Saint Lawrence Island

Saint Lawrence Island
	False color satellite image
Waters	Bering Sea
Geographical location	63 ° 25 ′ N , 170 ° 24 ′ W Coordinates: 63 ° 25 ′ N , 170 ° 24 ′ W
length	145 km
width	36 km
surface	4th 640.1 km²
Highest elevation	Atuk Mountain ; 631 m
Residents	1292 (2000) ; <1 inh / km²
main place	Gambell
	Map of Saint Lawrence Island

The St. Lawrence Island ( English St. Lawrence Island , Yupik language: Sivuqaq ) is located in the middle of the Bering Sea about 250 km southwest of the western tip of Alaska and almost 100 km off the eastern tip of Russia .

The treeless island , which belongs to the US state of Alaska , is 140 km long and between 13 and 35 kilometers wide. With 4640 km² of land, it is the largest island in the Bering Sea. The highest point is the 631 m high Mount Atok .

Today about 1300 Yupik live on St. Lorenz , mainly in the main towns of Gambell in the northwest and Savoonga on the north coast of the island.

The Danish naval officer in Russian service Vitus Bering discovered the island on August 21, 1728 ( new style ). In the ship's diary, the discovery was dated Saturday, August 10th ( old style ). He therefore named the island in honor of the Christian martyr Laurentius of Rome ( Lorenz / Lawrence ) who died on this day in 258 .

The fauna of the island includes the crested alf , a medium-sized bird from the alken family . The island is one of the more important breeding colonies of this kind. Even the least auklet , the smallest Auk, is a breeding bird of this island.

Views
The former Northeast Cape Air Force Station
Aerial view of the village of Gambell
Satellite image of the island

Web links

Commons : Sankt Lawrence Island - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ St Lawrence Island (Alaska) cruisemapper.com , accessed November 2, 2017.
↑ Block Group 6, Census Tract 1, Nome Census Area, Alaska American Fact Finder, accessed November 2, 2017. (English)
↑ The dating in the ship's diary does not take into account the crossing of the date line . In North America it was still Friday.
^ Anthony J. Gaston and Ian L. Jones: The Auks . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854032-9 , p. 245
^ Anthony J. Gaston and Ian L. Jones: The Auks . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854032-9 , p. 257.

[1] St Lawrence Island (Alaska) cruisemapper.com , accessed November 2, 2017.

[2] Block Group 6, Census Tract 1, Nome Census Area, Alaska American Fact Finder, accessed November 2, 2017. (English)

[3] The dating in the ship's diary does not take into account the crossing of the date line . In North America it was still Friday.

[4] Anthony J. Gaston and Ian L. Jones: The Auks . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854032-9 , p. 245

[5] Anthony J. Gaston and Ian L. Jones: The Auks . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-854032-9 , p. 257.