Nizki Island | |
Native Name: | Avayax̂ |
Native Name Lang: | Aleut |
Nickname: | --> |
Archipelago: | Semichi Islands |
Area M2: | or |
Area Ha: | --> |
Length M: | --> |
Width M: | --> |
Coastline M: | --> |
Elevation Ft: | 165 |
Country: | United States |
Country Admin Divisions Title 1: | State |
Country Admin Divisions 1: | Alaska |
Country Area M2: | or |
Country Area Ha: | --> |
Country 1 Area M2: | or |
Country 1 Area Ha: | --> |
Population: | 0 |
Nizki Island (Avayax̂[1] in Aleut; Russian: Низкий) is an uninhabited island in the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located at 52.7411°N 173.9856°W, it is the middle island of the Semichi Islands group of the Near Islands. Flanked by Shemya to the east and Alaid to the west, three-mile-long (5 km) Nizki is periodically joined to Alaid by a sand spit. The name is said to derive from the Russian nizkiy, meaning "low," a term descriptive of the island's topography, with a maximum elevation of 165feet. Nizki's shoreline is very irregular and is fringed by numerous rocks, reefs, and kelp-marked shoals.[2]
Foxes were introduced to Nizki Island by Russian fur traders in the 19th century. This decimated the population of many bird species on the island. The last fox was removed from Nizki Island in 1976, and now Aleutian Canada Geese (once believed to be extinct), Puffins, and Aleutian Terns are common on the island.[3]
. Knut Bergsland . 1994 . Aleut Dictionary . Alaska Native Language Center . Fairbanks .