Shumagin Islands

The Shumagin Islands are one of the Alaska Peninsula offshore island group in the Gulf of Alaska. Administratively, they are part of the Aleutians East Borough. The only settlement is Sand Point on Popof Iceland with 893 inhabitants ( as of 2007).

The archipelago comprises in addition to several smaller islands Popof Iceland, Iceland Korovin, Nagai Iceland, Iceland Simeonof and Big and Little Koniuji Iceland. Unga Iceland in 1968 was designated as a National Natural Landmark because of the scientific importance of the place on the coast petrified trees. Simeonof Iceland is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

The Shumagin Islands in 1741 were named by Vitus Bering after Nikita Shumagin, one of his sailors, who had died of scurvy and buried at Nagai Iceland. From Innokenty Weniaminow, a Russian Orthodox priest who evangelized the Aleut population, in 1840 the name for the island group as " Kagigun " was documented. Adam Johann von Krusenstern of the Imperial Russian Army, published in 1827 the French name " I ( les ) Choumagin ".