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The Commander Islands

The Komandorskiy archipelago consists of two large islands: Bering island (approximately 95*15 km) and Medniy (“Copper”) island (approximately 55*5 km), two small islands and plenty of seastacks and rocks with a total area of about 2 000 km2. The islands are the western part of the Aleutian Islands chain stretching over than 2 000 km between Kamchatka and Alaska and forming a unique “bridge” between Eurasia and North America. Due to the unique geographical location the ranges of animals and plants species belonging to different biotic provinces are over-covered on the islands. This resulted in the forming of flora and fauna with unique combination of species with Asian and American origin. For example, the Komandorskiye Islands are the eastern boundary of 93 vascular plant species range and western boundary of 10 vascular plant species range. This is the single place in Russia where North-America species of birds live: American eagle, Canada goose, glaucous-winged gull, red-legged kittiwake and others.

Many species, subspecies and forms are the endemic forms of the archipelago. A variety of endemic species, subspecies and forms of plants, mammals, birds, fish and invertebrate animals live on the Komandorskiye Islands: Medniy arctic fox, Bering arctic fox, rock ptarmigan, rock sandpiper, murrelet, wren, gray-crowned rosy finch, king salmon (island population), landlocked sockeye and silver salmon, island wormwood, Bering cinquefoil and others.

Many rare species of animals are listed in the Red Book of Russia: harbor seal (insular seal), sea lion, Medniy arctic fox, sea otter, Cuvier's beaked whales, sabre-toothed whale, seiwhale, common finwhale, humpback and southern right whale, short-tailed albatross, emperor goose, gerfalcon, red-legged kittiwake and others. Many of them are also included into the international Red Book (endangered-species list): insular seal, sea lion, all mentioned species of whales, short-tailed albatross, red-legged kittiwake and others. The following land plants are listed in the Red Book of Russia and need to be protected: Asian quillwort, Kamchatka butterfly orchid, ladies'-slipper, large-flowered ladies'-slipper, Bering cinquefoil, island wormwood.

The islands were uninhabited until the middle of the XVIII century. At the present time all population (about 800 people) is concentrated in the single settlement Nikolskoye on Bering Island. The population is mixed due to its origin: approximately 500 Russian and 300 Komandorskiy Aleuts. During the last 10 years the population of the islands decreased approximately to 50% in the result of influence of social and economic changes that happen in Russia. Inhabitants of the settlement work in the public sector or sustain their life being engaged in fishing, gardening, hunting reindeer and some marine mammals.