The Diomede Islands consist of two rocky islands

The only permanently inhabitated settlement is Diomede (Inalik), in the Little Diomede Island.

The Little Diomede Island(native name Ignaluk, Inalik ) (former Krusenstern)

This tiny island is located in the Bering Strait between mainland Alaska and Siberia .

The Diomede islands (Big and Little) are separated by an international border and the International Date Line which is approximately 1 km from each island.

The Bering Strait area is extremely remote and sparsely populated. Air is the main mode of travel in the area, and across the strait there are very few flights, mainly by small companies located in Nome.

Little Diomede is the smaller of the two Diomede islands

They are sometimes called Tomorrow Island (Big Diomede) and Yesterday Isle (Little Diomede) because the big island is 21 hours ahead of the small one.). One can look from the smaller island into "tomorrow", in Russia’s Big Diomede.

Little Diomede , with an area of 2 square miles, lies at approximately 65.75° North and -168.95° West.

2 Arctic foxes, thousands of sea birds, seals, whales, walrus and polar bears frequent the surrounding water and sea ice.

Little Diomede is flat-topped, steep-sided and very isolated by its location, by rough seas, and by the persistent fog that shrouds the island during the warmer months.

The location of the village is the only area which does not have near-vertical cliffs to the water. Behind the city and around the entire island rocky slopes rise at about 40° up to the relatively flattened top.

The site is believed to be at least 3 000 years old and was originally a spring hunting campsite.

Diomede, population: ~160No margin is left for a village along the shore, so the natives had to perch their huts on the cliffs, dragging boats and everything up and down steep trails.

There is a breakwater and small boat harbour.

The huts are mostly of stone with skin roofs. They look like mere stone heaps, black dots on the snow at a distance

Ski planes do occasionally land on an ice runway during the winter months. Regular flights are scheduled from Nome, weather permitting.

Weekly mail delivery is made by helicopter. Here, the visit from russian neighbours.

Little Diomede Inuit natives live a subsistence lifestyle, harvesting fish and crab, hunting beluga whales, walrus, seals and any polar bears from Alaska - when Bering sea is frozen.

There are about 30 buildings on the island, including the residential housing that was mainly built in the 1970s and 1980s

Because of local topology, there are no streets or cars – people’s access to their homes or services are made by wooden stairs.

Inuit hunting a walrus.

Walrus skins drying on driftwood racks. People make a living by seal and walrus hunting and carving ivory, and then selling or trading the skins and carvings in Nome.

This is the local clinic and washeteria..

Laundromat, showers, and clinic for basic health care.

The shop provides basic food, non-alcoholic beverages, clothing, firearms, ammunition and fuel.

Local children

Other services include a satellite dish for television, telephone, fax, and Internet service

A few residents work for the local government, post-office and school.

School is the best building, cherished by the comunity

The Diomede people are excellent ivory carvers; ivory works are mainly sold in mainland Alaska

3 carved birds in flight, in walrus ivory

Walrus ivory braceletIt's a stretch bracelet with carved figures of a polar bear, whale, seal, walrus, and a fox or wolf.

It is signed 'Raleigh Ozenna Little Diomede'

© Mário Ricca, 2009

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