Satellite photo of the Bering Strait, with the Diomede Islands at center.

Closeup satellite photo (in false color) of the Diomede Islands

The Diomede Islands (Russian: Острова Диомида Ostrova Diomida), consisting of the western island Big Diomede or Imaqliq, also known as Ratmanov Island, and the eastern island Little Diomede or Inaliq, are two rocky islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia. Download high resolution version (1043x653, 111 KB)NASA image, taken by MISR sattelite, from http://www. ... Download high resolution version (1043x653, 111 KB)NASA image, taken by MISR sattelite, from http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x948, 77 KB) Diomede Islands NASA Landsat 7 false-colour image File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Diomede Islands ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x948, 77 KB) Diomede Islands NASA Landsat 7 false-colour image File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Diomede Islands ... Satellite photo of the Bering Strait Nautical chart of the Bering Strait The Bering Strait is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, the eastmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, the westernmost point of the American continent, approximately 85 km (58 mi) in width, with a... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,854 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

The islands are separated by an international border and the International Date Line. At the closest land approach between the United States (which controls Little Diomede) and Russia (which controls Big Diomede, part of the Chukotka region), they are 3 km (2 miles) apart. Big Diomede Island is Russia's easternmost point, while Alaska's Aleutian Islands are the westernmost point of the United States. The International Date Line around 180° The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, which offsets the hours that are added or subtracted as one travels east or west through successive time zones. ... Chukotka Autonomous District (Russian: , tr. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ... This is a list of the extreme points of the United States, the points that are farther north, south, east, or west than any other location in the country. ...

15 kilometres (9 miles) south-southeast of Little Diomede is a small uninhabited island called Fairway Rock. Fairway Rock (65° 37. ...

History

The islands were named by Danish explorer Vitus Bering in 1728. Vitus Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correctly, Behring) (August 1681–December 19, 1741) was a Danish-born navigator in the service of the Russian Navy, a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ...

The text of the 1867 treaty finalizing the sale of Alaska uses the islands to designate the boundary between the two nations: The border separates "equidistantly Krusenstern Island, or Ignaluk, from Ratmanov Island, or Nunarbuk, and heads northward infinitely until it disappears completely in the Arctic Ocean." 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Alaska purchase from Russia by the United States occurred in 1867 at the behest of Secretary of State William Seward. ...

Because the International Date Line runs down the 4-km (2.5-mi) gap between the two islands, you can look from Alaska into "tomorrow" in Russia.

During the Cold War, Lynne Cox swam from one island to the other. The Diomede Islands are often mentioned as likely intermediate stops for a bridge or tunnel spanning the Bering Strait. The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война Kholodnaya Voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their military alliance partners. ... Lynne Cox (born 1957) is a long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Strait Nautical chart of the Bering Strait The Bering Strait is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, the eastmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, the westernmost point of the American continent, approximately 85 km (58 mi) in width, with a...

In summer 1995, British television actor Michael Palin, famous as one of the stars of the BBC's Monty Python's Flying Circus television series of the 1970s and several movie spinoffs, started his counterclockwise circumnavigation of the Pacific Rim, encompassing 18 different countries, on Little Diomede Island, as part of the BBC series Full Circle. He intended to set foot on it again at the very end of his journey lasting nearly eight months, but was unable to do so because he was returning during the following winter (on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro), and the sea became too rough to allow him and his film crew to land on the island. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Palin (1999) Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born May 5, 1943 in Broomhill, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England) is an English comedian, actor and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... Monty Pythons Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus, MPFC or just Monty Python during the fourth season) was a popular, surreal BBC sketch comedy show from Monty Python, and the groups initial claim to fame. ... Coast Guard Seal The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a military branch of the United States involved in maritime law, mariner assistance and search and rescue, among other duties of any coast guard. ... USCGC Munro (WHEC-724) is a High Endurance Cutter of the United States Coast Guard, named for Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro (1919–1942), currently the only Coast Guardsman to be awarded the Medal of Honor. ...

See also

• Diomede, Alaska

Diomede is a city located in Nome Census Area, Alaska. ...

External links

• Images of the islands
• Little Diomede page, with images
• Images of the islands
• Michael Palin site about Diomedes
• Dateliner Webcam: vantage of Big Diomede from Little Diomede