The Aleutian Islands - Birthplace of Greenpeace

The Aleutian Islands - Birthplace of Greenpeace

Mountains, volcanoes, little vegetation and sub-arctic climate with just 10C in the summer to admit, it sounds like it's not a vacation for sunbathers, but the Aleutian Islands are worth a visit anyway, since they have a significant status in the Earth's history.

The long, curved chain of islands once emerged from the Bering Bridge. This was a land bridge between North America and Asia and is said to have brought the first early settlers to America. In the course of ice melting and increased sea levels, parts of the bridge however were flooded permanently. Therefore, only the "footprints" of this connection remain and the continents are divided for good.

The volcanoes of the islands, some of which are still active, include the Pacific Ring of Fire, a volcanic belt that surrounds the whole Pacific. The Aleutian Islands also represent the boundary between the Bering Sea and the North Pacific.

Three quarters of the islands belong to the United States and were obtained during the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire. A small part of the western commander islands also called Russian Kommandorski Islands belong to Russia, on which mainland the Aleutian adjacent.

Only about 600 people live on the Commander Islands and the rest of the islands are also only sparsely populated with about 6000 inhabitants to nearly 38 000 km. In the 18th and 19th century mainly Asian fur hunters came to the islands to hunt for seals, fox and rodent species. This animal richness and the resulting wealth was part of the Battle of the Aleutian Islands between the US and Japan in the Second World War.

Even today the people are very close to the nature and even though the fur animal hunting no longer represents the main source of income, it is still an important tradition. However, even rare species of birds, otters, seals and whales are being seen on the coasts of the Aleutian Islands, to the delight of animal loving visitors.

Particularly fond of animals and nature were the major participants in the protests, which turned in 1971 against a nuclear test the United States planned to do on the Aleutians. Even if they ultimately failed and the test was carried out underground, the protest got worldwide attention and the now well-known environmental organization Greenpeace was born. What had an important role in the Earth's geological history, is now a symbolic environmental reserve that is a must visit for every nature lover!

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