Diomede, Remote settlement in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States
Diomede sits on Little Diomede Island in the Bering Sea, a small settlement clinging to steep rock walls rising about 500 meters above the water. Wooden houses cling to the slope, linked by narrow stairways built from timber and stone.
A Danish-Russian explorer passed the island on August 16, 1728, and gave it its name. Inupiat families, however, have inhabited this place for several thousand years.
Residents still speak Inupiaq and use handcraft techniques to work with seal skin and whale bone. On weekends, families often gather at the community center, where shared meals strengthen the connection to island life.
A helicopter flies from Nome on the mainland, as sea ice and strong winds make regular ship connections impossible. Visitors should pack warm clothes, because even in summer temperatures stay cool and winds blow hard.
Big Diomede Island lies just two miles away on the Russian side and yet is 21 hours ahead because of the Date Line. On clear days, residents see the Russian island but cannot easily cross over.
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