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(#12) Unemployment Is A Major Problem
The unemployment rate in Diomede is very high, at approximately 40% as of 2011. Most of those who are employed have multiple jobs, often several part-time gigs. Hunting, fishing, ivory carving, and sewing are common supplementary jobs on top of or in lieu of full-time employment.
City infrastructure management - gas, electric, and construction - is the largest employer in Diomede, followed by the school, clinic, and general store. During the summertime, there are limited tourism opportunities. Due to the low population and overall lack of retail options, there are rarely new positions available.
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(#11) Alcohol Is Prohibited
While alcohol overuse is not a major problem for the residents of Diomede, they are not taking any chances. In fact, alcohol is banned in the village.
In an effort to curb the public health issue, Diomede is a completely dry village. The importation and sale of alcohol are strictly forbidden on the island. Those who violate the alcohol ban are given a fine.
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(#3) A Small Ingalikmiut Eskimo Community Makes Up The Majority Of People Who Permanently Reside On The Island
According to the 2010 census, the town of Diomede has a population of approximately 110 people, though more recent sources suggest the population has dwindled as low as 80.
The Iñupiaq people indigenous to the Diomede Islands live on a subsistence diet primarily comprised of seal, walrus, polar bear, whale, and crab. In addition to being a primary source of food, hunting is also an important social rite. While some modern adjustments have been made, such as home electricity and a limited Wi-Fi connection, Diomede residents generally adhere to their traditional lifestyle: drying hides and living off the land. There is a push to preserve the Iñupiaq language, which is undocumented and only spoken by eight to ten elders.
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(#2) The Islands Are Nearly A Day Apart
While the two islands are only a little over two miles apart, the International Date Line lies in the narrow passage between them, putting Big Diomede almost an entire day ahead of its American counterpart. The islands are colloquially called "Yesterday and Tomorrow Island" for this reason. The islands are actually about 20 hours apart.
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(#13) There Is Limited Plant Life
The natural world of Diomede is sparse. Most of the island's land mass is made of large rocks of granite and quartz.
No trees or shrubs grow on the island, but there are a handful of grasses and plants that emerge during the summertime. Beach cabbage, potatoes, and seaweed are commonly harvested for food.
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(#5) Climate Change Threatens The Way Of Life On The Island
The Arctic Circle is climate change's canary in the coal mine, and its effects are hitting Diomede hard. After millennia of a reliable arctic climate with cool summers, the temperature has risen demonstrably in just 50 years.
"Holy cow, everybody was like, 'phew'... pretty soon we'll start growing palm trees," jokes resident Edward Soolook. The subsistence lifestyle is contingent on a stable ecosystem, and food security has taken a hit since the temperature started rising.
There are fewer walruses and seals with each passing year, jeopardizing a crucial element of the Diomede diet. The ice runway that originally accommodated the delivery jet planes is too thin to safely support regular flights, so the resource deliveries have been downsized to a helicopter. The permafrost is melting and the town is slowly beginning to shift down the coast, as much as two to six centimeters a year. As the surrounding ice begins to melt, Diomede becomes more vulnerable to storms as it is no longer protected by its environment.
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The Diomede Islands are a pair of rocky islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia. Although the two islands are only 3.8 kilometers apart, they are separated by the international dateline, which also marks the Russian Separated from the national border with the United States. Although this is an archipelago, because it belongs to two countries, the inhabitants of the two islands have different fates. The Russian island became a military base, and the other island in the US developed into a small residential area.
The island on the left is Russian territory, and the right is an American territory. Although the two islands are very close, people cannot move around at will. You will find random 13 detailed information about the two tiny islands with the random tool.
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