Describes the remote island on the Bering Sea

1. The Little Diomede Island
(native name Ignaluk, Inalik )
(former Krusenstern)
This tiny island is
located in the Bering
Strait between
mainland Alaska and
Siberia .
The Diomede Islands consist of two rocky islands
The Diomede islands
(Big and Little) are
separated by an
international border and
the International Date
Line which is
approximately 1 km
from each island.
The only permanently inhabitated settlement is Diomede (Inalik), in the
Little Diomede Island.

2. The Bering Strait area is extremely remote and sparsely populated.
Air is the main mode of travel in the area, and across the strait there are
very few flights, mainly by small companies located in Nome.

5. Little Diomede is the smaller
of the two Diomede islands

6. They are sometimes
called Tomorrow Island
(Big Diomede) and
Yesterday Isle (Little
Diomede) because the
big island is 21 hours
ahead of the small
one.).
One can look from the
smaller island into
"tomorrow", in Russia’s
Big Diomede.

7. Little Diomede , with an
area of 2 square miles,
lies at approximately
65.75° North and
-168.95° West.
2 Arctic foxes,
thousands of sea birds,
seals, whales, walrus
and polar bears frequent
the surrounding water
and sea ice.

8. Little Diomede is flat-topped, steep-sided and very isolated by its
location, by rough seas, and by the persistent fog that shrouds the island
during the warmer months.

9. The location of the village is the only area which does not have near-
vertical cliffs to the water. Behind the city and around the entire island
rocky slopes rise at about 40° up to the relatively flattened top.
The site is believed to be at least 3 000 years old and was originally a
spring hunting campsite.

10. Diomede, population: ~160
No margin is left for a village along the shore, so the natives had to
perch their huts on the cliffs, dragging boats and everything up and
down steep trails.
There is a breakwater and small boat harbour.

11. The huts are mostly of stone with skin roofs. They look like mere stone
heaps, black dots on the snow at a distance

12. Ski planes do occasionally land on an ice runway during the winter
months. Regular flights are scheduled from Nome, weather permitting.

14. Weekly mail delivery is made by helicopter.
Here, the visit from russian neighbours.

15. • Little Diomede Inuit natives live a subsistence lifestyle, harvesting
fish and crab, hunting beluga whales, walrus, seals and any polar
bears from Alaska - when Bering sea is frozen.

16. There are about 30 buildings on the island, including the residential
housing that was mainly built in the 1970s and 1980s

17. Because of local topology,
there are no streets or cars –
people’s access to their homes
or services are made by
wooden stairs.

18. Inuit hunting a walrus.

19. Walrus skins drying on driftwood racks. People make a living by seal
and walrus hunting and carving ivory, and then selling or trading the
skins and carvings in Nome.

20. This is the local clinic
and washeteria..
Laundromat, showers,
and clinic for basic health
care.

21. The shop provides basic food, non-alcoholic beverages, clothing,
firearms, ammunition and fuel.

22. Local children
Other services include a satellite dish for television, telephone, fax, and
Internet service

23. School is the best
building, cherished
by the comunity
A few residents work for
the local government,
post-office and school.

24. The Diomede people are excellent ivory
carvers; ivory works are mainly sold in
mainland Alaska

25. 3 carved birds in flight, in walrus ivory
Walrus ivory bracelet
It's a stretch bracelet with
carved figures of a polar
bear, whale, seal, walrus,
and a fox or wolf.
It is signed 'Raleigh Ozenna
Little Diomede'

28. © Mário Ricca, 2009
Sources:
http://www.trekearth.com
http://www.panoramio.com/
http://www.pbase.com
http://www.flickr.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com
http://www.woophy.com/photo