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42-620: At 95 km (59 mi) long by 15 km (9.3 mi) wide, it is the largest and westernmost of the Commander Islands , with an area of 1,667 km (1,036 mi). Most of Bering Island and several of the smaller islands in their entirety are now part of the Komandorsky Zapovednik nature preserve. Bering Island is treeless, desolate and experiences severe weather, including high winds, persistent fog and earthquakes. It had no year-round human residents until roughly 1826. Now,

84-588: A focus of Russian trappers. An employee of the Lebedev-Lastochkin Company , Gavriil Pribylov , sailed in 1786 to discover the location, after disobeying orders to retrieve company property in the Kurile Islands . The rookeries Pribylov visited held upwards of four million seals, for which they became famous. The islands became the site of the LLC's first artel in what later became Russian America . With

126-635: A natural habitat for sea otters , and their population now appears stable, unlike on other Aleutian islands, and although they had been hunted to near extinction on the then-recently discovered Bering Island by 1854. Steller sea lions continue to summer on Bering Island, but the manatee-like Steller's sea cows , which fed on the kelp beds surrounding the island, were hunted to extinction by 1768. Bering Island has also long been famous for its seal rookeries, including northern fur seals , common seals and larga seals , although that population dropped to but 2 rookeries totaling 3,000 seals by 1913 (two years after

168-557: A planeload of Aleuts from Nikolskoye met another planeload of Alaskan Aleuts in Kamchatka's capital, and were surprised they could still communicate in the old Aleut language. Because of their isolation, like the now-Alaskan Pribilof Islands , the Aleuts have been used for studies of genetic drift. The area surrounding Bering Island is now a biosphere reserve, known for its diverse wildlife, and particularly marine mammals. The island's shores form

210-649: A series of islands in the Russian Far East , a part of the Aleutian Islands , located about 175 km (109 mi) east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea . Treeless and sparsely populated, the islands consist of Bering Island (95 km (59 mi) by 15 km (9.3 mi)), Medny Island (55 km (34 mi) by 5 km (3.1 mi)) and fifteen islets and rocks. The largest of

252-543: A station on the island, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains a presence. St. George has a population of 102. Its economy is similar to that of St. Paul. The Pribilof Islands are a birdwatching attraction, home to many species that do not fly in North America beyond Alaska. More than 210 species have been identified, and an estimated two million seabirds nest there annually. St. Paul

294-607: Is Stenjeger's Peak at 647 m (2,123 ft). The archipelago lies at similar latitudes to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland , Southern Scandinavia and southern parts of the Alaskan Panhandle . The climate is relatively mild for its latitude, and maritime, with 220–240 days of precipitation per year. The cool summers are notoriously foggy. The Köppen climate classification would be classed as Dfc bordering on Cfc and Dfb . The only permanently inhabited locality

336-531: Is a round island with a diameter of 800 m (2,600 ft). In 1741 Commander Vitus Bering , sailing in Svyatoy Pyotr ( St. Peter ) for the Russian Navy , was shipwrecked and died of scurvy on Bering Island, along with 28 of his men. His ship had been destroyed by storms as they returned from an expedition that discovered mainland Alaska as well as the Aleutian Islands for Russians. The survivors under

378-443: Is the village of Nikolskoye on the northwest end of Bering Island , with an estimated population of 613 as of 2009 . This consists almost entirely of Russians and Aleuts . The majority of the island chain’s area, as well as much of the adjacent marine habitat, 36,488 km (14,088 sq mi), is taken up by the Komandorsky Zapovednik , a natural preserve. The economy is based primarily on fishing, mushroom gathering ,

420-542: The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge . The Siberian coast is roughly 500 miles (800 km) northwest. About 77 square miles (200 km ) in total area, they are mostly rocky and are covered with tundra , with a population of 572 as of the 2010 census . The principal islands are Saint Paul and Saint George . The former was named for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul , on the day of which

462-459: The Aleutians for the seal trade . Most of the Aleuts inhabiting Bering Island came from Atka Island and those who lived on Medny Island came from Attu Island , now both American possessions. A mixed language called Mednyj Aleut , with Aleut roots but Russian verb inflection, developed among the inhabitants. Today the population of the islands is about ⅔ Russian and ⅓ Aleut. The 1943 Battle of

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504-579: The List of World Heritage Sites in Russia of UNESCO . The Commander Islands archipelago consists of 15 islands and is a part of a submarine volcanic ridge extending from Alaska to Kamchatka dated by the beginning of Paleogene (60-70 million years ago). The islands are the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands , most of which are part of the US state of Alaska, and are separated from the closest US island, Attu Island , and

546-544: The North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 ), particularly after the 20 year hunting lease of Hutchinson, Kohl and Company of San Francisco, which removed over 800,000 pelts. Whale species sighted in the surrounding waters include sperm whales , orcas , several species of beaked whales , humpback , and right whales . Porpoises also frequent these waters. Bering Island also has numerous seabirds. UNESCO noted that 203 bird species have been sighted on

588-582: The North Pacific right whales and fin whales . Bering Island was the only known habitat of Steller's sea cows , an immense (over 4,000 kg or 8,800 lb) sirenian related to the dugong . The sea cow was hunted to extinction within 27 years of its discovery in 1741. The much less diverse terrestrial fauna includes two distinct, endemic subspecies of Arctic fox , ( Alopex lagopus semenovi and A. l. beringensis ). Though relatively healthy now, these populations had been significantly depleted in

630-512: The Oyashio Current on its western flank. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −23.5 to 21.9 °C (−10.3–71.4 °F), with the latter occurring as recently as July 11, 2022. Commander Islands 55°00′N 166°24′E  /  55.00°N 166.40°E  / 55.00; 166.40 The Commander Islands , Komandorski Islands , or Komandorskie Islands ( Russian : Командо́рские острова́ , Komandorskiye ostrova ) are

672-561: The Seal (emblem) ") in his The Devil's Dictionary . A post office was established for the Pribilofs in 1948 at St. Paul, with Mrs. Ruth Anderson as postmistress . Naturalist and paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews visited the islands in 1913 aboard the schooner Adventuress on her maiden voyage with John Borden and crew. His films of fur seals led to efforts to protect the animals. The buildings on St. George and St. Paul Islands related to

714-507: The sea otter population is stable and possibly increasing, even as their population is falling precipitously in the rest of the Aleutian islands. The neighboring waters provide important feeding, wintering and migrating habitat for many whale species, many of which are threatened or endangered. Among these are: sperm whales , orcas , several species of Minke whales , beaked whales , and porpoises , humpbacks and endangered species such as

756-548: The Aleutian islands to the United States in 1867, Bering Island was placed under the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky jurisdiction. The population grew from 110 people in 1827 (17 Russians, 45 Aleuts and 48 mixed race) to more than 300 people in 1879 (100 Aleuts on Copper island alone, along with 332 mixed-race and about 10% Russian or other nationalities). In 1990, after 170 years of separation and loss of cultural traditions,

798-538: The Commander Islands, including 58 nesting there. Puffins are abundant, although the semi-flightless spectacled cormorant became extinct circa 1850. Two species of the Arctic foxes that tormented Bering's crew remain. Humans introduced reindeer , American mink and rats to the islands, with negative effects on native wildlife. Like the rest of Kamchatka Krai, Bering Island has a subarctic climate ( Dfc ), though

840-658: The Komandorski Islands took place in the open sea about 160 km (100 mi) south of the islands. Pribilof Islands The Pribilof Islands (formerly the Northern Fur Seal Islands ; Aleut : Amiq , Russian : Острова Прибылова , romanized :  Ostrova Pribylova ) are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska , in the Bering Sea , about 200 miles (320 km) north of Unalaska and 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Cape Newenham . The islands are part of

882-633: The Russian mainland, Steller then explored the Kamchatka peninsula and ultimately published De Bestiis Marinis (‘On the Beasts of the Sea’). However, his sympathies for the native peoples led to accusations that he was fomenting rebellion, so he was imprisoned and recalled to St. Petersburg , dying en route at age 37, although his diaries were later published to great acclaim and historic significance. In 1743 Emilian Basov landed on Bering Island to hunt sea otter, beginning

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924-521: The administration of the zapovednik (i.e. strictly protected wilderness), ecotourism and government services. The village has a school, a satellite tracking station and a dirt airstrip to its south. The other settlements on the two islands are small villages or scattering of houses: There is no true forest on the Commander Islands. The vegetation is dominated by lichens , mosses and different associations of marshy plants with low grass and dwarf trees. Very tall umbellifers are also common. Due to

966-622: The annual taking of the snow crab and on subsistence and commercial halibut harvests. Support services to commercial fleets plying the waters of the Bering Sea also contribute to the economy. The balance of economic activity on the island relates to working for the United States Government . The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a base on St. Paul, but no longer maintains a LORAN-C master station, as LORAN technology has been replaced by satellite navigation . The National Weather Service has

1008-470: The command of the Swedish born lieutenant Sven Waxell  [ ru ] were stranded on the island for 10 months, and managed to survive by killing seals and birds. They were able to build a boat out of their stranded wreck and managed to return to Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula in 1742 with sea otter furs and preserved meat from the newly discovered island. Another of the expedition's survivors

1050-704: The creation of the Russian-American Company , a monopoly, Russian operations continued on the islands. Under the Alaska Purchase sovereignty was passed to the United States in 1867. From 1870 to 1890, the U.S. government leased them to the Alaska Commercial Company . From 1890 through 1910, the North American Commercial Company held the monopoly on seal-hunting there, but the industry shrank considerably owing to seal-hunting on

1092-444: The extremely local red-legged kittiwake which nests in only a few other colonies in the world. Waterfowl and sandpipers are also abundant along the pre-lake depressions and river valleys of Bering Island, though largely absent from Medny Island. Migratory birds of note with critical nesting or feeding habitat on the islands include such species as Steller's eider , Pacific golden plover and Aleutian tern . Raptors of note include

1134-579: The high productivity of the Bering Sea shelf and the Pacific slope and their remoteness from human influence, the Commander Islands are marked by a great abundance of marine animal life and a relative paucity of terrestrial organisms. Notably, significant numbers of northern fur seals (some 200,000 individuals) and Steller sea lions (approximately 5,000 individuals) summer there, both on reproductive rookeries and non-reproductive haul-outs. Sea otters , common seals and larga seals are likewise abundant. Indeed,

1176-481: The hunting of the northern fur seal make up the national historic district . Residents are concentrated in the towns of St. Paul and St. George , each on the island of the same name. Many of the residents of the islands are related. St. Paul and St. George each have small airports; air service is provided from the Alaskan mainland. St. Paul has a population of 479 (2010 census), with its economy heavily dependent on

1218-401: The island along with much of the crew. His grave is marked by a modest monument. About half of the crew did manage to survive the winter, thanks in part to the abundance of wildlife (notably the newly discovered Steller's sea cow) and the efforts of naturalist and physician Georg Wilhelm Steller , who cured many of the men of scurvy by compelling them to eat seaweed. Eventually, a smaller boat

1260-473: The island was first encountered by the Russian explorer Gavriil Pribylov ; the latter was probably named for the ship sailed by Pribylov. The Otter and Walrus islets are near St. Paul. The total land area of all the islands is 75.072 sq mi (194.44 km ). The islands are part of the Bering Sea unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge . While oral traditions of the Aleut people maintain

1302-480: The island's documented human habitation as well as ecological destruction. Promyshlenniki began to island-hop across the Bering Sea to the Aleutian islands and ultimately Alaska. In 1825 the Russian-American Company transferred Aleut families from Attu Island to Bering Island to hunt, and another group of Aleut and mixed-race settlers followed the following year, thus establishing the first known permanent human habitation on Bering Island. After Russia sold Alaska and

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1344-599: The islands were sparingly visited, "no ethnohistoric or archaeological evidence points to the use or occupation of the Pribilof Islands... by any native people before the Russian period in Alaska." The seasonal migrations of the northern fur seal became known by the Russians in the 1780s. Swimming north through the Aleutian Islands , the seals returned in the autumn with newly born pups. The unknown northern breeding grounds became

1386-739: The latter are Tufted Puffin Rock (Kamen Toporkov or Ostrov Toporkov) , 15 ha (37 acres), and Kamen Ariy , which are between 3 km (1.9 mi) and 13 km (8.1 mi) west of the only settlement, Nikolskoye . Administratively , the Commanders compose the Aleutsky District of the Kamchatka Krai in Russia . In 2005 the Comandorsky State Nature Reserve was nominated for

1428-475: The mountainous, fast running streams is composed primarily of migratory salmonids , including Arctic char , Dolly Varden , black spotted trout , chinook , sockeye , coho and pink salmon . There are no amphibians or reptiles on the Commander Islands. The Commander Islands received their name from Commander Vitus Bering , whose ship St Peter wrecked on the otherwise uninhabited Bering Island on his return voyage from Alaska in 1741. Bering died on

1470-454: The ocean makes temperatures much less extreme than interior Siberia, with winters being about four degrees milder than in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky . The transition to the subpolar oceanic climate of southwest Alaska to the east is very apparent, especially in the extremely low sunshine hours, which average only around 2.8 h per day due to the consistent fog from the Aleutian Low and

1512-527: The open sea. The North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 was signed by the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, and the United States to restrict hunting in the area. Under the Fur Seal Act of 1966, hunting of the seals was forbidden in the Pribilofs, with the exception of subsistence hunting by native Aleuts . Ambrose Bierce suggested that the island should adopt for its motto 'locus sigilli' ("Place of

1554-439: The past due to the fur trade. Most other terrestrial species, including wild reindeer , American mink and rats , have all been introduced to the islands by man. Over a million seabirds gather to nest on numerous large colonies along almost all the coastal cliffs. The most common are northern fulmar ; common , brunnich's and pigeon guillemots ; horned and tufted puffins ; cormorants ; gulls ; and kittiwakes including

1596-691: The rare Steller's sea eagle and gyrfalcon . Other bird types include auks such as the Ancient murrelet and game birds such as the Rock ptarmigan . In total, over 180 bird species have been registered on the Commander Islands. The spectacled cormorant , a large essentially flightless bird in the cormorant family, was driven to extinction by around 1850. The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of various threatened bird species, including many waterbirds and seabirds . The fish fauna in

1638-572: The rest of the chain by 207 mi (333 km). Between the two runs the International Date Line . The relief is somewhat diverse, encompassing folded-block mountains, volcanic plateaus , terraced plains and low mountains. The geologic origins are long-extinct volcanoes on the edge of the Pacific and North American Plates . The highest point is Steller's Peak on Bering Island at 755 m (2,477 ft). The highest point on Medny Island

1680-439: The village of Nikolskoye is home to 800 people, roughly three hundred of them identifying as Aleuts . The island's small population is involved mostly in fishing . Two and a half miles (4 km) off Bering Island's western shore lies small Toporkov Island (Ostrov Toporkov) 55°12′9″N 165°55′59″E  /  55.20250°N 165.93306°E  / 55.20250; 165.93306  ( Toporkov Island ) . It

1722-459: Was Georg Wilhelm Steller , who eventually managed to convince his companions to eat seaweed (thus curing their scurvy). Steller explored Bering Island and cataloged its fauna, including Steller's sea cow , which became extinct within three decades due to being hunted for its meat. The island's highest point (2,464 feet (751 m)) is now named to honor the German-born naturalist. Upon returning to

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1764-452: Was built from the remains of the St. Peter and the survivors found their way back to Kamchatka, heavily laden with valuable sea otter pelts. The discovery of the sea otters sparked the great rush of fur-seeking " promyshlenniki " which drove the Russian expansion into Alaska. Aleut (Unangan) people were transferred to the Commander Islands early in 1825 by the Russian-American Company from

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