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Bering

Bering is a surname most often associated with Vitus Bering (1681–1741), a Danish navigator in the service of the Russian Empire. He led major Arctic and North Pacific voyages in the early 18th century, mapping parts of Siberia and Alaska and contributing to Russia’s geographic knowledge of the region. The name Bering has since been applied to several geographic features in the Arctic and North Pacific.

Geography and nomenclature: The Bering Strait connects the Arctic Ocean with the Bering Sea and lies between

Legacy: Numerous other places and institutions bear the Bering name in recognition of Vitus Bering’s explorations.

Russia’s
Chukotka
Peninsula
and
Alaska.
The
Bering
Sea
lies
to
the
west
of
Alaska
and
to
the
east
of
Russia’s
Siberian
coast.
Bering
Island,
part
of
the
Commander
Islands
in
the
western
Bering
Sea,
is
named
after
Vitus
Bering.
The
term
Beringia
refers
to
the
historic
land
and
sea
area
that
connected
Asia
and
North
America
during
lower
sea
levels
and
is
also
linked
to
the
explorer’s
legacy.
The
term
remains
central
to
discussions
of
Arctic
and
North
Pacific
geography,
maritime
history,
and
the
study
of
the
Bering
Strait
region
and
its
paleogeography.