Diomede Islands
The two Diomede Islands sit in the middle of the Bering Strait, just about 3.8 km (2.4 miles) apart — yet they're divided by the International Date Line and a national border.Here's what makes them fascinating:
Big Diomede (Ratmanov Island) 🇷🇺
Belongs to Russia
No permanent civilian population — only a Russian military/weather station
When it's Sunday here, it's already Monday on the other island
Area: ~29 km²
Small Diomede (Little Diomede) 🇺🇸
Belongs to the United States (Alaska)
Home to a small Inupiaq community of around 80–100 people
The village of Diomede sits on a steep cliff face — one of the most remote communities in the US
Area: ~7.3 km²
The "Yesterday–Tomorrow" Islands
Because the International Date Line runs between them, Big Diomede is 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede. So they're nicknamed "Tomorrow Island" (Big) and "Yesterday Island" (Small).
Ice Bridge
In winter, sea ice sometimes connects the two islands, meaning you could theoretically walk between Russia and the USA — though crossing the border is of course illegal.
Shared Heritage
The Inupiaq and Yupik peoples historically moved freely between both islands and the Alaskan/Siberian mainlands. The Cold War essentially split families across an international border overnight, and they were cut off from each other for decades.