| Landscapes and Community - Southwest Alaska | ||||
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St. Paul Island and Village About 350 miles off the western coast of Alaska, in the Bering Sea, lie the Pribilof Islands. The more northerly of these windswept, treeless, volcanic islands is St. Paul Island. Clouds and fog are common, and about 2 feet of windblown rain falls each year. The temperatures range from highs around 50 degrees to lows in the mid-teens Fahrenheit. The land is covered by thick grass and sedge. The islands are home to 220 species of birds, including many migratory seabirds such as puffins, auklets, and murres. Other animals include blue arctic fox, reindeer, and marine mammals such as the northern fur seals. Northern fur seals come to the Pribilof Islands in great numbers each spring and summer to breed and give birth to their pups. On the southern tip of St. Paul Island is
the village of St. Paul. The village's 760 residents are mostly Aleuts.
They were resettled to these islands by the Russian American Company
in the early 1800's to harvest the fur seal for their pelts. Today,
most people are employed in the crabbing and halibut fishing industry. |
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