Point Barrow

Point Barrow
Point Barrow
Nuvuk
—  Northernmost point of the USA  —
Point Barrow is located in Alaska
Point Barrow
Location within the state of Alaska
Coordinates: 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917
Country  United States
State  Alaska
Borough North Slope
Time zone Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
 – Summer (DST) AKDT (UTC-8)

Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Barrow. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917 (Point Barrow)Coordinates: 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W / 71.38889°N 156.47917°W / 71.38889; -156.47917 (Point Barrow). The distance to the North Pole is 1,122 nautical miles (1,291 mi; 2,078 km), or 40 miles (64 km) further than the distance from Murchison Promontory, Nunavut to the Pole.

Point Barrow is also an important geographical landmark, marking the limit between two marginal seas of the Arctic, the Chukchi Sea on its western side and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern, both delimited to the North by the edge of the map as seen here.

Archaeological evidence indicates that Point Barrow was occupied by the ancestors of the Inupiat almost 1,000 years prior to the arrival of the first Europeans. The headland is an important archaeological site, yielding burials and artifacts associated with the Thule culture, including uluit and bola. The waters off Point Barrow are on the Bowhead Whales migration route and it is surmised that the site was chosen to make hunting easier.[1] There are also burial mounds in the area, at the nearby Birnirk Site, associated with the earlier Birnirk culture, identified in 1912 by Vilhjalmur Stefansson while excavating in the area.[2]

It was named by English explorer Frederick William Beechey, in 1826 for Sir John Barrow, a statesman and geographer of the British Admiralty. The water around it is normally ice-free for only two or three months a year.

Wilkins-Detroit Arctic Expedition

It has been a jumping-off point for many Arctic expeditions, including the Wilkins-Detroit Arctic Expeditions and the April 15, 1928, Eielson-Wilkins flight across the Arctic Ocean to Spitsbergen.

It is close to Rogers-Post Site, the scene of the airplane crash on August 15, 1935 that killed aviator Wiley Post and his passenger, the entertainer Will Rogers.

Between 1965 and 1972 it was used as a launch site for Nike-Cajun and Nike Apache sounding rockets. It is the site of a Global Atmosphere Watch atmospheric monitoring station.

The term Point Barrow whales refers to whales that were trapped in the ice at Point Barrow in 1988, which attracted attention from the public of the United States.[3]

Panorama showing the tip of Point Barrow

See also

References

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Point Barrow — …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Point Barrow — ▪ point, Alaska, United States       northernmost point of Alaska, U.S., situated on the Arctic Ocean. Archaeological evidence dates human habitation (by Inupiaq Eskimos) in the area from about AD 500. The headland was explored in 1826 by… …   Universalium

  • Point Barrow — Point Barrow, s. Barrowspitze …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Point Barrow — (spr. peunt), Kap, s.v.w. Barrowspitze …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Point Barrow — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Barrow. 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″O / …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Point Barrow — Sp Bãrou kyšulỹs Ap Point Barrow L JAV (Aliaska) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Point Barrow whales — The term Point Barrow whales refers to whales that were trapped in the ice at Point Barrow near Barrow, Alaska in 1988, summoning an immense amount of attention from the American public. [cite web |… …   Wikipedia

  • Point Barrow brown lemming — rudasis lemingas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Lemmus trimucronatus angl. brown lemming; Point Barrow brown lemming rus. бурый лемминг ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tikrieji lemingai …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • USNS Point Barrow (T-AKD-1) — The USNS Point Barrow (T AKD 1) was a one of a kind Cargo Ship Dock. She was the lone ship in her class, named for Point Barrow (the northernmost point in Alaska above the Arctic Circle). Point Barrow was laid down 18 September 1956 by Maryland… …   Wikipedia

  • Barrow (Alaska) — Barrow Barrow in der kurzen eisfreien Zeit, Juni 2005 Lage in Alaska …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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