Native name: Unangam Tanangin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Aleutian Islands highlighted | |||
  Aleutian Islands Location in the northern Pacific Ocean | |||
| Geography | |||
| Location | North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea | ||
| Coordinates | 52°12′N 174°12′W / 52.2°N 174.2°W | ||
| Total islands | >300 | ||
| Major islands | Unimak Island, Unalaska Island, Adak Island | ||
| Area | 6,821[1] sq mi (17,670 km2) | ||
| Length | 1,200 mi (1900 km) | ||
| Highest elevation | 9,373 ft (2856.9 m) | ||
| Highest point | Mount Shishaldin, Unimak Is. | ||
Russia | |||
| Federal subject | Kamchatka Krai | ||
United States | |||
| State | Alaska | ||
| Largest settlement | Unalaska (pop. 4,283) | ||
| Demographics | |||
| Population | 8,162 (2000) | ||
| Pop. density | 0.84/sq mi (0.324/km2) | ||
| Languages |
| ||
| Ethnic groups | Aleut | ||
| Additional information | |||
| Time zones | |||
| • Summer (DST) | |||
| Person | Unangax̂ |
|---|---|
| People | Unangan (east) Unangas (west) |
| Language | Unangam Tunuu |
| Country | Unangam Tanangin |
The Aleutian Islands (/əˈluːʃən/ ə-LOO-shən;[2][3] Russian: Алеутские острова, romanized: Aleutskiye ostrova; Aleut: Unangam Tanangin, "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi aliat, or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands,[4] Aleutic Islands,[5] or, before 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain of 14 main, larger volcanic islands and 55 smaller ones. Most of the Aleutian Islands belong to the U.S. state of Alaska, with the archipelago encompassing the Aleutians West Census Area and the Aleutians East Borough. The Commander Islands, located further to the west, belong to the Russian federal subject of Kamchatka Krai, of the Russian Far East.[1] The islands form part of the Aleutian Arc of the Northern Pacific Ocean, and occupy a land area of 6,821 sq mi (17,666 km2) that extends westward roughly 1,200 mi (1,900 km) from the Alaskan Peninsula mainland, in the direction of the Kamchatka Peninsula; the archipelago acts as a border between the Bering Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Crossing longitude 180°, at which point east and west longitude end, the archipelago contains both the westernmost and easternmost parts of the United States, by longitude (Amatignak Island and Semisopochnoi Island, respectively). The westernmost U.S. island, in real terms, however, is Attu Island, west of which runs the International Date Line.
The Aleutian Islands, with their 57 volcanoes, form the northernmost part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Physiographically, they are a distinct section of the larger Pacific Border province, which, in turn, is part of the larger Pacific Mountain System physiographic division. The islands are considered to be among the most geographically-isolated areas of the Northern Pacific.[6]
Battles and skirmishes took place during the Aleutian Islands campaign of World War II. The Japanese landing and occupations of Kiska and Attu, in June of 1942, were one of only two invasions of the United States in North America during WWII; the Philippines, Guam and Wake Atoll, Pacific territories of the United States, were also invaded.[7]
- ^ a b The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (18 December 2015). "Aleutian Islands". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Aleutian Islands". Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ^ "Aleutian". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ^ Mark Nuttall, ed. (2005). Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Routledge. p. 333. ISBN 0-203-99785-9.
- ^ George Forchhammer (1863). Royal Society of London (ed.). "On the Constitution of Sea-Water, at different Depths, and in different Latitudes". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. 12. Taylor & Francis: 131.
- ^ "The Aleutian Islands map showing locations of major island groups and islands mentioned in the text. *, Samalga Pass". Archived from the original on 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2022-09-13 – via ResearchGate. [better source needed]
- ^ Domenech, Douglas W. (11 September 2020). "Op-Ed: U.S. Territories, Not States, Bear the Scars of World War II". Department of the Interior www.doi.org. The Federalist.
While there were German and Japanese submarine attacks on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, it was four U.S. territories – Guam, the Philippines, Kiska and Attu in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and Wake Atoll – which were the only American land to suffer enemy occupation. It was not until 1959 that Hawaii and Alaska became states. The Philippines became a territory of the United States in 1898 and achieved its independence on July 4, 1946. The U.S. territory of American Samoa was bombed in WWII but never occupied.