Near Islands

The largest of the Near Islands are Attu and Agattu, which shelter a few rocks in the channel between them. The other important islands are the Semichi Islands to their northeast, notable among which are Alaid, Nizki, and Shemya. About to the east-southeast from Shemya are small rocky reefs known as the Ingenstrem Rocks. The total land area of all of the Near Islands is 1,143.785 km2 (441.618 sq mi), and their total population was 47 persons as of the 2000 census. The only populated island is Shemya; the U.S. Coast Guard station on Attu was decommissioned on August 27, 2010 and the last 20 inhabitants left the island. On July 17, 2017, a major earthquake with a moment magnitude scale of 7.7 struck the Aleutian arc, with an epicenter west of Attu. The earthquake produced a measurable tsunami that was detected at tide gauges across the Pacific ocean; a tide gauge located at Shemya, Alaska measured a tsunami height of . == History ==

The islands were named Near Islands by Russian explorers in the 18th century because they were the nearest of the Aleutian Islands to Russia (that is, if one excludes the Commander Islands). During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the Near Islands in 1942, being the first foreign military to occupy American soil since the War of 1812. American forces retook the islands during the Aleutian Islands campaign in 1943. ==Flora and fauna==

Bald Eagles, which are common in the eastern and central Aleutian Islands, are much rarer in this part of the chain. It represents their westernmost natural habitat, and their only extension into the Eastern Hemisphere, since this part of the Aleutian chain runs past the International Date Line. Pairs have been observed on Agattu Island in 1937 and 1963 and also on Buldir Island. The species has been recorded in the western Aleutians casually in spring and fall. Prior to the 21st Century, there is only a single record on Shemya Island (one of the westernmost islands), which occurred on May 3, 1987. == Gallery ==

File:Txu-pclmaps-topo-us-attu-1970.jpg|Topographic map sheet File:Attu Island, part of the Near Islands.jpg | Attu Island in 2008 File:Hauling supplies on Attu.jpg | United States troops hauling supplies on Attu Island in May 1943. == References ==