Russian colonization of North America

Rare card · No. 40575

Russian colonization of North America describes colonies and territories claimed by the Russian Empire in the Pacific Coast region of North America from 1732 to 1867. Russian colonial possessions in the Americas were collectively known as Russian America from 1799 to 1867. Russian America consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but also included the outpost of Fort Ross in California. Russian Creole settlements were concentrated in Alaska, including the capital, New Archangel (Novo-Arkhangelsk), which is now Sitka. Russian expansion eastward began in 1552 with the Russo-Kazan wars and Russian explorers reached the Pacific Ocean in 1639. In 1725, Emperor Peter the Great ordered navigator Vitus Bering to explore the North Pacific for potential colonization. The Russians were primarily interested in the abundance of fur-bearing mammals on Alaska's coast, as stocks had been depleted by over hunting in the Siberian fur trade. Bering's first voyage was foiled by thick fog...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Volkodamn, CC BY-SA 3.0