Rene Boyd, age 14, of Haggerstown, Md., for her question:

HOW MANY ALEUTIAN ISLANDS ARE THERE?

Extending toward the south and west from Alaska are the Aleutian Islands, a chain that separates the North Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea. There are about 150 small islands in the group.  The Aleutian archipelago extends about 1,200 miles from the Alaska Peninsula toward Kamchatka Peninsula in the Soviet Union. The four main subgroups of the islands from the east to the west are theFox Islands, Andreaun of Islands, Rat Islands and Near Islands.

The archipelago, geographically, is a continuation of the Aleutian Range, which is on the Alaskan mainland and contains a number of volcanic peaks.

A few trees that are stunted in growth are found on the islands, but grasses grow in abundance. Although there are a number of good harbors, navigation is dangerous because of perpetual fog and numerous reefs.

The aborigines, called Aleuts, are generally classified ethnologically as North American Indians. They fish, hunt and raise sheep.

The Aleutians were discovered in 1741 by a Russian navigator named Alexi Chinkov and a Danish navigator in the service of Russia named Vitus Bering.