A chain of rugged volcanic islands of southwest Alaska curving about 1,931 km (1,200 mi) west from the Alaska Peninsula and separating the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. The islands were explored in 1741 by Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator employed by Russia, and remained under Russian control until Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. The islands are the site of U.S. military bases and research stations.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
