St. Lawrence Island

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

The state of Alaska to the U.S. belonging, treeless island with 4640 km ² land area is 145 km long and 13-36 km wide. The highest point is the 631 m high Mount Atok.

On St. Lawrence Today, about 1,300 Yupik, mainly in the main towns Gambell and Savoonga in the northwest on the north coast of the island.

The standing in the Russian service Danish naval officer Vitus Bering discovered the island on August 21, 1728 ( New Style). In the ship's log, the discovery was dated on Saturday, August 10 ( old style). He named the island in honor of the deceased, therefore, on this day in the year 258 Christian martyr Lawrence of Rome ( Lorenz / Lawrence).

The fauna of the island include the Schopfalk, a medium-sized bird of the family of the Auks. The island is one of the more important breeding colony of this kind of Zwergalk Also, the smallest Auk, is a breeding bird this island.

• Views

Aerial view of the town Gambell