Woronkofski Island facts for kids
Woronkofski Island is a cool island located in southeastern Alaska, United States. It's part of a group of islands called the Alexander Archipelago. This island is surrounded by water, with other islands nearby. To its east is Wrangell Island, separated by a narrow waterway called Zimovia Strait. The city of Wrangell is just west of it.
To the west, Zarembo Island is across Stikine Strait. To the south, Etolin Island is separated by Chichagof Pass. Woronkofski Island is about 59.382 square kilometers (22.9275 square miles) in size. When the 2000 census happened, no one lived on the island. The nearby city of Wrangell is thinking about using Sunrise Lake on the island. They might use it to make electricity from water power and to get drinking water for the city.
Island History
The first European person to see Woronkofski Island was James Johnstone. He was an officer working with George Vancouver on his big trip between 1791 and 1795. Johnstone saw the island in 1793. He only mapped its northern coast and didn't realize it was a whole island at the time.
The island got its name from Lieutenant Woronkovski. He was a member of the Imperial Russian Navy. Lieutenant Woronkovski explored the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula in 1836. The name "O(strov) Voronkovskiy" (which means "Woronkovskiy Island") was officially put on a Russian Hydrographic Department map in 1848.
