Also found in: Wikipedia. Bering Island(bēr`ĭng, bâr`–), Rus. Beringa, largest of the Komandorski IslandsKomandorski Islandsor Commander Islands,Rus. Komandorskiye Ostrova, group of treeless islands, off E Kamchatka Peninsula, E Russian Far East, in SW Bering Sea. They consist of Bering Island, Medny Island, and two islets. ..... Click the link for more information. , c.55 mi (90 km) long and up to c.15 mi (20 km) wide, off Kamchatka peninsula, E Russian Far East, in the Bering Sea. It is low and treeless and is subject to severe windstorms. Nikolskoye is the chief town. Vitus BeringBering, Vitus Jonassen, 1681–1741, Danish explorer in Russian employ. In 1725 he was selected by Peter I to explore far NE Siberia. Having finally moved men and supplies across Siberia, Bering in 1728 sailed N through Bering Strait but sighted no land and did not..... Click the link for more information. , sailing in the St. Peter, was shipwrecked and died there. a western island of the Komandorskie Islands group in the Bering Sea (Kamchatka Oblast, RSFSR). Its area is 1,660 sq km. The southeastern part of Bering Island is mountainous (the highest point is 751 m) and is composed of tufaceous deposits from the Paleogene and Neogene and effusions of Anthropogenic formations. The climate is maritime and subarctic. Precipitation is about 500 mm a year. The island is covered with tundra vegetation, and in the valleys there are meadows, with Erman’s and Middendorfs birch. The shore is a breeding ground for northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions; sea otters are also found there. The population is Russian and Aleutian. There is a maritime fur combine. The island is named after V. Bering.