The Diomede Island in the Bering Straits

Map shows Russia on the left and the United States on the right.

This is as close as you can get between Russia and the United States. About 3 km of water separates the Diomede Islands located in the Bering Straits. The Big Diomede is Russian territory and the Little Diomede is part of Alaska, USA.

The islands are separated by an International border and also the International Dateline which sits 1.5 kms away from each island. Big Diomede is Russia's easternmost point while Little Diomede is the westernmost point in the United States. Residents in the Little Diomede, numbering only a few hundreds are of Inalikmiut Eskimo origin.

In this picture, the US is on the left, Russia is on the right..