The Diomede Islands consisting of the western island Big Diomede (also
known as Imaqliq, Nunarbuk or Ratmanov Island), and the eastern island
Little Diomede (also known as Krusenstern Island or Inaliq), are two rocky
islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between Russia and
Alaska. The islands are separated by an international border and the
International Date Line which is approximately 1.5 km from each island;
you can look from Alaska into tomorrow in Russia. At the closest land
approach between the United States, which controls Little Diomede, and
Russia, which controls Big Diomede, they are 3 km apart. Little Diomede
Island constitutes the Alaskan City of Diomede, while Big Diomede Island
is Russia's easternmost point. The first European to reach the islands was
the Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev in 1648. The text of the 1867 treaty
finalizing the sale of Alaska uses the islands to designate the border
between the two nations.
The image was acquired July 8, 2000, covers an area of 13.5 x 10.8 km, and
is located at 65.8 degrees north latitude, 169 degrees west longitude.
The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
