Information About

Amchitka Island

Quick Facts

Open in The Map Amchitka Island on The Map

Location

51 ° 32' 31.999" N,
178 ° 58' 59.999" E

Region

Aleutians West (CA)

Nearest City

Adak

Length

35 mi (56.33 km)

Amchitka Island in Detail.

About

One of the Rat Islands; Aleutian Islands. 35 miles long and 3 miles wide.

History

Aleut name reported by early Russians as "Ostrov Amchitka." Baker (1906, p. 96), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), indicates that this may be the island named "St. Makarius (St. Markiana)" by Vitus Bering on October 25, 1741 (Old Style (O.S.) calendar). Golder (1922, p. 199-200), however, was of the opinion that Amchitka is too low to have been seen by Bering, and thus it is more probable that Kiska as the island so named.