Rat Islands

The Rat Islands (Qax̂um tanangis in Aleut) are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska, between Buldir Island and the Near Islands group to its west, and Amchitka Pass and the Andreanof Islands group to its east, at about 51°46′N 178°34′E.

7 - Kiska; 12 - Little Sitkin; 13 - Rat; 14 - Amchitka; 15 - Semisopochnoi.

The largest islands in the group are, from west to east, Kiska, Little Kiska, Segula, Rat or Kryssei, Khvostof, Davidof, Little Sitkin, Amchitka, and Semisopochnoi. The total land area of the Rat Islands is 934.594 km² (360.849 sq mi). None of the islands are inhabited.

The name Rat Islands is the English translation of the name given to the islands by Captain Fyodor Petrovich Litke in 1827 when he visited the Aleutian Islands on a voyage around the world.

The Rat Islands are very earthquake-prone as they are located on the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. In 1965, there was a major earthquake with the magnitude 8.7 in the Rat Islands.

References

• Rat Islands: Blocks 1138 thru 1145, Census Tract 1, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska United States Census Bureau