Bering Strait | |
---|---|
![]() The Bering Strait | |
![]() Nautical chart of the Bering Strait | |
Location | North Asia and Northern America |
Coordinates | 65°45′00″N 168°58′37″W / 65.75000°N 168.97694°W |
Basin countries | Russia, United States |
Min. width | 82 km (51 mi) |
Average depth | 30–50 m (98–164 ft) |
Max. depth | 90 m (300 ft) |
Islands | Diomede Islands |
The Bering Strait (Russian: Берингов пролив, romanized: Beringov proliv) is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, separating the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The present Russia-United States maritime boundary is at 168° 58' 37" W longitude, slightly south of the Arctic Circle at about 65° 40' N latitude. The Strait is named after Vitus Bering, a Danish-born Russian explorer.
The Bering Strait has been the subject of the scientific theory that humans migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge known as Beringia when lower ocean levels – a result of glaciers locking up vast amounts of water – exposed a wide stretch of the sea floor,[1] both at the present strait and in the shallow sea north and south of it. This view of how Paleo-Indians entered America has been the dominant one for several decades and continues to be the most accepted one. Numerous successful crossings without the use of a boat have also been recorded since at least the early 20th century.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search