The Bering Strait separates Asia from North America between Russia and Alaska.
The strait connects the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea with the Pacific Ocean’s Bering Sea. At its narrowest point it is about 82 kilometres wide, although the distance between the closest islands is much smaller. Russia lies to the west and the United States, through Alaska, lies to the east.
The Diomede Islands sit in the middle of the strait. Big Diomede belongs to Russia, while Little Diomede belongs to the United States; the International Date Line passes between them. Because of this, the islands are sometimes nicknamed Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Isle.
During Ice Age periods when sea levels were lower, the Bering Strait region became Beringia, a broad land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska. Humans and animals could move across that exposed region. The modern strait is named for Danish explorer Vitus Bering, who sailed through the area in 1728.