Set in the Northern Pacific Ocean, the Aleutian Islands—"Land of the Aleuts"—form an archipelago of 14 large volcanic islands and 55 smaller ones belonging to The USA and Russia. Wild and remote, these barren volcanic islands appear as stepping stones, a broken causeway that might have once linked Asia to America.
Browse the gallery and island-hop these isolated outposts shared by two superpowers.
The Aleuts
- The Aleuts are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands. Their name is derived from the Aleut word "allithuh," meaning "coastal people." Pictured is a group of Aleut hunters from Bering Island in the late 19th century.
Aleutian Islands Campaign
- In what became known as the Aleutian Islands Campaign, US troops engaged the Japanese Army at the Battle of Attu. The Americans also landed on Kiska Island. Both sides suffered heavy casualties before the islands were retaken.
Aleutian Mountain Range
- Pictured is the Pavlof Volcano, located on the Alaska Peninsula, spewing ash across the Aleutian Islands during a 2016 eruption.
Islands of Four Mountains (USA)
- The Islands of Four Mountains is an island chain of the Aleutian Islands. The four volcanoes provide one of the most visually dramatic canvases in the region.
Kagamil Island (USA)
- The ice blue waters of Kagamil Island and the weird basalt columns off its coast make this island particularly alluring. Kagamil is part of the Islands of Four Mountains chain.
Davidof Island (USA)
- In this image, a solidified volcano ash flow deposit lends an unusual perspective to this stretch of coastline. Davidof Island is part of the Rat Islands chain.
Rat Islands (USA)
- Collectively named for the brown rats accidentally introduced to the islands in about 1780, the island chain is now free of the rodents.
Unimak Island (USA)
- Unimak Island is the largest island in the Aleutian Islands chain. The Unimak Pass (pictured) is notorious for its powerful and dangerous rip tides.
Atka Island (USA)
- Pictured is one of only two remaining known B-24 wrecks on Atka Island. The bomber crash landed in December 1942, during the Aleutian Islands Campaign, with no loss of life.
Tanaga Island (USA)
- Part of the Andreanof Islands chain, Tanaga features volcanoes, waterfalls, a scattering of Aleut villages, but no native wildlife.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes (USA)
- The wonderfully named Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, on the Alaska Peninsula. If you plan to visit the Aleutian Islands, the peninsula serves as an ideal starting point.
Alaska (USA)
- Dramatic volcano scenery characterizes the Aleutian Range of mountains in Southwest Alaska. The American Aleutians belong to the US state of Alaska.
Kronotsky Nature Reserve (Russia)
- The remote and spectacular Kronotsky Nature Reserve, located on the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, is one of the stopping off points before the Russian Aleutians. Tourists can only visit for one day, and access is by helicopter.
Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia)
- Pictured is the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The Russian Aleutians are administered under the auspices of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Federation.
A settlement once thrived on Medny, but in 1970 all inhabitants were transferred to Bering Island. Save for a few visiting scientists, Medney today is completely unoccupied.
The Steller sea lion is a noisy and territorial summer visitor. The species is named after German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who first described them in 1741.
Bering Island (Russia)
- This is the largest and westernmost island of the Aleutian's Commander Islands chain. It's described as the "hidden jewel of the US-Russia Maritime Boundary." Its capital, Nikolskoye, has a population of just 676.
This detail from an early map by first Kamchatka expedition member S. Khitrov shows eastern Kamchatka, including the Commander Islands, with drawings of Steller's sea cow, the northern fur seal, and the Steller sea lion. The expedition was led by Vitus Bering.
