<P> The Russian colonization of the Americas covers the period from 1732 to 1867 , when the Russian Empire laid claim to northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas . Russian colonial possessions in the Americas are collectively known as Russian America . Russian expansion eastward began in 1552 , and in 1639 Russian explorers reached the Pacific Ocean . In 1725 , Emperor Peter the Great ordered navigator Vitus Bering to explore the North Pacific for potential colonization . The Russians were primarily interested in the abundance of fur - bearing mammals on Alaska 's coast , as stocks had been depleted by overhunting in Siberia . Bering 's first voyage was foiled by thick fog and ice , but in 1741 a second voyage by Bering and Aleksei Chirikov made sight of the North American mainland . </P>
<P> The Russian colonization of the Americas covers the period from 1732 to 1867 , when the Russian Empire laid claim to northern Pacific Coast territories in the Americas . Russian colonial possessions in the Americas are collectively known as Russian America . Russian expansion eastward began in 1552 , and in 1639 Russian explorers reached the Pacific Ocean . In 1725 , Emperor Peter the Great ordered navigator Vitus Bering to explore the North Pacific for potential colonization . The Russians were primarily interested in the abundance of fur - bearing mammals on Alaska 's coast , as stocks had been depleted by overhunting in Siberia . Bering 's first voyage was foiled by thick fog and ice , but in 1741 a second voyage by Bering and Aleksei Chirikov made sight of the North American mainland . </P>
where was the russian settlement of america located
where was the russian settlement of america located
northern Pacific Coast territories
northern Pacific Coast territories