Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island. The island has a land area of 711.18 km² (274.59 square miles) and is located at latitude 51°52′47″N, 176°39′28″W. Due to harsh winds, frequent cloud cover, and cold temperatures, very little vegetation grows on Adak Island. The highest point is Mt. Moffett at an elevation of 3,924 feet (1,196 meters). The Andreanof Islands are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska between the Rat Islands group, to the west and the Fox Islands group, to the east, at about 52° North and 172°57 to 179°09 West. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Adak is a census-designated place located in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska. ...

The word Adak is from the Aleut word adaq, which means "father." Adapted from Wikipedias AK borough maps by Seth Ilys. ... The Aleuts (self-denomination: Unangax, Unangan or Unanga) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, U.S.A. and Chukotka, Russia. ...

History

Adak Island has been the home to Aleut peoples since ancient times. Russian explorers in the 1700s also visited the island but made no permanent settlements. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army took control of two of the most western Aleutian Islands - Attu and Kiska. In response, the United States military began a campaign to unseat the invaders. Since the nearest US military presence was in Cold Bay, Alaska, the military began to construct bases in the western Aleutian Islands from which to launch operations against the Japanese. Adak Island was chosen as the site of an airfield, and flight operations began in September 1942. Attacks against the Japanese, including major Army ground assaults, were not successful, this was due to the fact that Japan had abandonded the islands under cover of fog, leaving the US to invade an empty island. Afterwards, the island was used for signals intelligence as Adak Island represented the closest US soil to Japanese military facilities in the Kurile Islands. The Aleuts (self-denomination: Unangax, Unangan or Unanga) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, U.S.A. and Chukotka, Russia. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. ... Map of Kiska Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at 52. ... Cold Bay is a city located in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... SIGINT stands for SIGnals INTelligence, which is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether by radio interception or other means. ... The Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́льские острова́), also known as Kurile Islands, stretch northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. ...

Adak Naval Air Station continued to be a military base during the Cold War but was designated a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site in 1995 and closed in March 1997. Shortly thereafter, the town of Adak, Alaska, was incorporated at the site of the former base. Down from a peak population of 6000, the island recorded a 2000 census population of 316 residents, all in the city of Adak, in the northern part of the island. In 1980, the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was created and much of Adak Island lies within its boundaries. Adak Airport (IATA: ADK, ICAO: PADK, FAA LID: ADK), formerly Adak Naval Air Station, is a public airport located west of Adak, on Adak Island in Alaska. ... Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the US Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory in order to save... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Adak is a census-designated place located in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska. ... 2000 US Census logo The Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13. ... Aleutians seen from space The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, island) are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming an island arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi (17,666 km²) and extending about 1,200 mi (1,900...

The January 2006 National Geographic magazine presents pictures of the Sea-based X-band Radar in tow around Cape Horn to Adak for the purpose of anti-ballistic missile space surveillance. This operation may require 100 well-paid technicians. Google Earth pictures the long-time Naval Air Base infrastructure to be located at 51°52′37.07″N, 176°38′55.00″W. Flag of the National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, is a not-for-profit scientific organization based in the United States. ... Sea-Based X-Band Radar enters Pearl Harbor on January 9, 2006 on its way to Adak Island, Alaska, transported by MV Blue Marlin. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... Google Earth is a free-of-charge, downloadable virtual globe program. ...

Education

Adak is served by the Aleutian Region Schools.

The Adak School serves grades K-12.

References

• Adak Island: Blocks 1112 through 1129 and Block 1131, Census Tract 1, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ...

See also

• Report from the Aleutians 1943 documentary about World War II shot on Adak

Report From the Aleutians was documentary propaganda film produced by the US Navy about the Aleutian island campaign. ...

External link

• Adak Island in Google Maps