How Far Is Alaska From Russia?

For anyone living in the continental United States, it's easy to feel like Russia is extremely far away. And, for the most part, it is. From Eastport, Maine, which is the easternmost U.S. city, to Moscow, Russia, is a distance of about 4,222 miles, according to MapDevelopers. In the other direction, the distance from Cape Alva in Washington state — the city farthest west in the U.S. – to Anadyr, Russia, which according to RussiaTrek, is the easternmost city in Russia, is about 2,515 miles away.

Believe it or not, going from the westernmost city in the continental United States to the easternmost city in Russia is only slightly longer than going from New York City to Los Angeles, which is a distance of about 2,445. But certainly, there are other parts of the U.S. that can get you much closer to Russia besides points in Maine and Washington state.

Though they aren't states, the U.S. controls multiple territories out in the Pacific Ocean that can get you much closer to Russia than anywhere in the continental United States. WorldAtlas.org says there are 11 U.S. territories located in the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps one of the more well-known territories out there is Guam. The distance from Guam to the city of Khasan, a city near the southeastern tip of Russia, is about 2,172 miles, according to MapDevelopers.

All of the other U.S. territories in the Pacific are further away from Russia. But of course, if you're looking to get as close to Russia as possible while still being in the U.S., there's no need to go to tiny islands out in the Pacific Ocean. The place to go to is, of course, Alaska. And, as the state's former Governor Sarah Palin once told ABC News, "they're our next-door neighbors. And, you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska."

Alaska and Russia are extremely close to one another. According to AlaskaCenters.gov, the distance between mainland Alaska and mainland Russia is merely 55 miles. But, you could certainly get a lot closer than that, and depending on where you're standing, you can actually see parts of Russia from land in Alaska.

AlaskaCenters.gov mentions that there are two islands in the Bering Strait, which is the body of water between Alaska and Russia. One of those islands is controlled by Russia, and the other is controlled by the United States. The islands are called Big Diomede and Little Diomede with Russia controlling Big Diomede, while Little Diomede is part of Alaska. Those two islands are only 2.5 miles away from one another, so on a clear day, you could likely see one island from the other.

Even more amazingly, in the dead of winter, the 2.5 mile stretch of water between the two islands could freeze over. So, depending on the time of the year, you might actually be able to walk from the U.S. to Russia.