St. Lawrence Island

St. Lawrence

Closeup map of St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Location in Alaska
Geography
Location	Bering Sea
Coordinates	63°21′44″N 170°16′02″W / 63.36222°N 170.26722°W / 63.36222; -170.26722
Area	1,791.56 sq mi (4,640.1 km2)
Length	90 mi (140 km)
Width	22 mi (35 km)
Highest point	Atuk Mountain, 2,070 ft (630 m)
Administration
United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Nome Census Area
Largest settlement	Savoonga (pop. 835, 2020)
Demographics
Population	1,475 (2020)
Pop. density	0.32/km2 (0.83/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Siberian Yupik

St. Lawrence Island (Central Siberian Yupik: Sivuqaq, Russian: Остров Святого Лаврентия, romanized: Ostrov Svyatogo Lavrentiya) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait. The village of Gambell, located on the northwest cape of the island, is 50 nautical miles (95 kilometers) from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to Russia and Asia than to the Alaskan and North American mainland. St. Lawrence Island is thought to be one of the last exposed portions of the land bridge that once joined Asia with North America during the Pleistocene period.^[1] It is the sixth largest island in the United States and the 113th largest island in the world. It is considered part of the Bering Sea Volcanic Province.^[2] The Saint Lawrence Island shrew (Sorex jacksoni) is a species of shrew endemic to St. Lawrence Island.^[3] The island is jointly owned by the predominantly Siberian Yupik villages of Gambell and Savoonga, the two main settlements on the island.^[4][5]