Diomede Islands

The Diomede Islands are two tiny, rocky islands in the middle of the Bering Strait. They sit between mainland Alaska and Siberia.

One island, called Big Diomede, belongs to Russia. The other, Little Diomede, belongs to the United States. Even though the islands are very close, they are separated by the International Date Line. This makes Big Diomede almost a full day ahead in time compared to Little Diomede. Because of this, Big Diomede is sometimes called “Tomorrow Island,” while Little Diomede is called “Yesterday Island.”

People often talk about these islands when they think about building a bridge or tunnel across the Bering Strait. In winter, an ice bridge sometimes forms between the two islands. Today, Little Diomede is home to a small community, while Big Diomede has mainly military personnel. The islands remind us how geography and borders can create interesting differences in time and culture.