The Aleutians are a chain of rugged, volcanic islands that curve some 1,900 km (1,200 miles) west from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula and approach Russia's Komandorski Islands. The islands are a partially submerged continuation of the Aleutian Range and they separate the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean.
There are only a few good harbors on the Aleutians, while numerous reefs make navigation treacherous. Furthermore, the relatively moderate temperatures lead to heavy rains and constant fog. The islands in the archipelago are almost treeless, but they boast a luxuriant growth of grasses, bushes and sedges. Most of the islands are included in the Aleutian National Wildlife Reserve. There are several active volcanoes in the region, of which Mount Shishaldin on Unimak is the best known.
The Aleutians were first described by Danish explorer Vitus Bering, after he visited the region in 1741. He was employed by Russia. Russian trappers, who were in search of sea otter, seal and fox fur, established settlements on the islands in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They exploited the indigenous Aleuts. The Aleutian Islands were included in the Alaska purchase of 1867, in which the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia. After the purchase, the U.S. government forbade seal trapping except by Aleuts. Fishing and fur hunting are now controlled by the federal government. Dutch Harbor, on Unalaska, became a transshipping point for the gold boomtown of Nome in 1900. The Aleutians were important during World War II. In 1940, a U.S. naval base was established at Dutch Harbor. The following year, the Japanese bombed the base and later occupied the islands of Attu, Kiska and Agattu A U.S. counterattack from bases on Adak and Amchitka regained them in 1943.
Nowadays, sheep and reindeer are raised on many of the islands, while hunting and fishing remain the main occupations of the Aleut population. Research stations and military bases are located on some of the islands as well. Amchitka has been used for underground nuclear tests.
Most of the Aleutians West Census Area's population lives on Unalaska. Accommodation is available there. The Aleutian Islands stretch southwest of Alaska, more than 2700 km southwest from Juneau and some 6900 km northwest from Washington D.C.
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