Attu

Attu, westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, southwestern Alaska. The islands are located between the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, 710 km (440 miles) east of the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. The International Date Line, which marks the place where navigators change their date by one day on a transpacific voyage, makes a jog westward around Attu, which is so far west of North America that it is in the eastern hemisphere.

Attu is a rocky, volcanic, almost barren island, with a cool marine climate. Fog, drizzle, and rain predominate all year round. The island is sparsely inhabited by Aleuts, the indigenous peoples of the Aleutian Islands, who make a living fishing and growing subsistence vegetables. During World War II, Attu was invaded by the Japanese in June 1942 and recaptured in May 1943 by United States and Canadian forces. American troops garrisoned it through the remainder of the war as one of several Aleutian bases in the Alaskan defense system.