The two Diomede Islands lie in the narrowest part of the Bering Strait. The islands are separated by 4km 160m of water, the Russian-US boundary and International Date Line. The islands' indigenous residents are Inupiat Eskimo. Major food sources in traditional Eskimo culture were sea mammals, walrus and seals primarily. That's why until recent years natives had called themselves "men-walruses". Over the ages the two islands have been home to numerous trans-continental contacts with North-East Asia and North-West Africa. Today the only inhabitants of Ratmanov Island have been Russian border guards. They are the first people on Earth to meet the new day, New Year, new century and the new millenium.