Kapuloan Kuril: Béda antara owahan

Konten dihapus Konten ditambahkan
미솔파 (parembugan | pasumbang)
Tanpa ringkesan besutan
미솔파 (parembugan | pasumbang)
Ngothongaké kaca
Tenger: Ngothongaké Besutan visual
Larik 1:
{{Infobox disputed islands|plural=yes|name=Kuril Islands|image name=Sea of Okhotsk map.png|image caption=Location of the Kuril Islands in the [[Pacific Ocean|Western Pacific]] between Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia|image size=300px|locator map=|map_custom=|native name=Курильские острова<br>千島列島|native name link=|other_names=|location=Pacific Ocean|coordinates={{Coord|46|30|N|151|30|E|region:RU_type:isle_dim:1000000|display=inline,title}}|archipelago=|total islands=56|major islands=|area={{convert|10,503.2|km2|acre sqmi|abbr=on}}|length=|width=|coastline=|highest mount=[[Atlasov Island|Alaid]]|elevation={{convert|2339|m|ft}}|country claim=Russia|country claim divisions title=[[Raion|Districts]]|country claim divisions=[[Severo-Kurilsky District|Severo-Kurilsky]], [[Kurilsky District|Kurilsky]] and [[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]]s ([[Sakhalin Oblast]])|country claim capital city=|country claim largest city=|country claim largest city population=|country claim leader title=|country claim leader name=|country 1 claim=Japan|country 1 claim divisions title=[[Subprefectures of Hokkaido|Subprefecture]]|country 1 claim divisions=[[Nemuro Subprefecture]] ([[Hokkaido]]) (partial, southernmost islands)|country 1 claim capital city=|country 1 claim largest city=|country 1 claim largest city population=|country 1 claim leader title=|country 1 claim leader name=|country=Russia|country admin divisions title=[[Raion|Districts]]|country admin divisions=[[Severo-Kurilsky District|Severo-Kurilsky]], [[Kurilsky District|Kurilsky]] and [[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]]s ([[Sakhalin Oblast]])|country capital city=|country largest city=|country largest city population=|country leader title=|country leader name=|population=19,434|population as of=2010|density=|ethnic groups=|additional info=}}
[[Gambar:Matua.jpg|jmpl|[[Matua Island]] as seen from [[Raikoke]].]]
The '''Kuril Islands''' or '''Kurile Islands''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ʊər|ɪ|l}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|jʊər|ɪ|l}}, or {{IPAc-en|k|j|ʊ|ˈ|r|iː|l}}; {{lang-rus|Кури́льские острова́|r=Kurilskiye ostrova|p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva}} or {{lang-rus|островá Тисима|r=ostrova Tisima}}; [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{nihongo3|"Kuril Islands"|クリル列島|Kuriru rettō}} or {{nihongo3|"Chishima Islands"|千島列島|Chishima rettō}}), in [[Russia]]'s [[Sakhalin Oblast]] region, form a volcanic [[archipelago]] that stretches approximately {{convert|1300|km|mi|abbr=on}} northeast from [[Hokkaido]], [[Japan]], to [[Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka]], [[Russia]], separating the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] from the north [[Pacific Ocean]]. There are 56 islands and many minor rocks. It consists of [[Greater Kuril Ridge]] and [[Lesser Kuril Ridge]].<ref>[http://slovari.yandex.ru/Курильские%20острова/БСЭ/Курильские%20острова/ GSE]</ref> The total land area is {{convert|10,503.2|km2|sqmi}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sakhalin.ru/Engl/Region/geography.htm|title=Archived copy|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114103636/http://www.sakhalin.ru/Engl/Region/geography.htm|archivedate=2011-01-14|deadurl=yes|accessdate=2011-02-01|df=}}</ref> and the total population is 19,434.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8101395/Kuril-Islands-factfile.html|title=Kuril Islands: factfile|date=November 1, 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref>
 
All the islands are currently under Russian jurisdiction. Japan claims the two southernmost large islands ([[Iturup]] and [[Kunashir]]) as part of its territory, as well as [[Shikotan]] and the [[Habomai]] islets, which has led to the ongoing [[Kuril Islands dispute]]. The disputed islands are known in Japan as the country's "Northern Territories".<ref name="Japan’s Russian Dilemma">{{cite web|url=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/yuriko-koike-regards-vladimir-putin-s-invasion-of-ukraine-in-light-of-japan-s-own-territorial-disputes|title=Japan’s Russian Dilemma|last=Koike|first=Yuriko|date=31 March 2014|publisher=}}</ref>
 
== Etymology ==
{{Refimprove|date=February 2011}}
[[Gambar:Sarychev_Volcano_edit.jpg|ka|jmpl|The Sarychev volcano erupting on June 12, 2009, as seen from the [[International Space Station]].]]
The name ''Kuril'' originates from the [[Endonym|autonym]] of the aboriginal [[Ainu people|Ainu]], the islands' [[Indigenous peoples|original inhabitants]]: "kur", meaning man. It may also be related to names for other islands that have traditionally been inhabited by the Ainu people, such as ''Kuyi'' or ''Kuye'' for [[Sakhalin]] and ''Kai'' for [[Hokkaidō]]. In [[Japanese language|Japanese]], the Kuril Islands are known as the Chishima Islands ([[Kanji]]: {{lang|ja|千島列島}} {{lang|ja-Latn|''Chishima Rettō''}} {{IPA-ja|tɕi̥ɕima ɾettoː|pron}}, literally, ''Thousand Islands Archipelago''), also known as the Kuriru Islands ([[Katakana]]: {{lang|ja|クリル列島}} {{lang|ja-Latn|''Kuriru Rettō''}} {{IPA-ja|kɯɾiɾɯ ɾettoː|}}, literally, ''Kuril Archipelago''). Once the Russians reached the islands in the 18th century they found a [[False etymology|pseudo-etymology]] from Russian ''kurit'' ("курить" – "to smoke") due to the continual fumes and steam above the islands from volcanoes.
 
== Geography ==
[[Gambar:Demis-kurils-russian_names.png|ka|jmpl|The Kuril Islands, showing the de facto division between Japan and Russia over time.]]
The Kuril Islands form part of the ring of [[Tectonics|tectonic]] instability encircling the Pacific Ocean referred to as the [[Pacific Ring of Fire|Ring of Fire]]. The islands themselves are summits of [[Stratovolcano|stratovolcanoes]] that are a direct result of the subduction of the [[Pacific Plate]] under the [[Okhotsk Plate]], which forms the [[Kuril Trench]] some {{convert|200|km|mi}} east of the islands. The chain has around 100 volcanoes, some 40 of which are active, and many [[hot springs]] and [[fumaroles]]. There is frequent [[Earthquake|seismic activity]], including a [[Moment magnitude scale|magnitude]] [[1963 Kuril Islands earthquake|8.5 earthquake]] in 1963 and one of magnitude 8.3 recorded on [[2006 Kuril Islands earthquake|November 15, 2006]], which resulted in [[tsunami]] waves up to {{convert|5|ft|m|order=flip}} reaching the [[California]] coast.<ref>[http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/2005/tsunamis/Kuril_2006/index.html Central Kuril Island Tsunami in Crescent City, California] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226130312/http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/2005/tsunamis/Kuril_2006/index.html|date=2010-02-26}} ''[[University of Southern California]]''</ref>
 
The climate on the islands is generally severe, with long, cold, stormy winters and short and notoriously foggy summers. The average annual precipitation is {{convert|30|–|40|in|mm}}, most of which falls as snow.
 
The chain ranges from temperate to sub-Arctic climate types, and the vegetative cover consequently ranges from [[tundra]] in the north to dense [[spruce]] and [[larch]] forests on the larger southern islands. The highest elevations on the islands are Alaid volcano (highest point: {{convert|2339|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) on [[Atlasov Island]] at the northern end of the chain and Tyatya volcano ({{convert|1819|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) on [[Kunashir Island]] at the southern end.
[[Gambar:Kuril_Island.jpg|jmpl|One of the Kuril Islands]]
[[Gambar:Yankicha.jpg|jmpl|[[Caldera]] of the island [[Ushishir]]]]
Landscape types and habitats on the islands include many kinds of beach and rocky shores, cliffs, wide rivers and fast gravelly streams, forests, grasslands, [[alpine tundra]], [[Crater lake|crater lakes]] and [[peat bogs]]. The soils are generally productive, owing to the periodic influxes of volcanic ash and, in certain places, owing to significant enrichment by [[seabird]] [[guano]]. However, many of the steep, unconsolidated slopes are susceptible to landslides and newer volcanic activity can entirely [[Denudation|denude]] a landscape. Only the southernmost island has large areas covered by trees, while more northerly islands have no trees, or spotty tree cover.
 
== Ecology ==
 
=== Marine ===
Owing to their location along the Pacific shelf edge and the confluence of Okhotsk Sea gyre and the southward [[Oyashio Current]], the Kuril islands are surrounded by waters that are among the most productive in the North Pacific, supporting a wide range and high abundance of marine life.
 
'''[[Invertebrates]]''': Extensive [[kelp]] beds surrounding almost every island provide crucial habitat for [[sea urchins]], various [[mollusks]] and countless other invertebrates and their associated predators. Many species of [[squid]] provide a principal component of the diet of many of the smaller marine mammals and birds along the chain.
 
'''[[Fish]]''': Further offshore, [[Pollock|walleye pollock]], [[Pacific cod]], several species of [[flatfish]] are of the greatest commercial importance. During the 1980s, migratory Japanese [[sardine]] was one of the most abundant fish in the summer and the main [[Pinniped|pinnipeds]] were a significant object of harvest for the indigenous populations of the Kuril islands, both for food and materials such as skin and bone. The long term fluctuations in the range and distribution of human settlements along the Kuril island presumably tracked the pinniped ranges. In historical times, fur seals were heavily exploited for their fur in the 19th and early 20th centuries and several of the largest reproductive rookeries, as on [[Raykoke]] island, were extirpated. In contrast, commercial harvest of the [[True seal|true seals]] and [[Steller sea lion|Steller sea lions]] has been relatively insignificant on the Kuril islands proper. Since the 1960s there has been essentially no additional harvest and the pinniped populations in the Kuril islands appear to be fairly healthy and in some cases expanding. The notable exception is the now extinct [[Japanese sea lion]] which was known to occasionally [[haul out]] on the Kuril islands.
 
'''[[Sea otters]]''' were exploited very heavily for their pelts in the 19th century. Indeed, as shown by 19th and 20th century whaling catch and sighting records.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Clapham|first=P. J.|author2=C. Good|author3=S. E. Quinn|author4=R. R. Reeves|author5=J. E. Scarff|author6=R.L. Brownell Jr|year=2004|title=Distribution of North Pacific|journal=Journal of Cetacean Research and Management|volume=6|issue=1|pages=1–6|accessdate=2009-08-26}}</ref>
 
'''[[Seabirds]]''': The Kuril islands are home to many millions of seabirds, including [[Northern fulmar|northern fulmars]], [[Tufted puffin|tufted puffins]], [[Murre|murres]], [[Kittiwake|kittiwakes]], [[Guillemot|guillemots]], [[Auklet|auklets]], [[Petrel|petrels]], [[Gull|gulls]] and [[Cormorant|cormorants]]. On many of the smaller islands in summer, where terrestrial predators are absent, virtually every possibly hummock, cliff niche or underneath of boulder is occupied by a nesting bird.
 
=== Terrestrial ===
The composition of terrestrial species on the Kuril islands is dominated by Asian mainland taxa via migration from Hokkaido and [[Sakhalin]] Islands and by Kamchatkan taxa from the North. While highly diverse, there is a relatively low level of [[endemism]].
 
The [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] divides the Kuril Islands into two [[Ecoregion|ecoregions]]. The southern Kurils, along with southwestern Sakhalin, comprise the [[South Sakhalin-Kurile mixed forests]] ecoregion. The northern islands are part of the [[Kamchatka-Kurile meadows sparse forests]], a larger ecoregion that extends onto the Kamchatka peninsula and [[Commander Islands]].
 
Because of the generally smaller size and isolation of the central islands, few major terrestrial mammals have colonized these, though [[Red fox|red]] and [[Arctic fox|Arctic]] [[Fox|foxes]] were introduced for the sake of the fur trade in the 1880s. The bulk of the terrestrial mammal biomass is taken up by [[rodents]], many introduced in historical times. The largest southernmost and northernmost islands are inhabited by [[brown bear]], [[Red fox|foxes]], and [[martens]]. Some species of [[deer]] are found on the more southerly islands. It is claimed that a wild cat, the [[Kurilian Bobtail]], originates from the Kuril Islands. The bobtail is due to the mutation of a dominant gene. The cat has been domesticated and exported to nearby Russia and bred there, becoming a popular domestic cat.
 
Among terrestrial birds, [[Raven|ravens]], [[Peregrine falcon|peregrine falcons]], some [[Wren|wrens]] and [[Wagtail|wagtails]] are common.
 
== History ==
[[Gambar:Kuril_Ainu_dwelling.jpg|jmpl|Kuril Ainu people next to their traditional dwelling.]]
The [[Ainu people]] were early inhabitants of Kuril Islands, although there are few records that predate the 17th century. The Japanese administration first took nominal control of the islands in the [[Edo period]] of Japan, in the form of claims by the [[Matsumae clan]]. It is claimed that the Japanese knew of the northern islands 370 years ago.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Kuril Islands|last=Stephan|first=John J|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1974|location=Oxford|pages=50–56}}</ref> On "Shōhō Onkuko Ezu", a map of Japan made by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], in 1644, there are 39 large and small islands shown northeast of the [[Shiretoko Peninsula|Shiretoko peninsula]] and [[Cape Nosappu]].
 
'''Choka''' seems to have been the [[Ainu people|Ainu]] name for [[Paramushir]] and its neighbouring islands. Then '''Rakkoshima''' ("sea-otter isles") extended from [[Onnekotan]] to [[Simushir]]. [[Urup]], [[Iturup]] and [[Kunashir]] are the three southern islands.
 
In 1811, Russian Captain [[Vasily Golovnin]] and his crew, who stopped at [[Kunashir]] during their hydrographic survey, were captured by retainers of the [[Nambu clan]], and sent to the Matsumae authorities. Because a Japanese trader, [[Takadaya Kahei]], was also captured by [[Pyotr Ivanovich Ricord|Petr Rikord]], Captain of a Russian vessel near Kunashir in 1812, Japan and Russia entered into negotiations to establish the border between the two countries.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
 
[[United States|American]] [[Whaler|whaleships]] caught [[North Pacific right whale|right whales]] off the islands between 1847 and 1892.<ref>''Eliza Adams'', of Fairhaven, May 29 – Jun 13, June 24-Aug. 1, 1847, Old Dartmouth Historical Society (ODHS); ''Splendid'', of Edgartown, Aug. 12-Sep. 6, 1848, Nicholson Whaling Collection (NWC); ''Shepherdess'', of Mystic, May 8–30, 1849, NWC; ''Hudson'', of Fairhaven, Oct. 6, 1857, Kendall Whaling Museum (KWM); ''Sea Breeze'', of New Bedford, Oct. 5–18, 1868, ODHS; ''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of New Bedford, Aug. 23-Sep. 10, 1892, KWM.</ref> Three of the ships were wrecked on the islands: two on [[Urup]] in 1855<ref>''Lexington'', of Nantucket, May 31, 1855, Nantucket Historical Association.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=History of the American Whale Fishery from Its Earliest Inception to the year 1876|last=Starbuck|first=Alexander|publisher=Castle|year=1878|isbn=1-55521-537-8}}</ref> and one on [[Makanrushi]] in 1856.<ref>''The Friend'' (Vol. V, No. 12, Dec. 11, 1856, p. 93, Honolulu).</ref> In September 1892, the bark ''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]], was seized by a [[Russia|Russian]] [[schooner]] north of [[Kunashir|Kunashir Island]] and escorted to [[Vladivostok]], where it was detained for nearly two weeks.<ref>''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of New Bedford, Sep. 10, Sep. 19-Oct. 1, 1892, KWM.</ref>
 
The ''Treaty of Commerce, Navigation and Delimitation'' was concluded in 1855, and the border was established between Iturup and Urup. This border confirmed that Japanese territory stretched south from Iturup and Russian territory stretched north of Urup. [[Sakhalin]] remained a place where people from both countries could live. The [[Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875)|Treaty of Saint Petersburg]] in 1875 resulted in Japan relinquishing all rights over Sakhalin in exchange for Russia ceding all of the Kuril Islands south of Kamchatka.
 
During the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905, Gunji, a retired Japanese military man and local settler in [[Shumshu]], led an invading party to the [[Kamchatka]] coast. Russia sent reinforcements to the area to capture and inter this group. After the war was over, Japan received fishing rights in Russian waters as part of the Russo-Japanese Fisheries Agreement until 1945.
 
During their [[Japan during the Siberian Intervention|armed intervention in Siberia]] 1918–1925, Japanese forces from the northern Kurils, along with United States and European forces, occupied southern [[Kamchatka]]. Japanese vessels made naval strikes against [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]].
 
The Soviet Union conquered [[Invasion of South Sakhalin|South Sakhalin]] and the [[Invasion of the Kuril Islands|Kuril islands]] at the end of [[World War II]]. Japan maintains a claim to the four southernmost islands of [[Kunashir]], [[Iturup]], [[Shikotan]], and the [[Habomai]] rocks, together called the ''Northern Territories''{{crossref|(see [[Kuril Islands dispute]])}}.
 
=== Japanese administration ===
[[Gambar:Map_of_Chishima_by_Gisuke_Sasamori.jpg|jmpl|A map of Kuril Islands from Gisuke Sasamori's 1893 book ''Chishima Tanken'']]
In 1869, the [[Meiji period|Meiji]] government established the Colonization Commission in [[Sapporo]] to aid in the development of the northern area. Ezo was renamed Hokkaidō and [[Kita Ezo]] later received the name of Karafuto. Eleven provinces{{Which|date=February 2011}} and 86 districts were founded by Meiji government and were put under the control of feudal clans. Because the Meiji government could not sufficiently cope with Russians moving to south Sakhalin, Japan negotiated with Russia over control of the Kuril Islands, resulting in the [[Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875)|Treaty of Saint Petersburg]] that ceded the eighteen islands north of Uruppu to Japan and all of Sakhalin to Russia.
 
Road networks and post offices were established on Kunashiri and Etorofu. Life on the islands became more stable when a regular sea route connecting islands with Hokkaidō was opened and a telegraphic system began. At the end of the [[Taishō period]], towns and villages were organized in the northern territories and village offices were established on each island. The Habomai island towns were all part of Habomai Village for example. In other cases the town and village system was not adopted on islands north of [[Uruppu]], which were under direct control of the [[Nemuro Subprefecture|Nemuro Subprefectural]] office of the Hokkaidō government.
 
Each village had a district forestry system, a marine product examination center, salmon hatchery, post office, police station, elementary school, Shinto temple, and other public facilities. In 1930, 8,300 people lived on [[Kunashiri]] island and 6,000 on Etorofu island, and most of them were engaged in coastal and high sea fishing.
 
=== World War II ===
* Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] ordered the meeting of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] strike force for the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Hawaii Operation]] attack on Pearl Harbor, November 22, 1941 in Tankan or [[Hitokappu]] Bay, in [[Iturup]] Island, South Kurils. The territory was chosen for its sparse population, lack of foreigners, and constant fog coverage. The Admiral ordered the move to Hawaii on the morning of November 26.
* On July 10, 1943, the first bombardment against the [[Shumushu]] and [[Paramushiro]] Japanese bases by American forces occurred. From [[Alexai Point Landing Field|Alexai airfield]] 8 [[B-25 Mitchell|B-25 Mitchells]] from the [[77th Bombardment Squadron]] took off, led by Capt James L. Hudelson. This mission principally struck Paramushiro.
* Another mission was flown during September 11, 1943, when [[Eleventh Air Force]] dispatched eight [[B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberators]] and 12 [[B-25|B-25s]]. But now the Japanese were alert and reinforced their defenses. 74 crew members in three B-24s and seven B-25 failed to return. Twenty two men were killed in action, one taken prisoner and 51 interned in [[Kamchatka]], Russia.
* The Eleventh Air Force implemented other bombing missions against the northern Kurils including a strike by six [[B-24|B-24s]] from the [[404th Bombardment Squadron]] and 16 [[P-38|P-38s]] from the [[54th Fighter Squadron]] on February 5, 1944.
* Japanese sources report that the [[Matsuwa]] military installations were subject to American air strikes between 1943–44.
* The Americans' "[[Operation Wedlock]]", diverted Japanese attention north and misled them about U.S. strategy in the Pacific. The plan included air strikes by U.S.A.A.F. and U.S. Navy bombers and U.S. Navy shore bombardment and submarine operations. Japanese increased their garrison in the north Kurils from 8,000 in 1943 to 41,000 in 1944 and maintained more than 400 aircraft in the [[Kurils]] and [[Hokkaidō]] area in anticipation that the Americans might invade from [[Alaska]].
* American planners had briefly contemplated an invasion of northern [[Japan]] from the [[Aleutian Islands]] during the fall of 1943 but rejected that idea as too risky and impractical. They considered the use of [[Boeing B-29]] Superfortresses, on [[Amchitka]] and [[Shemya]] bases, but rejected that idea, too. The U.S. military maintained interest in these plans when they ordered the expansion of bases in the western Aleutians, and major construction began on Shemya. In 1945, plans were shelved for a possible invasion of Japan via the northern route.
* Between August 18 and 31, Soviet forces invaded the North and South Kurils. The entire Japanese civilian population of roughly 17,000 was expelled by 1946.
* Between August 24 and September 4, 1945, the Eleventh Air Force of the [[United States Army Air Forces]] sent two B-24s on reconnaissance missions over the North Kuril Islands with intention to take photos of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] occupation in the area. Soviet fighters intercepted and forced them away, a foretaste of the [[Cold War]] that lay ahead.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
[[Gambar:214_1426_Sev_Kur_main_street_wiki.jpg|jmpl|[[Severo-Kurilsk]], Panamushir]]
 
=== Russian administration ===
* [[Severo-Kurilsky District]] ([[Severo-Kurilsk]])
* [[Kurilsky District]] ([[Kurilsk]])
* [[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]] ([[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]])
 
== Current situation ==
[[Gambar:Шикотан_008.jpg|ka|jmpl|Main village in [[Shikotan]]]]
[[Gambar:Kunashir_hram.jpg|jmpl|Russian Orthodox church, Kunashir]]
[[Gambar:Yuzhno-Kurilsk_anchor.jpg|jmpl|[[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]], Kunashir]]
{{As of|2013}}, 19,434 people inhabited the Kuril Islands. These include ethnic [[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Belarusians]], [[Tatars]], [[Nivkh people|Nivkhs]], [[Oroch people|Oroch]], and [[Ainu people|Ainus]]. [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]] and [[Islam]] are the only religions with significant following among the population.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} Some of the villages are permanently manned by Russian soldiers (especially in [[Kunashir]] following recent tensions). Others are inhabited by civilians, which are mostly fishermen, workers of the fish factories, dockers, and social sphere workers (policemen, medics, teachers, etc.). Recent construction works on the islands attracts a lot of migrant workers from the rest of Russia and former USSR. {{As of|2014}}, there were only 8 inhabited islands out of a total of 56. [[Iturup Island]] is over 60% ethnically Ukrainian.<ref name="Japan’s Russian Dilemma" /> On 8 February 2017 the Russian government gave names to five previously unnamed Kuril islands in [[Sakhalin Oblast]]: Derevyanko Island (after [[Kuzma Derevyanko]], {{Coord|43|22|8|N|146|1|3|E|display=inline}}), Gnechko Island (after [[Alexey Gnechko]], {{Coord|43|48|5|N|146|52|1|E|display=inline}}), Gromyko Island (after [[Andrei Gromyko]], {{Coord|46|14|1|N|150|36|1|E|display=inline}}), Farkhutdinov Island (after [[Igor Farkhutdinov]], {{Coord|43|48|5|N|146|53|2|E|display=inline}}) and Shchetinina Island (after [[Anna Shchetinina]], {{Coord|46|13|7|N|150|34|6|E|display=inline}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201702100038|title=Распоряжение Правительства Российской Федерации от 08.02.2017 № 223-р|date=8 February 2017|publisher=Publication.pravo.gov.ru|language=Russian|accessdate=11 February 2017}}</ref>
 
=== Economy ===
[[Fishing]] is the primary occupation. The islands have strategic and economic value, in terms of fisheries and also mineral deposits of [[pyrite]], [[sulfur]], and various [[polymetallic]] [[ores]]. There are hopes that oil exploration will provide an economic boost to the islands.<ref>"It was hoped that the proceeds from the ongoing projects would help to alleviate the high level of poverty in the region". ''Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia'', ''s.v.'' Sakhalin Oblast" (Europa Publications) 2003.</ref>
 
The economic rise of the Russian Federation has been seen on the Kurils too. The most visible sign of improvement is the new construction in infrastructure. In 2014, construction workers built a pier and a breakwater in Kitovy Bay, central Iturup, where barges are a major means of transport, sailing between the cove and ships anchored offshore. A new road has been carved through the woods near Kurilsk, the island's biggest village, going to the site of [[Yuzhno-Kurilsk Mendeleyevo Airport]].<ref name="Centre for Aviation">{{cite web|url=http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/yuzhno-kurilsk-mendeleyevo-airport-dee|title=Profile on Yuzhno-Kurilsk Mendeleyevo Airport|accessdate=May 24, 2014}}</ref>
 
Gidrostroy, the Kurils' biggest business group with interests in fishing, construction and real estate, built its second fish processing factory on Iturup island in 2006, introducing a state-of-the-art conveyor system.
 
To deal with a rise in the demand of electricity, the local government is also upgrading a state-run geothermal power plant at [[Baransky|Mount Baransky]], an active volcano, where steam and hot water can be found.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2007/09/15/122630/Islands-disputed.htm|title=Islands disputed with Japan feel Russia’s boom|publisher=}}</ref>
 
=== Military ===
{{main article|Defence of the Kuril Islands}} The main Russian force stationed on the islands is the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division, which has its headquarters in [[Goryachiye Klyuchi]] on [[Iturup Island]]. There are also Border Guard Service troops stationed on the islands. In February 2011, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for substantial reinforcements of the Kuril Islands defences. In 2015 anti-aircraft missile systems '[[Tor missile system|Tor]]', '[[Buk missile system|BUK]]' missile systems, [[Coastal defence and fortification|coastal defence]] missile systems 'Bastion', combat helicopters [[Kamov Ka-50|Ka-52 'Alligator']] and 1 'Varshavyanka' project submarine came on defence of Kuril Islands.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/russia/2011/russia-110209-rianovosti02.htm "Russia moves to defend Kuril Islands claim"]. RIA Novosti, 9 February 2011.</ref>
 
== Atlasov Island ==
[[Gambar:Atlasov_island.jpg|jmpl|[[Atlasov Island]] — northernmost island of the Kurils, viewed from space]]
The northernmost, [[Atlasov Island]] (Oyakoba in Japanese), is an almost perfect [[Volcano|volcanic]] cone rising sheer out of the sea; it has been praised by the Japanese in [[haiku]], [[Wood-block print|wood-block prints]], and other forms, in much the same way as the better-known [[Mt. Fuji]].
 
== List of main islands ==
[[Gambar:Signalny_Rock.jpg|jmpl|[[Signalny]] Rock, viewed from [[Cape Nosappu]], Japan]]
While in Russian sources the islands are mentioned for the first time in 1646, the earliest detailed information about them was provided by the explorer [[Vladimir Atlasov]] in 1697. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Kuril Islands were explored by [[Danila Antsiferov]], I. Kozyrevsky, [[Ivan Yevreinov]], [[Fyodor Luzhin]], [[Martin Shpanberg]], [[Adam Johann von Krusenstern]], [[Vasily Golovnin]], and [[Henry James Snow]].
 
The following table lists information on the main islands from north to south:
{| class="wikitable sortable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |Island
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |{{lang-ru|Name}}
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |{{lang-ja|Name}}
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |Alternative
names
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |Island Group
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |Capital / Landing point
! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable" |Other
Cities
! style="background: #CCC;" |Area&nbsp;
(km<sup>2</sup>)
! style="background: #CCC;" |Population
|- style="background:#AEE0F2;"
|[[Severo-Kurilsky District]]
|
|
|North Kurils
|'''[[North Kurils|North Kurils (Kita-chishima / 北千島)]]'''
|[[Severo-Kurilsk]]
|[[Shelikovo]], [[Podgorny]], [[Baikovo]]
| align="right" |3,504.00
| align="right" |2,560
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Shumshu]]
|Шумшу
|占守島
|Shumushu
|'''North Kurils'''
|[[Baikovo]]
|
| align="right" |388.0
| align="right" |20
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Atlasov Island|Atlasov]]
|Атласова
|阿頼度島
|Oyakoba, Araido
|'''North Kurils'''
|Alaidskaya Bay
|
| align="right" |150.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Paramushir]]
|Парамушир
|幌筵島
|Paramushiru, Horomushiro
|'''North Kurils'''
|[[Severo-Kurilsk]]
|[[Shelikovo]], [[Podgorny]]
| align="right" |2,053.0
| align="right" |2,540
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Antsiferov Island|Antsiferov]]
|Анциферова
|志林規島
|Shirinki
|'''North Kurils'''
|Antsiferov beach
|Cape Terkut
| align="right" |7.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Makanrushi]]
|Маканруши
|磨勘留島
|Makanru
|'''North Kurils'''
|Zakat
|
| align="right" |50.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Awos Island|Awos]]
|Авось
|帆掛岩
|Hokake, Hainoko
|'''North Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |0.1
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Onekotan]]
|Онекотан
|温禰古丹島
|
|'''North Kurils'''
|Mussel
|Kuroisi, Nemo, Shestakov
| align="right" |425.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Kharimkotan]]
|Харимкотан
|春牟古丹島
|Harimukotan, Harumukotan
|'''North Kurils'''
|Sunazhma
|Severgin Bay
| align="right" |70.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Ekarma]]
|Экарма
|越渇磨島
|Ekaruma
|'''North Kurils'''
|Kruglyy
|
| align="right" |30.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Chirinkotan]]
|Чиринкотан
|知林古丹島
|
|'''North Kurils'''
|Cape Ptichy
|
| align="right" |6.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Shiashkotan]]
|Шиашкотан
|捨子古丹島
|Shasukotan
|'''North Kurils'''
|Makarovka
|
| align="right" |122.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Lowuschki Rocks]]
|Ловушки
|牟知列岩
|Mushiru
|'''North Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |1,5
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Raikoke]]
|Райкоке
|雷公計島
|
|'''North Kurils'''
|Raikoke
|
| align="right" |4.6
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Matua (island)|Matua]]
|Матуа
|松輪島
|Matsuwa
|'''North Kurils'''
|Sarychevo
|
| align="right" |52.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Rasshua]]
|Расшуа
|羅処和島
|Rashowa, Rasutsua
|'''North Kurils'''
|Arches Point
|
| align="right" |67.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Srednego]]
|Среднего
|摺手岩
|Suride
|'''North Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Ushishir]]
|Ушишир
|宇志知島
|Ushishiru
|'''North Kurils'''
|Kraternya
|Ryponkicha
| align="right" |5.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Ketoy]]
|Кетой
|計吐夷島
|Ketoi
|'''North Kurils'''
|Storozheva
|
| align="right" |73.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#AEE0F2;"
|[[Kurilsky District]]
|
|
|Middle Kurils (Naka-chishima / 中千島)
|split between both Japanese groups
|[[Kurilsk]]
|[[Reidovo]], [[Kitovyi]], [[Rybaki (Kuril Islands)|Rybaki]], [[Goryachiye Klyuchi]], [[Kasatka]], [[Burevestnik Airport|Burevestnik]], [[Shumi-Gorodok]], [[Gornyy, Russia|Gornyy]]
| align="right" |5,138.4
| align="right" |6,606
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Simushir]]
|Симушир
|新知島
|Shimushiru, Shinshiru
|'''North Kurils'''
|[[Kraternyy]]
|Srednaya bay
| align="right" |360.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Broutona]]
|Броутона
|武魯頓島
|Buroton, Makanruru
|'''North Kurils'''
|Nedostupnyy
|
| align="right" |7.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Chirpoy]]
|Чирпой
|知理保以島
|Chirihoi, Chierupoi
|'''North Kurils'''
|Peschanaya Bay
|
| align="right" |21.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Chyornie Bratya|Brat Chirpoyev]]
|Брат Чирпоев
|知理保以南島
|Chirihoinan
|'''North Kurils'''
|Garovnikova
|Semenova
| align="right" |16.0
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Urup]]
|Уруп
|得撫島
|Uruppu
|'''North Kurils'''
|Mys [[Kastrikum]]
|Mys Van-der-Lind
| align="right" |1,450.0
| align="right" |~4
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|Other
|
|
|
|'''North Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |4.4
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Iturup]]
|Итуруп
|択捉島
|Etorofu
|'''[[South Kurils|South Kurils (Minami-chishima / 南千島)]]'''
|[[Kurilsk]]
|[[Reidovo]], [[Kitovyi]], [[Rybaki (Kuril Islands)|Rybaki]], [[Goryachiye Klyuchi]], [[Kasatka]], [[Burevestnik Airport|Burevestnik]], [[Shumi-Gorodok]], [[Gornyy, Russia|Gornyy]]
| align="right" |3,280.0
| align="right" |6,602
|- style="background:#AEE0F2;"
|[[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]]
|
|
|South Kurils
|'''South Kurils'''
|[[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]]
|[[Malokurilskoye]], [[Rudnaya (Kuril Islands)|Rudnaya]], [[Lagunnoye]], [[Otrada]], [[Goryachiy Plyazh]], [[Aliger]], [[Mendeleyevo]], [[Dubovoye]], [[Polino]], [[Golovnino]]
| align="right" |1,860.8
| align="right" |10,268
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Kunashir]]
|Кунашир
|国後島
|Kunashiri
|'''South Kurils'''
|[[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]]
|[[Rudnaya (Kuril Islands)|Rudnaya]], [[Lagunnoye]], [[Otrada]], [[Goryachiy Plyaz|Goryachiy Plyazh]], [[Aliger]], [[Mendeleyevo]], [[Dubovoye]], [[Polino]], [[Golovnino]]
| align="right" |1,499.0
| align="right" |7,800
|- style="background:#AAA0F2;"
|[[Shikotan]] Group
|Шикотан
|色丹列島
|
|'''South Kurils'''
|[[Malokurilskoye]]
|[[Dumnova]], [[Otradnaya (Kuril Islands)|Otradnaya]], [[Krabozavodskoye]] (formerly Anama), [[Zvezdnaya]], [[Voloshina]], [[Kray Sveta]]
| align="right" |264.13
| align="right" |2,440
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|[[Shikotan]] Island
|Шикотан
|色丹島
|
|'''South Kurils'''
|[[Malokurilskoye]]
|[[Dumnova]], [[Otradnaya (Kuril Islands)|Otradnaya]], [[Krabozavodskoye]] (formerly Anama), [[Zvezdnaya]], [[Voloshina]], [[Kray Sveta]]
| align="right" |255.00
| align="right" |2,440
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|Other
|
|
|
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|[[Ayvazovskovo]]
| align="right" |9.1
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#AAA0F2;"
|[[Khabomai]]
|Хабомаи
|歯舞群島
|Habomai
|'''South Kurils'''
|Zorkiy
|[[Zelyonyi]], [[Polonskogo]]
| align="right" |97.70
| align="right" |28
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Polonskogo]]
|Полонского
|多楽島
|Taraku
|'''South Kurils'''
|Moriakov Bay station
|
| align="right" |11.57
| align="right" |2
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Oskolki (island)|Oskolki]]
|Осколки
|海馬島
|Todo, Kaiba
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Zelyonyi]]
|Зелёный
|志発島
|Shibotsu
|'''South Kurils'''
|Glushnevskyi station
|
| align="right" |58.72
| align="right" |3
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Kharkar]]
|Харкар
|春苅島
|Harukaru, Dyomina
|'''South Kurils'''
|Haruka
|
| align="right" |0.8
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Yuri (island)|Yuri]]
|Юрий
|勇留島
|Yuri
|'''South Kurils'''
|Kalernaya
|
| align="right" |10.32
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Anuchina]]
|Анучина
|秋勇留島
|Akiyuri
|'''South Kurils'''
|Bolshoye Bay
|
| align="right" |2.35
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Tanfilyeva]]
|Танфильева
|水晶島
|Suishō
|'''South Kurils'''
|Zorkiy
|Tanfilyevka Bay, Bolotnoye
| align="right" |12.92
| align="right" |23
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Storozhevoy (island)|Storozhevoy]]
|Сторожевой
|萌茂尻島
|Moemoshiri
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |0.07
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Rifovy]]
|Рифовый
|オドケ島
|Odoke
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** [[Signalny]]
|Сигнальный
|貝殻島
|Kaigara
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|
| align="right" |0.02
| align="right" |0
|- style="background:#FFFFFF;"
|** Other
|
|
|
|'''South Kurils'''
|
|[[Opasnaga]], [[Udivitelnaya]]
| align="right" |1.0
| align="right" |0
|-
|- style="background:#F2E0CE;" class="sortbottom"
|Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
| align="right" |10,503.2
| align="right" |19,434
|}
 
== See also ==
{{Portal|Russia|Islands}}{{div col}}
* [[2006 Kuril Islands earthquake]]
* [[2007 Kuril Islands earthquake]]
* [[Chishima Province]]
* [[Evacuation of Karafuto and Kuriles]]
* [[Invasion of the Kuril Islands]]
* [[Karafuto Fortress]]
* [[Karafuto Prefecture]]
* [[Northern District Army (Japan)|Organization of Hokkai (North) Army]]
* [[Organization of Kita and Minami Fortresses]]
* [[Political divisions of Karafuto Prefecture]]
* [[Zemlyak]]
{{div col end}}
 
== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* Gorshkov, G. S. ''Volcanism and the Upper Mantle Investigations in the Kurile Island Arc''. Monographs in geoscience. New York: Plenum Press, 1970. {{ISBN|0-306-30407-4}}
* Krasheninnikov, Stepan Petrovich, and James Greive. The History of Kamtschatka and the Kurilski Islands, with the Countries Adjacent. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1963.
* Rees, David. ''The Soviet Seizure of the Kuriles''. New York: Praeger, 1985. {{ISBN|0-03-002552-4}}
* Takahashi, Hideki, and Masahiro Ōhara. ''Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin''. Bulletin of the Hokkaido University Museum, no. 2-. Sapporo, Japan: Hokkaido University Museum, 2004.
* Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan. 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-674-02241-6}}.
* Alan Catharine and Denis Cleary. ''Unwelcome Company. ''A fiction thriller novel set in 1984 Tokyo and the Kuriles featuring a light aircraft crash and escape from Russian-held territory. On Kindle.
{{refend}}
 
== External links ==
{{commonscat|Kuril Islands}}{{Wikivoyage|Kuril Islands}}
* [https://www.academia.edu/23500963/SOUTHERN_KURILES_NORTHERN_TERRITORIES_A_STUMBLING-BLOCK_IN_RUSSIA-JAPAN_RELATIONSHIP Southern Kuriles / Northern Territories: A Stumbling-block in Russia-Japan Relationship], history and analysis by Andrew Andersen, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria, May 2001
* http://depts.washington.edu/ikip/index.shtml (Kuril Island Biocomplexity Project)
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223043232/http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/kuril/|date=December 23, 2010|title=Kuril Islands at Ocean Dots.com}} (includes space imagery)
* [http://www.nhpfund.org/nominations/kuril.html Kuril Islands] at [http://www.nhpfund.org/ Natural Heritage Protection Fund]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020211225504/http://artedi.fish.washington.edu/okhotskia/ikip/index.htm The International Kuril Island Project]
* http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.html
* [http://www.forcedmigration.org/video/chishima Chishima: Frontiers of San Francisco Treaty in Hokkaido] Short film on the disputed islands from a Japanese perspective
* [https://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/Asia.php USGS Map showing location of Magnitude 8.3 Earthquake 46.616°N, 153.224°E Kuril Islands region, November 15, 2006 11:14:16 UTC]
* [http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/kurilian-bobtail.html Pictures of Cats – Kurilian Bobtail]
* [http://englishrussia.com/?p=2213 Pictures of Kuril Islands]
* [https://www.britannica.com/place/Kuril-Islands Kuril Islands] at [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]
{{Kuril Islands}} {{Sea of Okhotsk Islands}}{{Authority control}}