Kadyak [1] ( English Kodiak Island , in the pre-revolutionary Russian tradition of pronunciation - Kytak [2] , Aleut. Qikertaq [3] ) is an American island of 9.3 thousand km² [4] located off the southern coast of Alaska . The name of the island is derived from the Eskimo word meaning "point" [5] .
Kodiak | |
---|---|
English Kodiak island | |
Specifications | |
Square | 9300 km² |
Highest point | 1353 m |
Population | |
Location | |
Archipelago | Kodiak archipelago |
Water area | Pacific Ocean |
A country |
|
State | Alaska |
Borough | Kodiak Island |
Geography
It is the largest island of the Kodiak archipelago and the second largest island of the United States after the island of Hawaii (the largest island of the Hawaiian Islands ). From Alaska, the Kodiak is separated by the Shelikhov Strait . The landscape of Kodiak is quite mountainous, and its highest point reaches 1353 m .
A little to the north of the island is the smaller island Afognak , and to the south-west are the Trinity Islands .
Administratively fully located in the eponymous boro .
Flora and fauna
Kodiak is the birthplace of bears of the same name .
Otters , evrashki , brown, gray and red foxes , ermines , sables are found on the island of Kodiak [6] . The kodiak bear is endemic , there are craboids (for example, the Kamchatka crab - Paralithodes camtschaticus [7] ); from fish Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut . The Karluk River is famous for its salmon running.
Edible berries grow: raspberries , lingonberries , cloudberries , blueberries , blueberries [6] .
History
Kodiak is the original land of the koniaga tribe. Its aborigines lived at the expense of hunting, fishing, farming and gathering.
In the "Chronological History of the Discovery of the Aleutian Islands" [V. N. Berha] indicated that the first Russian who visited the island was the navigator Stepan Glotov. He arrived there on the ship "Adriana and Natalia" in the autumn of 1762 and in the continuation of winter, repeating the attacks of the islanders more than once, could not produce beavers at all and have trade with the inhabitants; May 24, 1764, he left the island. [eight]
In 1778, navigator Potap Kuzmich Zaikov on the boat “Saint Vladimir” reached the coast of Kodiak and described the nature, climate and geographical position of the island [9] .
The first colonists from the outside were Russian hunters led by Grigory Shelikhov , who founded the first Russian settlement in America in the Bay of the Three Saints in 1784.
After the sale of Alaska in 1867, the island passed into the possession of the United States. Americans began to arrive at it and engage in hunting and farming.
The impact of the Novapruta eruption
Novarupt volcano is located 160 kilometers north-west of the island. In 1912 there was its eruption, which turned out to be one of the largest eruptions of the century. For 60 hours, life on the island was paralyzed: because of the ashes above the ground darkness formed, the water became non-drinking, the air could barely breathe, visibility was almost zero, radio communication was interrupted, ash falling on the roofs of more than one foot, destroyed buildings a small population (about 500 people at that time) [10] [11] .
Population
The national composition of the island is mostly Inuit . The main settlement of the island is the city of Kodiak , located in the northeast, whose population is estimated at 6253 people ( 2015 ) [12] . Other settlements on the island and their population for 2010: Kodiak Station (1301 people), (719 people), Old Harbor (218 people), Port-Lyons (194 people), Larsen Bay (87 people), Ahiok (71 people), Chignac (47 people), Karluk (37 people).
In the whole Kodiak Island boro, 13,889 people live on July 1, 2015 [13] . However, in addition to Kodiak, Boron includes Afognak Island with statistically isolated terrain of Alenev and Spruce Island with the town of Uzinki .
Religion
In 1794, Orthodox missionaries headed by Archimandrite Josaph (Bolotov) arrived on the island, built a church, and began religious propaganda among the local population.
Joasaph wrote in a letter:
“1794, September 24, I live on the island Kodiak. Thank God, more than 700 Americans crossed over, yes, more than 2,000 marriages were married, they built a church, and time will allow - we will do another, and marching two, or even the fifth one must be done.
- “History of the Russian Church” [14]
Joasaph was killed at sea in May 1799 on the ship "Phoenix" when he traveled from Okhotsk back to Kodiak.
In 1804, hieromonk of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery Gideon (Gabriel Fedotov) was sent to replace Iosaf. In 1807, Gideon left Kodiak, went to inspect the Kamchatka churches, and German of Alaska was appointed head of the Kodiak island mission. Herman Alaska , head of the Kodiak mission since 1807, baptizing many Aleuts and other inhabitants of Russian America, is considered the Orthodox to be the patron saint of America.
From 1893 to 1904, he served on the island as an Orthodox priest T.N. Shalamov — father of the Russian writer V.T. Shalamov .
In 1794, the Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection was built in Kodiak . In 1943 the church burned down, but in 1945 it was rebuilt, and in 1977 it was entered in the National Register of Historic Places of the USA [15] . Russian Orthodox churches exist in other cities of the island - the Chapel of the Intercession of the Virgin in Akhiok [16] and the Chapel of the Ascension of the Lord in Karluk [17] . Both churches were added to the National Register of Historic Places in the USA in 1980.
In 1973, the St. German Orthodox Theological Seminary was founded in the city of Kodiak.
Transport and cosmonautics
The island has airports Kodiak , Old Harbor , Zakar Bay and Ahiok . In addition, it is located on the Kodiak Launch Center rocket base, from which commercial launches are conducted.
Notes
- ↑ F.L. Ageenko. Dictionary of own names of the Russian language. - “Peace and Education”, 2010.
- ↑ Field P. B. “Columbus of Russia” Grigory Shelikhov and his book: foreword. // Russian merchant Grigory Shelikhov wandering from Okhotsk across the Eastern Ocean to the American shores / G. I. Shelikhov . - Khabarovsk: Prince. ed., 1971. - p. 5. - 176 p. - (Far Eastern Historical Library). - 15 000 copies
- ↑ Alaska Native Place Names | Alaska Native Language Archive
- Кад "Kodiak (an island near Alaska)" - TSB
- ↑ See footnote 29 in the above publication of the Shelikhov report.
- ↑ 1 2 Zagoskin L. A. , Shelikhov G. I. Travels to American Shores. - Drofa, 2008. - pp. 71-72. - 623 s. - ISBN 978-5-358-04758-7 .
- ↑ Jewett SC, Feder HM (1982) Food and feeding habits of the king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, near Kodiak Island, Alaska . Mar. Biol. 66: 243-250
- В. Berch V.N. Chronological history of the discovery of the Aleutian Islands, or the exploits of the Russian merchants / N. Grech. - SPb., 1823. - p. 66. - 169 p.
- ↑ Zaikov, Potap // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
- ↑ Jennifer Adleman, The great eruption of 1912: Alaska Park Science Winter 2002 , < http://www.avo.alaska.edu/volcanoes/volcact.php?volcname=novarupta&page=impact&eruptionid=456 >
- ↑ Firstein, Judy; Hildreth, Wes. Preliminary volcano-hazard assessment for the Katmai volcanic cluster, Alaska (Eng.) : Journal. - US Geological Survey, 2001.
- ↑ United States Census Bureau Kodiak city, Alaska. QuickFacts Neopr (Inaccessible link - history ) . (eng.)
- ↑ United States Census Bureau Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska (The inaccessible link is history ) . (eng.)
- ↑ History of the Russian Church: a collection of authors . - Seminarist, 2015. - P. 87.
- ↑ Holy Resurrection Church (English) . National Register of Historic Places . The appeal date is November 3, 2016.
- ↑ Protection of the Theotokos Chapel (English) . National Register of Historic Places. The appeal date is November 3, 2016.
- ↑ Ascension of Our Lord Chapel (English) . National Register of Historic Places. The appeal date is November 3, 2016.