With the Seward Peninsula of Alaska to the east, and Chukotskiy Poluostrov
of Siberia to the west, the Bering Strait separates the United States and
the Russian Federation by only 90 kilometers. It is named for Danish explorer
Vitus Bering, who spotted the Alaskan mainland in 1741 while leading an
expedition of Russian sailors. This view of the region was captured by MISR's
vertical-viewing (nadir) camera on August 18, 2000 during Terra orbit 3562.
The boundary between the US and Russia lies between Big and Little Diomede
Islands, which are visible in the middle of the Bering Strait. The Artic
Circle, at 66.5 degrees north latitude, runs through the Arctic Ocean
in the top part of this image. This circle marks the southernmost latitude
for which the Sun does not rise above the horizon on the day of the winter
solstice. At the bottom of this image is St. Lawrence Island. Situated in
the Bering Sea, it is part of Alaska and home to Yupik Eskimos.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team.
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