Aleutian Islands

Aleutian Islands, chain of 150 small islands, southwestern Alaska, separating the northern Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea. The archipelago extends 1,800 km (1,100 mi) west from the Alaska Peninsula toward Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The four main subgroups of the Aleutian Islands from east to west are the Fox Islands, Andreanof Islands, Rat Islands, and Near Islands.

Geologically, the archipelago is a continuation of the Aleutian Range, which is on the Alaskan mainland, and contains a number of volcanic peaks. Shishaldin (2,869 m/9,414 ft), on Unimak Island, is the highest volcano. Few trees, all of stunted growth, are found, but grasses grow in abundance. Although a few good harbors are found in the archipelago, navigation is dangerous because of perpetual fog and numerous reefs. The native people, known as Aleuts, belong to the Inuit-Aleut (Eskimaleut) language family and are generally classified ethnologically as Native Americans. Fishing, hunting, and sheep raising are the principal pursuits of the inhabitants. The chief trade center is Unalaska, on the island of Unalaska. The Aleutians were visited in 1741 by the Russian navigator Alexey Ilich Chirikov and Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator in the service of Russia. During World War II, in June 1942, Japanese forces occupied Attu and Kiska islands in the Aleutians, but were forced to surrender them to U.S. forces the following year.