Native name: Nawan-Alaxsxa[1] | |
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 Map of the island | |
  Unalaska Unalaska in Alaska | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Aleutian island archipelago, United States and Russia |
| Coordinates | 53°40′24″N166°38′54″W / 53.67333°N 166.64833°W /53.67333; -166.64833 |
| Archipelago | Fox Islands |
| Major islands | Unalaska |
| Area | 1,051 sq mi (2,720 km2) |
| Length | 128 km (79.5 mi) |
| Width | 56 km (34.8 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 6,680 ft (2036 m) |
| Highest point | Mount Makushin |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Aleutians West Census Area |
| Largest settlement | Unalaska, Alaska (pop. 4432) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 5,638 (2019) |
| Pop. density | 1.83/km2 (4.74/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Aleut and other Native Alaskan groups |
Unalaska (Aleut:Nawan-Alaxsxa;[1]Russian:Уналашка) is avolcanic island in theFox Islands group of theAleutian Islands in theUS state ofAlaska located at53°38′N167°00′W / 53.633°N 167.000°W /53.633; -167.000. The island has a land area of 1,051 square miles (2,720 km2). It measures 79.4 mi (127.8 km) long and 34.7 mi (55.8 km) wide. The city ofUnalaska, Alaska, covers part of the island and all of neighboringAmaknak Island where the Port ofDutch Harbor is located. The population of the island excluding Amaknak as of the2000 census was 1,759 residents.
Unalaska is the second-largest island in the Fox Islands group and the Aleutian Islands. The coastline of Unalaska is markedly different in appearance than other major Aleutian Islands, with numerousinlets andpeninsulas. The irregular coastline is broken by three long deep bays, Beaver Inlet,Unalaska Bay, and Makushin Bay, as well as by numerous smaller bays and coves. Unalaska's terrain is rugged and covered with mountains, and during the greater part of the year, the higher elevations are covered with snow.[2] The highest point on Unalaska is the activeMakushin Volcano.
Unalaska is theAleut name for the island. Several theories about its origin exist; the most likely is that the name derives from theRussian wordOunalashka, an adaptation of the Aleut word for near the mainland,nawan Alaskax.
Native Unalaskans, called Unangan orAleuts, to non-Unangan, have lived on the island for at least 10,000 years.[3] The island was first seen by westerners in 1741 byVitus Bering.[4] By 1759, at least 3,000 Aleuts lived on Unalaska island. A Russian settlement was constructed in 1759, but four years later it was destroyed by theAleuts, together with four merchant ships. The attacks claimed the lives of 162 Russian settlers. The survivors managed to hold their own until 1764, when they were rescued by the Russians. This event triggered bloody reprisals against the natives which took the lives of about 5,000 Aleuts. By 1787, many Aleut seal hunters were enslaved by the Russian American Company and forced to harvest seal fur. By 1840, only 200 to 400 Aleuts still lived on the island.[5]
In October 1778, English explorerJames Cook visited the island for three weeks on histhird voyage, and spelled it Oonalashka in his journal.[6]
The 1788 expedition ofEsteban José Martínez andGonzalo López de Haro explored the coast of Alaska as far as Unalaska Island, marking the farthest west the Spanish ever explored in the region.[7]
The Russian shipRurik led byOtto von Kotzebue visited Unalaska twice, in 1815 and 1816. During the second visit, the French-German naturalistAdelbert von Chamisso collaborated with natives to create three-dimensional models of different whale species, in order to transfer and conserveindigenous knowledge aboutwhales. He published drawings along withAleut species names of the painted driftwood models,[8] which are preserved in Berlin.[9][10][11]
InMoscow on May 31, 1988,PresidentRonald Reagan mentioned the meeting of Americans andRussians on this island in the 19th century as an example of early US-Russian friendship.
On December 8, 2004, theMalaysiancargo shipSelendang Ayu ran aground off Unalaska Island, causing a largeoil spill.
On October 25, 1977, an extremely intenseextratropical system struck the area. A pressure of 926 millibars was recorded at Dutch Harbor, which is the lowest non-tropical pressure ever recorded in the United States until December 31, 2020 when another system struck the islands with a pressure of 924.8 millibars.[12]
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