Bering Strait

The Bering Strait is a strait about 82 km (51 miles) wide at its narrowest point, between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, linking the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. It separates Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula from Alaska’s Seward Peninsula, is named for Vitus Bering and was once a land bridge, Beringia, central to theories of human migration to the Americas [1].

Geography

The strait is about 82 km wide at its narrowest point and averages 30–50 meters deep, with a deepest point of about 90 meters. It borders the Chukchi Sea to the north and the Bering Sea to the south. The Russia–U.S. maritime boundary lies at 168°58′37″ W. Cape Dezhnev is the easternmost point of the Asian continent, and Cape Prince of Wales is the westernmost point of the North American continent [1].

Diomede Islands

Big Diomede, which belongs to Russia, and Little Diomede, which belongs to the United States, are only 3.8 km apart [1]. See the entry on the Diomede Islands.

Beringia

During periods of lower sea level, glaciers locked up water and exposed a wide stretch of seafloor called Beringia, central to the theory that humans migrated from Asia to North America. The strait is thought to have opened 4.8–7.4 million years ago [1]. See the entry on early Alaskan archaeology.

Exploration

From at least 1562, European geographers believed in a Strait of Anián between Asia and North America. Semyon Dezhnyov probably passed through the strait in 1648, but his report did not reach Europe. Vitus Bering entered it in 1728, Mikhail Gvozdev became the first European to cross from Asia to America in 1732, and James Cook’s third voyage visited in 1778 [1]. See the entry on the Bering expeditions.

Whaling and Crossings

American vessels were hunting bowhead whales there by 1847. Captain Max Gottschalk crossed on a dogsled in March 1913, the first documented modern crossing from Russia to North America without a boat. In 1987 Lynne Cox swam 4.3 km between the Diomede Islands in 3.3 °C water, and in 2013 a relay of 65 swimmers from 17 countries completed a swim of roughly 110 km from Cape Dezhnev to Cape Prince of Wales [1].

Cold War Border

The strait marked the Soviet–U.S. border during the Cold War, and the closed boundary became known as the Ice Curtain [1].

Bridge and Tunnel Proposals

Proposals to link the continents date to 1906, when Baron Loicq de Lobel proposed a bridge-and-tunnel link that Czar Nicholas II authorized but no construction began. In 2011 Russia approved a US$65 billion tunnel project, 103 km long, which would be the world’s longest if completed [1].

FAQs

How wide is the Bering Strait? About 82 km (51 miles) at its narrowest.

Which seas does it connect? The Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea.

Who is it named for? Vitus Bering, a Danish-born Russian navigator.

What is Beringia? The land bridge exposed when sea level was lower.

What are the Diomede Islands? Two islands, Russian and American, 3.8 km apart in the strait.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Bering Strait

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue