Commander Islands were discovered in 1741 during an expedition led by Commander Vitus Bering, and named in his honor. For a long time after the discovery of the islands were uninhabited, the first settlers - the Aleuts and Creoles began to settle in the island only in 1825, later formed the islands peculiar and unique traditions of their ethnic group Creole. The village of Nikolskoye on the largest of the Commander Islands - the Bering Island - the only settlement of the Aleuts in Russia.

In the days of Imperial Russia Commander Islands were one of the main suppliers of furs, filling the royal treasury. Uncontrolled destruction of animals, "Fur fever" led to mass destruction of seals, dramatically reducing their numbers. Only at the end of the XIX century it was launched security rookeries, and restrictions were imposed extraction of sea otters and sea lions. Control of the fishing of sea otters and the prohibition of the production of fur seals were introduced in 1911.

In Soviet times, the situation on the Commander Islands has improved - from 1958, a ban on fishing in tridtsatimilnoy zone around the islands in 1980 on the islands was established reserves, which in 1983 acquired the regional importance. Federal and the name "State nature reserve of federal importance" Commander "received April 23, 1993, and in late 2002 it is given the status of" biosphere "under the auspices of UNESCO.

Commander Reserve - the second largest territory among the reserves in Russia. Its area is 648 679 hectares 3, including 185,379 hectares of land and 3,463,300 of the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. On the territory there is no volcanic activity, but there are zemletryaseniya.Zapovednik spread in the southern part of Bering Island, the islands Toporkov, Ary Kamen, Copper, compact group located to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The reserve is divided into areas with different degrees of protection:
- Protected core - in these areas of human intervention is prohibited in all natural processes, the absolute edge of the reserve;
- Buffer zones - a traditional fishing is allowed and limited economic activity.

On the territory of the Commander are many lakes, rivers, swamps, waterfalls. Almost all rivers - spawning salmon. Sarah Lake - the largest sockeye salmon spawning ground on the Commander. Subarctic climate on the islands - wet and windy.

The fauna of the reserve is amazing and Commander mnogoobrazen.Pod protected reserve - pinnipeds, whales, blue foxes, red-backed vole, mink, wild reindeer, more than a million birds. In the coastal waters of the islands found 17 species of whales: sperm whales, minke whales, Stejneger's beaked whale, whales, beaked whales, humpback whales and the Japanese, fin whales and sei whales. In search of food, the whales swim very close to shore, allowing tourists to admire the fountains of water, and let out the majestic silhouette.

Pinnipeds - the main wealth of the reserve. The islands are inhabited by more than 250,000 sea otters, sea lions, Anthurium, Largo, fur seals, sea birds, krylatok, walrus and other species. Blue and bowhead whales, minke whales, Anthurium, Commander beaked whales, sea otters are listed in the Red Book.

Due to peculiarity of flora islands Commanders in a separate from the flora of Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands floristic region. Because of the frequent and strong winds are no trees on the islands, and only in sheltered valleys and raspadkah grow low and heavily bent willow bushes and mountain ash, and the open areas there are thickets of juniper.

The river valleys and the shores of the lakes are rich in color, many species of which are listed in the Red Book: macranthon shoe, slipper Yatabe, a real shoe, polushnik sea, Kamchatka Trillium and arnica Lessing. Without special permission from the reserve, you can pick berries and mushrooms.

Commander islands attract tourists from all over the world for its wild, primitive, unspoiled nature. The period from July to September - the most favorable for visiting the reserve. For tourists developed two existing route "trail Aleutian Island Copper" and "Introduction to the flora and fauna of Bering Island." Cruise program includes a visit to the village of Nikolskoye rookery seals, inspection Islands Toporkov, Copper, Ary Kamen.

To reach the administrative center of the Commander Islands - Nikolskoye on Bering Island, in three ways: A-410 aircraft from the airport Yelizovo, MI-8 helicopter or sea passenger ship. Travel the reserve held on the GAZ-66, UAZ, ZIL-131, URAL or on foot, on the water - on motorboats «Zodiac».