hours time difference between the Diomede Islands;
- the time difference with the capital of Russia is 9 hours and this harsh place is located at UTC offset -11;
- not only the island is named after Ivan Fedorovich, but also 11 other geographical objects, including the four-masted barque Kruzenshtern. The Åland Islands (as we remember, the territory of Finland) banned the famous training sailboat from visiting their port of Mariehamn - sad but true.
Things to do for tourists on the island
It is rather difficult to call Kruzenshtern Island a popular tourist destination. But desperate daredevils, adventurers and adventurers will definitely find something to do here.
So, in winter you can see the northern lights, ride in the ice of the strait along the international date line, visit both the west and the east at the same time. In summer, watch gray whales, admire walrus and seal rookeries, listen to the bird market on the rocks of the island, get to know the most important attraction - the indigenous people of the region, the Aleuts, their way of life, culture and survival skills in harsh climatic conditions.
