Komandor Islands
The Komandor Islands (Командорски Острова) are a small group of islands located in the northwest Pacific Ocean, lying 175 km off the east coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula (see panoramic image). The islands are geologically the westernmost of the islands that lie on the Aleutian island-arc system — Attu the westernmost member of the Aleutian Islands is located 344 km to the southeast of the Komandor's Mednyy Island. There are two main islands within the group — Beringa and Mednyy — and a dozen or so small rocky islets the largest of which are Toporkov (0.5 km²) and Aryi Kamen. The islands northern coasts are bordered by the waters of the Bering Sea.
Beringa (1,100 km²) is the largest of the islands, measuring 91 km in length and 15 km across and is home to the settlement of Nikolskoye. Mednyy, located 49 km to the east of Beringa, is smaller at 60 km in length and varies between 1 and 10 km in width. Terrain on the islands is varied and includes flat or gently sloping tundra-like plains, low and highly eroded mountains (reaching a highest elevation of 755 m at Mt. Steller on Beringa and 647 m on Mednyy at Mt. Steineger), plateau regions, hummocky-plains, flat-topped table mountains, bare gravelly slopes and narrow valleys. Coasts are lined by high cliffs or very steep slopes, or by beaches of sand or rock. Sea stacks, arches and pillars add to the dramatic coastlines of the islands.
Vegetation on the Komandor Islands consists of sub-alpine and alpine types and is tundra-like in nature. Tall and short grasses, mosses, lichens and dwarf shrubs are the dominant types of flora creating small meadows, heathlands, grasslands, marshlands and low to medium height shrub communities. Higher slopes are often devoid of vegetation, consisting solely of dry scree and gravel.
The Komandor Islands experience a moderate marine climate that is influenced by the ocean currents and weather systems of the northern Pacific. Summers are cool and winters are relatively mild considering their high latitude; heavy winter snowfalls blanket the islands. Mean annual temperatures at Nikolskoye are around 2 °C with mean highs and lows of 10 °C and -4 °C, respectively. The islands are generally overcast or foggy with rain or snow falling on up to 240 days of the year. Average wind speeds are high with hurricane strength winds being experienced at least once a month.
The islands and the surrounding 50 km maritime zone are protected as the Komandorsky Zapovednik (Strict Nature Reserve). Covering an area of 36,648 km² the reserve was set up in 1993 to protect the diverse ecosystems of the islands and their surrounding waters. They were also designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2002. Important species include large numbers of the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus) which visit the islands during the summer months (200,000 and 220,000 individuals), 5,000 Steller's Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) and Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris). The waters provide feeding grounds for numerous whale species that includes Sperm whale (Physeter catodon), killer whale (Orcinus orca) and Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The islands are also home to large colonies of seabirds: Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), Puffins (Lunda spp.), Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), Red-faced cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile) and Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens). Inland are found Arctic fox — existing as two isolated and endemic sub-species (Alopex lagopus semenovi and A. l. beringensis) — as well as Rock ptarmigan and Rock sandpiper.
