Which strait separates the Asian mainland from the North American mainland?

The Bering Strait separates the Asian mainland from the North American mainland.

The strait lies between Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula and Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. It connects the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea with the Pacific Ocean’s Bering Sea. At its narrowest point, the two mainland shores are roughly 82 kilometers apart, although the exact distance depends on the points measured.

Two islands sit near the middle of the strait: Big Diomede belongs to Russia, and Little Diomede belongs to the United States. The International Date Line passes between them, so they are sometimes called the “Tomorrow Island” and “Yesterday Isle.”

During ice ages, lower sea levels exposed Beringia, a land bridge that connected Asia and North America. Archaeological and genetic evidence links this region to the movement of ancestral peoples into the Americas, though the timing and routes remain subjects of ongoing research. The strait was named after Danish explorer Vitus Bering, whose expedition reached it in 1728.