CHUKCHI SEA

'Chukchi Sea' () is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, between Chukotka and Alaska. The Bering Strait connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is bounded on one side by Wrangel Island on the west and the Beaufort Sea to the east. The principal port on the sea is Uelen.
The International Date Line crosses the Chukchi Sea from NW to SE. It is displaced eastwards to avoid Wrangel island as well as the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug on the Russian mainland.

Contents

Geography

References

Geography

The sea has an approximate area of 595,000 km² (230,000 mi²) and is only navigable about four months of the year. Depths less than 50 m (164 ft) occupy 56% of the total area.
The sea is named after the Chukchi people, who reside on its shores.
The Pegtymel River, an Eastern Siberian river, flows into the Chukchi Sea.
On September 28th 1878, during Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's expedition that made the whole length of the Northeast passage for the first time in history, steamship "Vega" got stuck in fast ice in the Chukchi Sea. Since further progress for that year was impossible, the ship was secured in winter quarters, although the members of the xpedition and the crew were aware that only a few miles of ice-blocked sea lay between them and the open waters. Two days after the Vega was released the following year, she passed the Bering Strait and steamed towards the Pacific Ocean.

References

★ Albert Hastings Markham. Arctic Exploration, 1895