Bering << BAIR ihng or BEER ihng >> Sea is the northern part of the Pacific Ocean between the region of Siberia in Russia and the state of Alaska in the United States. The Aleutian Islands and the Commander Islands mark the sea’s southern border. On the northern side, the Bering Strait connects the Bering and Chukchi seas. In 1822, Captain V. M. Golovnin of the Russian Navy named the sea for the Danish explorer Vitus Bering.
At the Bering Strait, the United States and Russia are only about 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart. The Bering Sea is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) wide and 950 miles (1,530 kilometers) long. Its greatest depth is 13,422 feet (4,091 meters).
See also Alaska (European Exploration).
