St. Lawrence Island is the largest island in the Bering Sea and the sixth largest in the United States, at 1,791.56 square miles. It lies just south of the Bering Strait, about 125 miles west-southwest of Nome, and less than 40 miles from Siberia’s Chukchi Peninsula. Its two villages, Gambell and Savoonga, are home to Siberian Yupik people.[1]
| Area | 1,791.56 sq mi (4,640.1 km²) |
|---|---|
| Length | About 90 mi; 8–22 mi wide |
| Population (2000) | 1,292 |
| Villages | Gambell and Savoonga |
| Yupik name | Sivuqaq |
| Reindeer | Introduced 1900; herd over 10,000 |
Geography
The island is about 90 miles long and 8 to 22 miles wide, and it has no trees; the only woody plant is Arctic willow, reaching about 30 centimetres. The Anadyr Current supports large seabird and marine mammal populations, with about 2.7 million seabirds during nesting season, and a persistent polynya forms in the sea ice to the south.[1]
History
The Yupik name is Sivuqaq. Vitus Bering visited on 10 August 1728, the feast day of St. Lawrence, and it was the first place in Alaska known to have been visited by Europeans. A famine in 1878 to 1880 sharply reduced the population. U.S. military sites operated from the 1950s to the early 1970s, and a $10.5 million cleanup was carried out in 2003.[1]
People
About 95.5 percent of residents are Native or part Native, mainly Yupik, and the Siberian Yupik language is still learned as a first language at home. The 2000 census counted 1,292 people, with Gambell the larger village and Savoonga each under 700. Subsistence hunting centres on marine mammals including seal, walrus and whale, and Savoonga is called the Walrus Capital of the World. Reindeer were introduced in 1900, and the herd of more than 10,000 is used for subsistence meat.[1]
FAQs
How large is St. Lawrence Island? 1,791.56 square miles, the sixth largest in the U.S.
Who lives there? Mainly Siberian Yupik people in Gambell and Savoonga.
How close is it to Russia? Less than 40 miles from the Chukchi Peninsula.
Sources
Key facts
- 1,791.56 sq mi
- Visited by Bering 1728
Quick checkWhich two villages are on St. Lawrence Island?Show answer
Gambell and Savoonga
Sources
- New World Encyclopedia. St. Lawrence Island. 2026 (accessed 2026-11-13)
Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 13, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue