Nizki Island is an uninhabited island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 in the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. Located at 52°44′28"N 173°59′08"E, it is the middle island of the Semichi Islands

Semichi Islands

The Semichi Islands are a cluster of small islands in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. They are located southeast of Attu Island and northeast of Agattu Island, near...

 group of the Near Islands

Near Islands

The Near Islands or Sasignan Islands are the smallest and westernmost group of the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska.-Geography:The largest of the Near Islands are Attu and Agattu...

. Flanked by Shemya to the east and Alaid

Alaid Island (Alaska)

Alaid Island is the westernmost of the Semichi Islands, a subgroup of the Near Islands group that lies at the extreme western end of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.-References:...

 to the west, three-mile-long (5 km) Nizki is periodically joined to Alaid by a sand spit

Spit (landform)

A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...

. The name is said to derive from the Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n nizkiy, meaning "low," a term descriptive of the island's topography, with a maximum elevation of 165 feet. Nizki's shoreline is very irregular and is fringed by numerous rocks, reefs, and kelp-marked shoals.

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.

External links

• Nizki Island Photos Photos from Nizki Island, July 2008
• Alaska Science Forum: Aleutian Canada goose comeback continues