Amchitka
Located in the Rat Islands of the Aleutian
Chain, Amchitka Island is 35 miles long and almost 3 miles wide. It lies
at approximately 51° 32' N Latitude, 179° 00' E Longitude . The
community is located in the Aleutian Islands Recording District. The
area encompasses 116 sq. miles of land and 161 sq. miles of water.
Amchitka is an Aleut name first
reported by early Russians as Ostrov Amchitka. During the World War II
Aleutians campaign, military operations were present on several islands
in the Chain. In the early 1960s, Amchitka became a nuclear testing
facility under the Atomic Energy Commission. Three underground nuclear
explosions occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. The facility was closed in
1994.
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