Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Bering Strait opens between Cape Dezhnev on the Chukchi Peninsula and Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska. This narrow passage measures roughly 53 miles at its thinnest point, separating Asia from North America.
Scientists believe this body of water first formed between 4.8 million and 7.4 million years ago. A narrowing event occurred approximately 900,000 years ago, which may have contributed to longer ice ages by altering ocean currents.
Mikhail Gvozdev became the first European to cross from Asia to America in 1732. Danish-born Russian navigator Vitus Bering entered the waters in 1728, giving the strait its name.
The water here reaches a maximum depth of only about 164 feet, making it one of the shallowest straits connecting two oceans. The shallow depth of the strait allowed for easier traversal compared to deeper oceanic passages elsewhere.
Big Diomede Island belongs to Russia while Little Diomede Island is part of the US, separated by only about 2.4 miles. Since 2012, the Russian coast has been designated a closed military zone requiring special permits for foreign visitors.