The Barren Islands (

Sugpiaq The Alutiiq people (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a sout ...

: ''Usu'unaat'') are an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. They are the northernmost islands of the

Kodiak Archipelago The Kodiak Archipelago (russian: Кадьякский архипелаг , translit = Kad'yakskiy arkhipelag) is an archipelago (group of islands) south of the main land-mass of the state of Alaska (United States), about by air south-west of A ...

. The largest island of the group is Ushagat Island. The islands have a combined land area of 16.23 square miles (42.03 km²) and are uninhabited. The largest breeding grounds of

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s in Alaska are located in the Barren Islands on

East Amatuli Island East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

and Nord Island. The archipelago is part of the

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (often shortened to Alaska Maritime or AMNWR) is a United States National Wildlife Refuge comprising 2,400 islands, headlands, rocks, islets, spires and reefs in Alaska, with a total area of , of whi ...

Geography

The Barren Islands are a group of islands in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east ...

that lie off the south-central coast of

in the

. They are the northernmost islands of the

. They are located between the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...

on the Alaskan mainland to their northeast and Shuyak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago to their southwest. They stretch across of the Gulf of Alaska, centered around . The Barren Islands group is made up of six islands: *

, the easternmost island, long, located northeast of

Afognak Afognak (Alutiiq: ''Agw’aneq''; russian: Афогнак) is an island in the Kodiak Archipelago north of Kodiak Island in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is long from east to west and wide from north to south and has a land area of , making ...

, Alaska, at . *

West Amatuli Island West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, also known as Amatuli Island, long, located between East Amatuli and Ushagat Islands, northeast of Afognak, at . * Ushagat Island, the westernmost and largest island, long, located northeast of Afognak at . * Nord Island, across, located northeast of Ushagat Island and northeast of Afognak at . * Sud Island, long, located northwest of Nord Island at . * Sugarloaf Island, across, located south of East and West Amatuli Islands and northeast of

, Alaska, at . Prominent landmarks on the islands include: * Amatuli Cove, a wide

cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...

on the northwest coast of East Amatuli Island at *

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

(1,350 feet; 838 meters) on the northeast end of Ushagat Island at

Government

The Barren Islands are uninhabited. Administratively, they are part of Alaska′s

Kodiak Island Borough Kodiak Island Borough (russian: Остров Кадьяк) is a borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2020 census, the population was 13,101, down from 13,592 in 2010. The borough seat is Kodiak. Geography The borough has a total area ...

. They also make up a part of the Gulf of Alaska Unit of the

History

The Barren Islands were named on 25 May 1778 by the British explorer Captain James Cook of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, who wrote, "They obtained their name of Barren Isles from their very naked appearance."Orth, p. 107.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

Orth, Donald J. ''Dictionary of Alaska Place Names''. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1967.

(

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

)

External links

Barren Islands
in the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

of the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

{{authority control Islands of Alaska Islands of the Kodiak Archipelago