The Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait in Alaska show how close the US and Russia are. These two small islands — Little Diomede (US territory) and Big Diomede (Russian territory) — are only 4 kilometers apart. They are separated by the sea and the International Date Line. That is why one island is called “Yesterday” and the other “Tomorrow.”
About 80 people live on Little Diomede. They mainly fish and hunt sea animals. The island has a store, a school, and a few houses. Big Diomede is closed for living — only Russian border guards are there.
In the past, residents of both islands moved freely, traded, and lived as extended families. But in 1948, the Soviet Union relocated Big Diomede’s residents and closed the border. This “Ice Curtain” separated families. Only in 1988 were connections briefly restored.
Today, despite tense relations between Russia and the US, the Diomede Islands remain a symbol of the two countries’ close historical and cultural ties.
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