Shortest distance between Alaska and Russia

There exists a geographic point where two of the largest countries in the world are separated by less than three miles.

Russia (ranked as the largest country in the world at 6,601,670 square miles) and the United States (ranked as the fourth largest country in the world at 3,677,649 square miles) are only separated by a short distance but time wise are 21 hours apart.

Where are the United States and Russia the Closest Geographically?

The closest geographic point between the borders of the United States and Russia lies in the Bering Strait located in the Pacific Ocean.  

Located between midland Siberia and the state of Alaska are two small islands. The Chukchi Sea lies to the north and the Bering Sea to the south.

Separating the two islands is the International Date Line (IDL) which is also the border between Russia and the United States.  

A mere 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers) separates the two islands.  

The larger island is known as Big Diomedes is the easternmost point in Russia.  The smaller island is known as Little Diomedes and is within the United States’ border.

Little Diomedes is  0.6 kilometers (0.4 mi) from the International Date Line. Big Diomedes is 1.3 kilometers (0.81 mi) west of the IDL.

This area is the closest country to the United States without sharing a border. Big Diomedes in Russia is only 40 kilometers (25 miles) from mainland Alaska.

Separated by 21 Hours During Standard Time

Since the IDL separates the two islands, they are also referred to as Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Isle.  Tomorrow Island (Big Diomedes) is 21 hours ahead of Yesterday Isle (Little Diomedes) during standard time although some people erroneously think these two islands are separated by 23 hours.

The reason for the 21-hour time difference is because Little Diomede is in the same timezone as mainland Alaska which is UTC (coordinated universal time) minus 9 hrs (although during daylight saving time the time offset of Alaska is eight hours). Big Diomede is in the Kamchatka time zone which is UTC+12. So, during standard time, this would be -9 – 12 which equals to a 21-hour difference.

Who were the Diomede Islands Named After?

The islands were named after the Greek saint Diomede by Danish-Russian navigator Vitus Bering who sighted the islands on August 16, 1728, the feast day of the saint.

Political Separation of the Diomede Islands

The political separation occurred when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 and a new border was drawn between the two islands. During the Cold War, the section of the Bering Straight that passes between the two islands was nicknamed the “Ice Curtain”.

About 52 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the islands have a mild temperature during the summer months, averaging about 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter, temperatures dip below freezing, averaging 6 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the winter months, an ice bridge spans the two islands although travel between the two is not allowed. The ice retreats northward by the summer and the waters during the summer are completely ice free.

Based on the 2010 US Census, about 115 Inupiat people live on the western shore of Little Diomedes in the village of Diomedes (also known as Iŋaliq.).

Big Diomedes has no permanent residents but the island houses a Russian weather station. Big Diomedes is the easternmost point in Russia.

Related

• Geography of the International Date Line
• Where are the Most Remote Islands in the World?
• New Baby Island in the Zubair Islands

How far is Russia from the US? | Image: NASA

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Russia and the USA appear to be on opposites sides of the world
• But the two countries are technically only 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometres) apart
• There are two small islands in Bering Strait - Big Diomede and Little Diomede - that are just 2.4 miles away
  

When you take a look at the world map, it appears that Russia and the United States of America are on opposite sides of the world. We have seen the world map below in our school books, online.

(Image: mapsofworld.com)

However, Russia and US are not that far apart. In fact, they are much closer than you think.

The narrowest distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is approximately 55 miles (88.5 kilometres), according to alaskacenters.gov.

However, there is a water body that separates the two countries by a distance of just 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometres).

How far is Russia from the US?

(Image: NASA)

The closest geographic point between the borders of the USA and Russia lies in the Bering Strait located in the Pacific Ocean. There are two small islands in Bering Strait - Big Diomede and Little Diomede - that are just 2.4 miles away from each other.

While Big Diomede is owned by Russia, Little Diomede is owned by the US.

(Image: NASA)

Interestingly, Big Diomedes is 21 hours ahead of Little Diomedes.

To add to this, Big Diomedes is also known as Tomorrow Island while Little Diomedes is also known as Yesterday Island.

The stretch of water between these two islands actually freezes over during the winter. So, if you were to walk from the US to Russia on this seasonal sea ice, you would literally be walking into the next day. However, travel between the two islands is not allowed.

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 and a new border was drawn between the two islands.

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