Unalaska Island
Encyclopedia
Unalaska is an island
in the Fox Islands
group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state
of Alaska
, at 53°38′N 167°00′W. The island has a land area of 1051 square miles (2,722.1 km²). The city of Unalaska, Alaska
, covers part of the island and all of neighboring Amaknak Island
where the Port of Dutch Harbor is located. The population of the island excluding Amaknak (as of the 2000 census
) was 1,759.
Unalaska is the second-largest island in the Fox Islands group and the Aleutian Islands.
The coastline of Unalaska is markedly different in appearance than other major Aleutian Islands, with innumerable inlets and peninsula
s. The irregular coastline is broken by three long deep bays, Beaver Inlet, Unalaska Bay, and Makushin Bay, as well as by numerous smaller bays and coves. Unalaska's terrain is rugged and covered with mountains, and during the greater part of the year the higher elevations are covered with snow.
The name Unalaska is Aleut
. Several theories about its origin exist; most likely is that the name comes from a corruption of the Russian
word Ounalashka from the Aleut word for near the mainland, nawan Alaskax. Unalaska is also the Aleut name for the island.
The island was discovered by Vitus Bering
in 1741. A Russian settlement sprang up in 1759, but four years later it was destroyed by the Aleuts, together with four merchant ships. The massacre claimed the lives of 162 Russian settlers. The survivors managed to hold their own until 1764, when they were rescued by the Russians. This event triggered bloody reprisals against the natives which cost the lives of about 5,000 Aleuts.
The 1788 expedition of Esteban José Martínez
and Gonzalo López de Haro
explored the coast of Alaska as far as Unalaska Island, marking the farthest west the Spanish ever explored in the region.
In Moscow
on May 31, 1988, President
Ronald Reagan
mentioned the meeting of Americans and Russia
ns on this island in the 19th century as an example of early U.S.-Russian friendship.
On December 8, 2004, the Malaysian cargo ship
Selendang Ayu
ran aground off Unalaska Island, causing a large oil spill
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Fox Islands
Fox Islands (Alaska)
The Fox Islands are a group of islands in the eastern Aleutian Islands of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Fox Islands are the closest to mainland North America in the Aleutian chain, and just east of Samalga Pass and the Islands of Four Mountains group....
group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, at 53°38′N 167°00′W. The island has a land area of 1051 square miles (2,722.1 km²). The city of Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska....
, covers part of the island and all of neighboring Amaknak Island
Amaknak Island
Amaknak Island or Umaknak Island is an islet in Unalaska Bay, northeast of Unalaska Island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. The Dutch Harbor area of Unalaska, Alaska is on Amaknak Island...
where the Port of Dutch Harbor is located. The population of the island excluding Amaknak (as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
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 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
) was 1,759.
Unalaska is the second-largest island in the Fox Islands group and the Aleutian Islands.
The coastline of Unalaska is markedly different in appearance than other major Aleutian Islands, with innumerable inlets and peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
s. The irregular coastline is broken by three long deep bays, Beaver Inlet, Unalaska Bay, and Makushin Bay, as well as by numerous smaller bays and coves. Unalaska's terrain is rugged and covered with mountains, and during the greater part of the year the higher elevations are covered with snow.
The name Unalaska is Aleut
Aleut language
Aleut is a language of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. It is the heritage language of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Commander Islands. As of 2007 there were about 150 speakers of Aleut .- Dialects :Aleut is alone with the Eskimo languages in the...
. Several theories about its origin exist; most likely is that the name comes from a corruption of the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
word Ounalashka from the Aleut word for near the mainland, nawan Alaskax. Unalaska is also the Aleut name for the island.
History
Vitus Bering
Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correNavy]], a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands...
in 1741. A Russian settlement sprang up in 1759, but four years later it was destroyed by the Aleuts, together with four merchant ships. The massacre claimed the lives of 162 Russian settlers. The survivors managed to hold their own until 1764, when they were rescued by the Russians. This event triggered bloody reprisals against the natives which cost the lives of about 5,000 Aleuts.
The 1788 expedition of Esteban José Martínez
Esteban José Martínez Fernández y Martínez de la Sierra
Esteban José Martínez Fernández y Martínez de la Sierra, or simply Esteban José Martínez was a Spanish navigator and explorer, native of Seville...
and Gonzalo López de Haro
Gonzalo López de Haro
Gonzalo López de Haro was a Spanish explorer, notable for his expeditions in the Pacific Northwest in the late 18th century....
explored the coast of Alaska as far as Unalaska Island, marking the farthest west the Spanish ever explored in the region.
In Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on May 31, 1988, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
mentioned the meeting of Americans and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns on this island in the 19th century as an example of early U.S.-Russian friendship.
On December 8, 2004, the Malaysian cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Selendang Ayu
Selendang Ayu
The M/V Selendang Ayu, was a Malaysian cargo ship registered to the IMC Group. It was carrying a cargo of soybeans from Seattle, Washington to China when it ran aground off the coast of Unalaska Island in western Alaska's Aleutian Islands on December 8, 2004. This resulted in a large oil spill.Two...
ran aground off Unalaska Island, causing a large oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
.