Barren Islands
The Barren Islands (Sugpiaq: "Usu'unaat") are an archipelago in Alaska in the United States. They are the northernmost islands of the Kodiak Archipelago. The largest island of the group is Ushagat Island. The islands have a combined land area of 16.23 square miles (42.03 km²) and are uninhabited. The largest breeding grounds of seabirds in Alaska are located in the Barren Islands on East Amatuli Island and Nord Island. The archipelago is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Geography. The Barren Islands are a group of islands in the Gulf of Alaska that lie off the  south-central coast of Alaska in the United States. They are the northernmost islands of the Kodiak Archipelago. They are located between the Kenai Peninsula on the Alaskan mainland to their northeast and Shuyak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago to their southwest. They stretch across of the Gulf of Alaska, centered around . The Barren Islands group is made up of six islands: Prominent landmarks on the islands include: Government. The Barren Islands are uninhabited. Administratively, they are part of Alaska′s Kodiak Island Borough. They also make up a part of the Gulf of Alaska Unit of the Alaska Maritime National  Wildlife Refuge. History. The Barren Islands were named on 25 May 1778 by the British explorer Captain James Cook of the Royal Navy, who wrote, "They obtained their name of Barren Isles from their very naked appearance."