Скачать или смотреть The US and Russia are Just 2.4 miles apart?

Did you know that the United States and Russia are only 2.4 miles apart? They are separated by the Bering Strait, a narrow body of water between Alaska and eastern Russia. In the middle of the strait are two small islands: Little Diomede and Big Diomede.

Little Diomede belongs to the United States and has a small village of around 80 people. It’s part of Alaska and can only be reached by helicopter or boat. There are no roads, and supplies are flown in. Big Diomede belongs to Russia. It has no permanent residents, but Russian military personnel are sometimes stationed there.

The two islands are only 2.4 miles apart, but they sit on opposite sides of the International Date Line. Big Diomede is 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede, even though you can see one island from the other.

In winter, sea ice sometimes forms between them. This creates a natural ice path, and although it becomes physically possible to walk across, doing so is illegal and monitored by both governments.

The Diomede Islands are one of the closest points between the U.S. and Russia. Because of this, the area is carefully watched for any unauthorized movement between the two sides.