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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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