Chukchi Peninsula
A peninsula in northeastern Siberia, Russia, between the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea. It forms the Asian side of the Bering Strait.
Bering Strait: A narrow sea passage between northeastern Asia and northwestern North America, connecting the Bering Sea with the Chukchi Sea. The peninsula’s eastern tip faces this passage to Alaska.
Chukchi people: An Indigenous people of Chukotka and adjacent Arctic regions, traditionally practicing reindeer herding and marine hunting. Their homeland includes the peninsula that bears their name.
Cape Dezhnev: A headland in Chukotka, Russia, marking the easternmost point of mainland Asia. It marks the peninsula’s eastern extremity beside the Bering Strait.
Arctic climate: The climate of the Arctic, characterized by low temperatures, strong seasonality, and limited precipitation. Its long, cold seasons constrain settlement and transport on the peninsula.
Cape Prince of Wales: A headland on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, marking the westernmost point of mainland North America. It faces Cape Dezhnev across the narrowest part of the Bering Strait.
Chukchi Sea: A marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean north of the Bering Strait, bordered by Alaska and northeastern Siberia. This Arctic sea bounds the peninsula to the north.
Siberian Yupik: An Indigenous people of northeastern Siberia and St. Lawrence Island with a language and culture related to those of Yupik communities in Alaska. Siberian Yupik communities live along the peninsula’s Bering Sea coast.
Cape Schmidt: A headland on the Arctic coast of Chukotka, Russia, projecting into the Chukchi Sea. It is a prominent landmark on the peninsula’s northern coast.
Permafrost: Ground that remains at or below 0°C for at least two consecutive years. Frozen ground affects construction and infrastructure across the peninsula.
Seward Peninsula: A large peninsula in western Alaska between the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea. It is the North American counterpart to the Chukchi Peninsula across the strait.