Alaska Peninsula, SW Alaska, extending 500 mi (800 km) SW from the mainland, separating Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea from Cook Inlet, the Shelikof Strait, and Pacific Ocean. The Aleutian Range, running the length of the peninsula, contains many volcanoes including Novarupta, Veniaminof, and Pavlof. The climate is cool, damp and foggy year-round. Native villages dot the shoreline; fishing and tourism are economically important. The peninsula has extensive federal and state protected lands including Katmai National Park and Preserve. The Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, 5,568 sq mi (14,421 sq km), which includes much of the peninsula's land that borders the Pacific, was established in 1980 to protect brown bear, moose, caribou, marine mammals, and migratory and shore birds. The Aleutian Islands extend SW from the tip of the peninsula.
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