The Aleutian Islands is a picturesque volcanic archipelago off the coast of Alaska. This article provides basic information and describes some of the interesting features of this amazing place.
Geographic Information
The archipelago consists of one hundred and ten islands, which are divided into five groups: Near, Krys'i, Andreyanovsk, Chetyrekhsopochnye, Lis'i. The largest Aleutian Island is Unimak.
The archipelago is part of Alaska. There are twenty-five active volcanoes here, for example, Tanaga, Big Sitkin, Gareloy, Kanaga. The height of the highest of them - the Shishaldin volcano - is 2861 meters.
A little can be said about the climate of the archipelago: its type is maritime subarctic, average temperatures are 14°С in February, 12°С in August; fog is also common in summer.
Plant and animal life
Flora: in the lowlands of the islands, cereals and grasses predominate, above - heaths, even higher - mountain tundra.
Fauna: the archipelago was originally rich in fur and sea animals, but now almost all of these animal species are endangered, and mostThe islands are part of the Alaska Marine National Wildlife Refuge.
Population
The indigenous people of the archipelago are the Aleuts. There are only four settlements on the islands: Unalaska, Adak, Atka, Nikolsky, in total, just over eight thousand people live there. This indicates an extremely low population density in this area.
The local religion is Christianity, represented by Methodists, Catholics and Orthodox.
The population is mainly engaged in fishing, as well as servicing the US military base located on the island of Adak.
History
In 1741, the Aleutian Islands were first discovered by the second Kamchatka expedition, but the landing did not occur. In 1745, a group of sailors led by Nevodchikov came into contact with the Aleuts in the Near Islands. They decided to spend the winter in the bay of the island of Attu, while destroying two villages. Subsequently, the industrialists said that they mistook the local population for the Chukchi.
Since 1758, trade relations began with the inhabitants of the islands of Unalaska and Umnaka. In 1772, the first Russian settlement was founded on Unalaska.
In 1867, the Aleutian Islands replenished the islands of America, as they, together with Alaska, passed into the possession of the United States under an agreement.
Attractions
If you decide to visit the Aleutian Islands, then, first of all, you will be amazed by the many picturesque views of nature, and most importantly - volcanoes, which are especially beautiful at night. Columns of fire erupt from huge craters, illuminating the majestic icebergs floating in the dark water. Such a fascinating sight can be observed every night - the eruptions of numerous volcanoes occur quite often.
And if you want to enjoy island views, then magnificent flowering valleys await you. There are quite a few animals in the interior of the island, but on the coast you can see seals, fur seals, walruses and many birds.
Also, the Aleutian Islands are known for the fact that they contain the ancient burial places of the Unangan tribe - the ancestors of the Aleuts. Surprisingly, the funeral rituals are almost a complete copy of the ancient Egyptian!
