Set in the Northern Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands—"Land of the Aleuts"—form an archipelago of 14 large volcanic islands and 55 smaller ones belonging to The USA and Russia. Wild and remote, these barren volcanic islands appear as stepping stones, a broken causeway that might have once linked Asia to America.
Browse the gallery and island-hop these isolated outposts shared by two superpowers.
The Aleutian Islands belong to Alaska and Kamchatka Krai, part of the Russian Federation.
About 1% of the global population of tuffted puffins live on Agattu Island, part of the Near Islands chain.
A glaucous-winged gull chick enters the world somewhere on the Semechi Islands chain.
A settlement once thrived on Medny, but in 1970 all inhabitants were transferred to Bering Island. Save for a few visiting scientists, Medney today is completely unoccupied.
One of the islands in Russia's Commander Islands chain, Medny is home to an abundant population of Steller sea lions.
The Steller sea lion is a noisy and territorial summer visitor. The species is named after German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who first described them in 1741.
The area around Bering Island is a biosphere reserve. The region is known for its diverse wildlife, especially marine mammals.
The Bering Sea is named after Danish cartographer and explorer Vitus Bering, who charted the region in Russian service. He is buried on Bering Island.
This detail from an early map by first Kamchatka expedition member S. Khitrov shows eastern Kamchatka, including the Commander Islands, with drawings of Steller's sea cow, the northern fur seal, and the Steller sea lion. The expedition was led by Vitus Bering.
See also: The mystery surrounding the missing Malaysia Airlines plane