Etolin Strait
Encyclopedia
Etolin Strait is a strait
in the western region of the U.S. state
of Alaska
, at about 60°20′N 165°25′W. It is between Nunivak Island
to its west and Nelson Island
and the Alaska mainland to its east. It is demarcated by Cape Etolin to the northwest and Cape Corwin
to the southwest (both on Nunivak Island), by Cape Vancouver on Nelson Island to the northeast, and by Cape Avinol on the Alaskan mainland to the southeast.
The strait connects Kuskokwim Bay
and the Bering Sea
. It is 96 km (59.7 mi) long and 48–80 km (30-50) miles wide. It is known for strong tidal currents.
Etolin Strait is named after Adolf Etolin
, who discovered it and named it Cook Strait. (Etolin was subsequently governor of Russian America
from 1840 to 1845.)
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
in the western region of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, at about 60°20′N 165°25′W. It is between Nunivak Island
Nunivak Island
Nunivak Island , the second largest island in the Bering Sea, is a permafrost-covered volcanic island lying about 30 miles offshore from the delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers in the state of Alaska, at about 60° North latitude...
to its west and Nelson Island
Nelson Island (Alaska)
Nelson Island is an island in the Bethel Census Area of southwestern Alaska. It is 42 miles long and 20–35 miles wide. With an area of 843 square miles , it is the 15th largest island in the United States...
and the Alaska mainland to its east. It is demarcated by Cape Etolin to the northwest and Cape Corwin
Cape Corwin
Cape Corwin is the easternmost point of Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea in the U.S. state of Alaska. In the Cup'ig language it is known as Cing'ig . According to Donald Orth the name marks the southwest entrance point to Etolin Strait...
to the southwest (both on Nunivak Island), by Cape Vancouver on Nelson Island to the northeast, and by Cape Avinol on the Alaskan mainland to the southeast.
The strait connects Kuskokwim Bay
Kuskokwim Bay
Kuskokwim Bay is a bay in southwestern Alaska, at about . It is about long, and wide.The Kuskokwim River empties into Kuskokwim Bay. The bay got its name from the river. The largest community on the bay is the city of Quinhagak....
and the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
. It is 96 km (59.7 mi) long and 48–80 km (30-50) miles wide. It is known for strong tidal currents.
Etolin Strait is named after Adolf Etolin
Adolf Etolin
Adolf Karlovich Etolin, lso Arvid Adolf Etholén, Russian: Адольф Карлович Этолин was a naval officer, explorer and administrator who was employed by the Russian-American Company. He was a Swedish-speaking Finn who was born in Helsinki, Finland...
, who discovered it and named it Cook Strait. (Etolin was subsequently governor of Russian America
Russian colonization of the Americas
The Russian colonization of the Americas covers the period, from 1732 to 1867, when the Tsarist Imperial Russian Empire laid claim to northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas...
from 1840 to 1845.)