Revillagigedo Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Revillagigedo Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is 2,754.835 km² (1,063.65 mi²) in area, about 89 km (557 mi) north-south and 48 km (30 mi) east-west. Its center is located near .
The island is separated from the Alaska mainland to the east by Behm Canal, from Prince of Wales Island to the west by the Clarence Strait, and from Annette Island to the south by the Revillagigedo Channel and Nichols Passage. It was explored by Russian, British and Spanish explorers in the 18th century, and named by the latter for Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, then viceroy of Mexico, in 1793.
The island's population was 13,950 as of the 2000 census. The only towns on the island are Ketchikan and Saxman. The principal industries are fishing, canning, logging and tourism. In addition to the stationary cities, there are several barge-based logging communities which move about. These serve the unconnected system of logging roads that dot the island.
The full name "Revillagigedo" is not used by the island's residents, who call it "Revilla" (IPA: [rə 'vɪ lə]).
