Aleutian islands.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: REGIONAL REVIEW

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Alaska's Aleutian Islands are a chain of volcanic landmasses curving 1,200 miles west from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Numbering more than 300, the rugged islands separate the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean and span nearly 7,000 square miles.

The Aleutians comprise four main groups: Fox Islands, nearest to the mainland, including Unalaska, Unimak, Umnak and Akutan; Andreanof Islands, including Amlia, Atka, Adak, Kanaga and Tanaga; Rat Islands, including Amchitka and Kiska; and Near Islands, the smallest and westernmost group, including Agattu and Attu. The Semichi Islands, of which Shemya is the largest, are nearby. Most of the islands are within the Aleutian National Wildlife Reserve.

The climate of the Aleutians is marked by relatively moderate temperatures with heavy rains and constant fog. Although the terrain is virtually treeless, the islands are rich with green grasses, bushes and sedges. Hunting and fishing are the main occupations of the Aleut population, who originally settled the islands. Actually, "Aleut" is a generic term that foreigners use to describe Natives of the region, but their official name is Unangan or Unangax^.

UNALASKA AND DUTCH HARBOR, THE HUB OF THE ISLANDS

The City of Unalaska is unique in that it stretches across two neighboring islands--Unalaska and Amaknak--which are connected by a bridge. Part of the Aleutians West Census Area, Unalaska has a population of about 4,300 and 59 percent of the city's residents live on Amaknak.

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Amaknak is also home to Dutch Harbor--the part of the city where large fishing boats dock, airplanes land and was the military post that was bombed in World War II. Dutch Harbor is also the name of the city's famous port. Dutch Harbor has been the largest fisheries port in the United States in terms of volume of seafood caught for nearly every year since 1981. Until 2000, it also ranked first in terms of the dollar value of its catch.

The port of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is the main port and field base for the famed Bering Sea crab fishery. The Dutch Harbor crabbing fleet is featured in the television show "The Deadliest Catch," a documentary style show on the Discovery Channel.

The name "Unalaska" is thought to be an Americanization of the Russian name "Ounalashka." Dutch Harbor was named after the Russians belief that a Dutch vessel was the first European ship to enter the harbor. With about half the region's...