Can Sarah Palin really see Russia from her home in Alaska?

No.  Sarah Palin can not see any part of Russian land from her house in Alaska, that is unless she’s watching TV, looking at a picture or maybe on a globe.  However, Palin actually never claimed to be able to see Russia from her house.  It was actually Tina Fey who made that statement while she was playing Palin in a Saturday Night Live skit.

However, there are some places in Alaska where you can actually see Russia.  Alaska and Russia are seperated by the Bering Strait.  At the most narrow portion, pnly 55 miles seperates Russia from Alaska.  It might be a stretch to catch a glimpse of Russia while standing in Alaska there, but there are two small islands located within that body of water.  The Little Diomede is in Alaska and the Big Diomede is in Russia.  With only 2.5 miles separating the two, it is possible to see to from one to the other.  Here’s the view from Alaska to Russia:

Even more interesting, looking at the Big Diomede from the Little Diomede is like looking into the future.  That’s because the Big Diomede is on the other side of the International date line making it hours ahead of the Little Diomede!

It was, however, the proximity of these to Islands that Sarah Palin used to explain her experience in foreign affairs.  Ms. Palin told ABC’s Charlie Gibson that she had experience working with foreign leaders since you could see Russia from Alaska.