Unalaska Island

Unalaska

Native name: Nawan-Alaxsxa[1]
Map of the island
Unalaska Island (Alaska)
Geography
Coordinates	53°40′24″N 166°38′54″W / 53.67333°N 166.64833°W / 53.67333; -166.64833Coordinates: 53°40′24″N 166°38′54″W / 53.67333°N 166.64833°W / 53.67333; -166.64833
Archipelago	Fox Islands
Area	1,051 sq mi (2,722 km2)
Length	128 km (80 mi)
Width	117 km (73 mi)
Highest elevation	5,906 ft (1,800.1 m)
Highest point	Mount Makushin
Country
United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Aleutians West Census Area
Largest city	Unalaska, Alaska (pop. 710)
Demographics
Population	1,759 (as of 2000)
Density	0.65 /km2 (1.68 /sq mi)

Cape Aiak, south coast of Unalaska Island, July 2008

Unalaska (Aleut: Nawan-Alaxsxa^[1]) 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 / 53.633°N 167°W / 53.633; -167. The island has a land area of 1,051 square miles (2,720 km²). It measures 127.8 kilometres (79.4 mi) long and 116.9 kilometres (72.6 mi) wide. 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 peninsulas. 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.^[2]

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 "Un" at the beginning of the name is unrelated to the prefix un- meaning not.

History

The City of Unalaska, Alaska

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.^[3]

In Moscow on May 31, 1988, President Ronald Reagan mentioned the meeting of Americans and Russians 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.

Unalaska Island in 1972.

References

• Unalaska Island: Blocks 1016 thru 1018, Census Tract 1 and Blocks 2002 thru 2028, Block 2031, Census Tract 2, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska United States Census Bureau

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Unalaska Island

• Community of Unalaska
• Unalaska information
• Unalaska Community Broadcasting
• Photos from Unalaska Island, July 2008