Topographic map of the Kuril Islands. Kurile Islands

What are interesting Kurile Islands Is it possible to organize the trip on your own? Who owns the Kuriles now: the essence of the Russia-Japan conflict.

The islands of the Sakhalin ridge, bordering Japan, are considered an oriental wonder of nature. Of course, we are talking about the Kuril Islands, whose history is as rich as nature. To begin with, it is worth saying that the struggle for 56 islands located between Kamchatka and Hokkaido began from the moment of discovery.

Kuril Islands on the map of Russia

Kuril Islands - pages of history

So, at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, when Russian navigators mapped hitherto unexplored lands that turned out to be inhabited, the process of appropriating uninhabited territories began. At that time, the Kuril Islands were inhabited by a people called Ayans. The Russian authorities tried to attract these people into their citizenship by any means, not excluding force. As a result, the ayans, together with their lands, nevertheless went over to the side of the Russian Empire in exchange for the abolition of taxes.

The situation fundamentally did not suit the Japanese, who had their own views on these territories. Diplomatic methods failed to resolve the conflict. Eventually, according to a document dated 1855, the territory of the islands is considered undivided. The situation became clear only after the end of World War II, when an amazing territory with a harsh climate was transferred to official ownership.

According to the new world order, the Kuril Islands passed into the possession of the Soviet Union - the victorious state. The Japanese, who fought on the side of the Nazis, had no chance.

Who actually owns the Kuril Islands?

Despite the results of the Second World War, which secured the USSR the right to own the Kuril Islands at the world level, Japan still claims the territory. So far, no peace treaty has been signed between the two countries.

What is happening now - in 2020?

By changing tactics, Japan is compromising and is currently contesting Russia's ownership of only a PART of the Kuril Islands. These are Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Khabomai group. At first glance, this is a small part of the Kuriles, because there are 56 units in the archipelago! One thing is confusing: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan are the only Kuril Islands where there is a permanent population (about 18 thousand people). They are located closest to the Japanese "border".

The Japanese and world media, in turn, throw firewood into the furnace of the conflict, exaggerating the topic and convincing ordinary citizens of Japan that the Kuril Islands are vital to them and unfairly captured. When, by whom, at what moment - it does not matter. The main thing is to create as many potential hotbeds of conflict around one vast, but a little unlucky country. Suddenly you're lucky, and somewhere the case will "burn out"?

Representatives of the Russian Federation represented by the President and the Foreign Ministry remain calm. But they do not tire of reminding once again that we are talking about the territory of Russia, which belongs to it by right. Well, in the end, it does not make claims to Poland on Gdansk and - on Alsace and Lorraine 😉

Nature of the Kuril Islands

Not only the history of the development of the islands is interesting, but also their nature. In fact, each of the Kuril Islands is a volcano, and a good part of these volcanoes are currently active. It is thanks to the volcanic origin that the nature of the islands is so diverse, and the surrounding landscapes are a paradise for photographers and geologists.

Eruption of the Crimean volcano (Kuril Islands, Russia)

Local residents. Bears of the Kuril Islands.

There are many geothermal springs on the Kuril Islands, which form entire lakes with hot water rich in healthy micro and macro elements. The Kuril Islands are home to a huge number of animals and birds, many of which are found only in these parts. The plant world is also rich, represented for the most part by endemics.

Journey to the Kuril Islands 2020

According to its parameters, the territory of the Kuril Islands is perfect for traveling. And even though the climate is harsh, there are almost no sunny days, high humidity and an abundance of precipitation - weather imperfections are covered by the beauty of nature and surprisingly clean air. So if you are worried about the weather on the Kuril Islands, then you can survive it.

Rest on the Kuril Islands today is exotic!

Having set out to organize an independent vacation on the Kuril Islands in 2020 (at least virtually), we habitually opened booking.com and found another, more global problem. Currently, there are no hotels on the Kuril Islands - tourism is not developed there.

Getting to the Kuriles is also not an easy task. The nearest airport accepting flights from Moscow is located in the regional center - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. And then a desperate traveler is waiting for a sea voyage to the Kuril Islands. But even here another test lies in wait: the only navigable non-freezing straits are the Frieze Strait and the Catherine Strait.

But the more interesting it will be to get and spend time on the Kuril Islands!

Flight tickets to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk from Moscow

Just in case, we throw you a link to a calendar of low prices for air tickets to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. What if you really one day are going to give up on the Kuriles? If we manage to do it before you, we will definitely tell you!

*Prices are for round trip

Once you visit the Kuril Islands, you will remember this beauty for the rest of your life. After all, it is not for nothing that countries like Japan have mutual claims about a small, but such a fertile piece of land.

Read more:

• - hotels
• (unexplored Norway)
• What is famous
• Life hacks from Fountravel:
• - is it worth going

A detailed map with the names of the Kuril Islands will help you plan your route. Inaccessibility, uninhabited places, geographical remoteness, pristine nature and smoking craters attract people who love extreme sports and unusual recreation.

The Kuriles represent a string of numerous land areas located between the lands of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The length of the ridge is 1180 km. The area is 10.5 thousand km 2. The islands are divided into 2 ridges located parallel to each other.

These are the Greater Kuril Ridge and the Lesser Kuril Ridge. Together they number 56 small and large islands and deserted rocks. The ridges extend for 1200 km. The large ridge is subdivided into the Southern, Northern and Middle Islands. They differ in ways of formation, topography, climate and natural world.

The Kuril lands are of great importance in the military, strategic, economic and social policy Russian Federation.

List of islands

Origin

There are 3 versions of the appearance of the name of the Kuril lands:

• From the word "smoke". From the Ainu language it is translated as nebula, clouds.
• The second was put forward by the famous navigator Vasily Golovnin - he took as a basis Russian word"to smoke". And he explained this by the constant haze flowing from the craters of volcanoes.
• They say that the name is based on the Ainu root "kur", meaning - residents, people. Therefore, the first Cossacks, discoverers of new lands, in 1711 called the settled inhabitants "Kuril men", "Kurils".

A large ridge consists of volcanic uplands. The highest points of the islands are from 500 to 2400 m. Atlasov Island is famous for the Alaid volcano, the peak reaches 2339 m. The ridge has 38 smoking craters.

The small ridge consists of 9 small islands. There are no high mountains and smoking volcanoes. The straits washing the ridge are filled with pitfalls and uneven elevations.

The largest land area is Shikotan, with the eponymous mountain of volcanic origin. This is the only island of a small ridge where the villages of Krabozavodskoye and Malokurilskoye were built.

Geological structure

Natural and natural combinations of rocks are found only on the southern and northern islands. On the rest, they occupy small areas and are recorded near volcanoes, on the banks and lower reaches of rivers.

The change of ancient rocks by pressure and high temperature air. They include sand, shale, pebbles and small shells. Most of the islands are made up of volcanic rocks. Contain petrified lava, basalt, rock fragments, ash and pumice.

Many centuries ago, the Kuril region was covered by the sea. Over time, it left, and islands formed in some places. This is how Kamchatka, Japan and the islands of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk appeared.

During the Tertiary period, the earth's crust split. Lava poured out at the bottom of the sea, large islands separated from the land, rocks of volcanic origin piled up on the surface of the earth. A chain of Kuril land appeared along the split line.

Seismologists observe earth movements every year. Islands continue to change and form. This is manifested by volcanic eruptions, mudflows and earthquakes.

Climate of the Kuril Islands

The climate of the islands is equated with the atmospheric conditions of the Far North. The weather here is harsh, with frosty and long winters. Summer time is short and cool. On the southern side of the Kuriles, the temperature in winter drops to -26 °C. In the northern regions, the climate is milder, winter frosts reach -15 ° C. The summer temperature is +17 °C in the south and +10 °C in the north.

Climate of Shikotan Island

Shikotan is a small island in the Pacific Ocean, has bays, beaches, hills and cliffs. The local climate is called maritime, temperate. The summer months are cool, the temperature fluctuates from +12 °C to +16 °C. Winter time Shikotan is much milder than the mainland. It often snows, after which a thaw is observed. The average daily temperature in February reaches 0 - 6 °C.

Up to 1250 mm of precipitation falls per year. It is noteworthy that precipitation is distributed evenly over all seasons. The island is known for places with a rare microclimate: on the west coast, tourists bathe in Soya, the warm current of the Sea of ​​Japan. And the eastern beaches are washed by the cold waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Climate of Simushir Island

Kuril Islands (the map with the names changed and replenished in 1946), namely about. Simushir, designated as the land of Marikan. The origin is volcanic, today the island is empty, uninhabited.

The climate of Simushir is oceanic. The warm waters of the Soya Current do not reach the island. But warm winds blow from the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the Pacific coast of Simushir is much warmer than the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The island receives the largest amount of snow and rain for the Kuril lands - 1600 mm per year. The climate of Simushir is characterized by excessive air humidity, hurricane gusts of up to 45 m/s and autumn fogs. Winter on the island is snowy and mild. Temperatures in February drop to -15°C. In summer it reaches +14 °C.

Natural resources

The resources of the Kuriles are varied. Deposits of ore, metal, oil and gas have been discovered on almost all lands. A deposit of rhenite, a valuable mineral, has been discovered on Iturup.

At the beginning of the last century, natural sulfur was mined here. At the end of the XIX century. The resources of the Kuriles amounted to 1868 tons of gold deposits, titanium alloys - 39.8 million tons, silver - 9285 tons, iron ore - 274 million tons, oil - 363 million tons. Today, these useful resources are almost not developed.

Among the numerous straits that do not freeze and are available for the passage of ships are Catherine and Friza. The zone of fishing places near the islands is 200 nautical miles and covers part of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Russian trawlers catch more than 3,000,000 tons of fish per year.

Flora

The great length of the Kuriles explains the diversity flora islands. The Kuril ridge is called the Botanical Garden, where the Kamchatka, Manchurian, Korean, and Japanese floras combine and intertwine.

The northern islands are covered with shrubs and low trees. These are thickets of alder, birch, willow and mountain ash. There are cedar thickets, yew, velvet tree.

Grow in the south mixed forests. The coniferous species is represented by firs, spruces. Deciduous forests are rich in maples, oaks, elms. Often on trees there are climbing types of vines: lemongrass, actinidia and small grapes. On the southern side of Kunashir Island, an endangered species of wild magnolia grows - obovate.

Bamboo is considered the dominant plant in the natural landscape of the islands. Its trunks form difficult, impassable areas. In glades, swamps and clearings, berries are ripening: blue honeysuckle, dove, stone berry, crowberry, blackberry.

Experts count about 40 species of endemic, local plants: astragalus, edelweiss, saussurea, hairy arthropod.

Fauna

The fauna of the Kuriles is rich and diverse. Its formation was influenced by the animal world of China, Japan and the Amur region.

The fauna of the islands is represented by:

In February 1984, the Kurilsky State Nature Reserve was created, in which more than 80 Red Book animals and birds live. Travelers, coming to the Kuril Islands, find themselves in a variety of natural zones. Primordial forests are replaced by subtropical wilds. And the foggy, mossy tundra turns into impenetrable swamps and jungles.

History of the islands

The Kuril Islands (a map with names appeared in the form of a drawing at the beginning of the 18th century) were previously inhabited by Cossacks. By order of the governor, Kozyrevsky and Antsiferov walked 2 sections: Paramushir and Shumshu. After returning, the first, inaccurate map of the Kuriles was drawn.

Therefore, they believe that Russian people discovered, explored and mastered the Kuriles - Cossacks, colonists and expeditions.

Until the 19th century

V. Atlasov, the clerk of the prison, spoke about the rest of the islands in the north of the ridge. At the beginning of 1697, he studied Kamchatka and from the western coast he saw land in the sea. In 1702 Great Peter I signed a decree on trade relations with Japan. And Russian sailors began to explore the paths to the southern shores neighboring country.

In 1713, captain I. Kozyrevsky went to distant islands and drew new map. Following him, the surveyor Luzhin with his partner Evreinov went through the lands to the 6th island of the Kuril lands and plotted them on the map. 10 years later, the fearless explorer V. Shestakov and his soldiers visited 5 islands.

After him, the main schemes and plans for the routes to Japan were prepared by the navigator M. Shpanberg. For 10 years, he transferred to paper and made detailed descriptions of all the islands. Spanberg's research was used to compile a detailed Academic Geographical Atlas of the country.

In the period 1750 - 1766. N. Storozhev, I. Cherny, N. Chikin sailed to accessible lands. The purpose of their trips was to clarify the number of islands and living people.

In 1775, for the affirmative consolidation and development of local lands, Uruppu built a settlement for Russians. The Russian pioneers tried to establish friendly trade relations with the Japanese, but were firmly refused.

The Japanese government constantly opposed the activities of the Russians in the south of the Kuriles. Forbidding ships to approach their shores.

19th century

In 1805, N. Rezanov, the first envoy of Russia, arrived in Japan, authorized to negotiate trade cooperation. But his arrival was not successful. Then Rezanov uses force and burns the Japanese village on Iturup, is engaged in robbery at sea. After these illegal relations between the Russians and the Japanese finally worsened.

In 1875, the Russian government agreed to transfer sections of the Kuril ridge to the adjacent side. In return, Russia took possession of Sakhalin. The people of the Ainu tribe did not take Russian citizenship, they left for the uninhabited lands of the island of Hokkaido. The Ainu living in the Kuriles remained in place, took Japanese citizenship, retaining their Christian beliefs and faith.

At the beginning of 1884, the rulers of Japan evicted the Ainu from the north of the Kuril ridge to Shikotan Island. And they urged them to engage in agriculture and cattle breeding. By the end of the XIX century. the islands of Kunashir and Iturup were also inhabited. The total population was 3,000 inhabitants, of which 2,750 were Japanese.

Russo-Japanese War

The Kuril Islands (the map with names may have changed after the end of the war with the Japanese) are subject to constant disputes over their territory.

In 1904, the Japanese authorities signed an order to start hostilities with Russia. They voiced an official statement about the break in peaceful relations with our country. A squadron of 55 Japanese warships sailed towards China and Korea. Hostilities began with an attack by Japanese destroyers. They fired on Russian ships stationed in Port Arthur.

Main battles of the war:

• battle near Chemulpo;
• defense of Port Arthur;
• battle in the Yellow Sea;
• battle in the Korean Strait;
• battle near the post Korsakovsky;
• battle of Tsushima.

In August 1905, negotiations took place between the two countries. A peace document was signed. The Liaodong Peninsula, southern Sakhalin and part of the railway joined the lands of Japan. In addition, Russia has pledged to comply with international maritime rules for catching fish. Japan was dissatisfied with the outcome of the treaty.

USSR statement

Since 1917, Japan has constantly invaded the Far East. After the defeat of the Entente, the international position of the USSR strengthened, but Japan still did not reckon with the Soviet Union.

And in February 1924 the government sent a document to the Consul of Japan in Vladivostok. The notice announced the termination of the official powers of the consul. After receiving this application, the consul began to be considered a private person.

This event was unexpected and shocking for the Japanese. They had to agree to the proposal to regulate international relations. In the spring of 1924, a meeting took place between the leaders of the Soviet Union and Japan. At the end of long disputes and discussions in 1925, the Soviet-Japanese convention was edited and signed.

She settled consular and diplomatic relations between the Russian and Japanese sides. The map with the names of the Kuril Islands remained unchanged, since one of the clauses of the convention was the obligation to withdraw Japanese troops from Sakhalin. Then the island finally became Russian.

The Second World War

During the Second World War, the countries formed 2 opposing military camps. The reasons for the war were the following factors: the desire of the powers to assert the position of political influence, to divide the economic market and the sphere of world trade.

Stages of the war:

In the spring of 1945, the Crimean Conference took place. Among the numerous proposals is the decision to start a war between Japan and the Soviet Union after the end of hostilities with Germany. Stalin planned to get the lands of the Kuriles, Port Arthur, a section of the railway in Manchuria and Sakhalin.

In the summer of 1945, the USSR began a war with the Japanese. Japan capitulated in September. During the period 1946-1947. 400,000 Japanese were expelled from the Kuril and Sakhalin villages. Almost 300,000 Russian settlers arrived on the islands.

In 1951, at a conference, the leaders of the Soviet Union insisted on belonging to the Kuriles and South Sakhalin Russian. In the latest version of the treaty, a statement was made about the Japanese renouncing the disputed lands. However, it was not specified to whom Japan would transfer the islands.

The Soviet Union did not sign another treaty. The Japanese signed the document. And immediately declared their rights to the Kuriles.

Occupation of Japan

The surrender of Japan did not mean a truce. Another 7 years the country was occupied by US troops. The occupiers set the goal of destroying militarism and condemning war criminals for their cruel treatment of captured Allied soldiers. In addition, it was decided to help the collective farmers and workers. Establish foreign and domestic trade.

Special departments were opened throughout Japan to strictly supervise the work of local authorities. In May 1946, the International Military Tribunal was established to try the criminals of the Japanese army. 7 people were executed, 16 were sentenced to life imprisonment.

To weaken the political and military forces of Japan, militarism, bureaucracy, and the largest industrial concerns were eliminated. Democratization was carried out throughout the country. There was an updated Constitution, the Law on Elections. There have been reforms in agriculture, education, and labor law. In 1951, the occupation in Japan ended.

Post-war agreements

After the war, Japan and the Soviet Union signed documents:

XXI Century

The beginning of the century was marked by new bilateral meetings, at which the problem of belonging to the Kuriles was discussed and resolved:

The Problem of Ownership

The February conference of 1945 approved the law on the return of the south of Sakhalin and the Kuril ridge to the Russian Federation.

Disputed territories of the Kuril Islands

The Potsdam Conference of 1945 left the islands of Hokkaido, Shikoku, Honshu, and Kyushu to the Japanese. The Japanese delegation signed the adopted documents, but they lacked legal and precise wording about the transfer of the Kuriles to our country. Today the Japanese government makes claims to Russia for 4 islands.

Population

The Kuril Islands (the map with the names and location of settlements is filled unevenly) are not all permanently inhabited, but only 4: Shikotan, Paramushir, Kunashir, Iturup. The maximum number of inhabitants was registered between 1980 and 1989. - about 30,000 people.

At the beginning of 2018, there were 19 settlements - 16 small villages, 1 large settlement and 2 cities: Kurilsk and Severo-Kurilsk. The number of inhabitants of all the Kuriles is 20.6 thousand people.

Life in Kunashir

The able-bodied population of the island is employed in the following industries:

Economy and development

Since 2006, the Kuriles have been participating in the Federal Development Program. It contains 4 blocks: modernization of transport communication, fishing and processing, social sphere, energy. 18 billion rubles were allocated for the fulfillment of tasks.

The following stages are planned:

1. Establish 20 public and 20 private fish farms. Reconstruction of the existing fish processing plant.
2. Build new schools, hospitals, kindergartens. Create a project for a modern airport and implement it. Repair leisure centers and institutions of additional education.
3. Reduce the shortage of electricity and make it cheaper. To do this, build power plants powered by geothermal sources.

Since 2016, the revival of the Kuriles has been associated with the implementation of a long-term, expanded program "Social and economic support for the Kuril Islands". The level of expenses is 68.9 billion rubles.

Rest on the Kuril Islands

Hundreds of tourists visit the Kuril Islands every year. They are attracted by volcanoes, high waterfalls, a variety of fauna, flora and fishing.

Excursion tours include:

• climbing a volcano;
• visit thermal waters, sulfur springs;
• sea ​​walks;
• swimming in mountain and raging lakes;
• acquaintance with historical places;
• jeeping - extreme;
• trekking.

World famous sights of the islands:

Travel companies offer tours: Natural, Excursion, Medical, Family, Sea. The cost of rest ranges from 40,000 to 90,000 rubles. per person. The amount depends on the duration, comfort of stay and the name of the tour.

Curious facts

Unusual and curious facts:

• the island of Kunashir is the birthplace of cats without a tail "Kuril bobtail";
• burdock and bamboo reach 2 m in height;
• discovered a Japanese warehouse with shoes, only left boots;
• build houses no higher than 3 floors, this is required by high seismicity;
• local Ainu natives - until our time their origin has not been unraveled;
• the foot of Tyatya volcano - cluster a large number bears;
• Ilya Muromets - waterfall, height reaches 145 m;
• Ponto - a lake with boiling water of lead color;
• the thousand-year-old yew Sage is considered the most ancient tree of Kunashir;
• the piebald kingfisher is a bird that lives only in one place in Russia, on the island of Kunashir.

The importance of the Kuril Islands, both in economic and military-strategic terms, is invaluable.

Until now, there are no exact facts about the belonging of the Kuriles. The dispute between Japan and the Russian Federation continues. But the Kuril Islands with names are still located on the map of Russia.

Article formatting: Mila Fridan

Video about the Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands from A to Z:

In view of recent events, many inhabitants of the planet are interested in where the Kuril Islands are located, as well as to whom they belong. If there is still no concrete answer to the second question, then the first can be answered quite unambiguously. The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands approximately 1.2 kilometers long. It runs from the Kamchatka Peninsula to an island landmass called Hokkaido. A kind of convex arc, consisting of fifty-six islands, is located in two parallel lines, and also separates the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The total territorial area is 10,500 km 2. On the south side, the state border between Japan and Russia is stretched.

The lands in question are of inestimable economic and military-strategic importance. Most of them are considered part of the Russian Federation and belong to the Sakhalin region. However, the status of such components of the archipelago, including Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup, as well as the Habomai group, is disputed by the Japanese authorities, which classifies the listed islands as part of the Hokkaido prefecture. Thus, you can find the Kuril Islands on the map of Russia, but Japan plans to legalize the ownership of some of them. These territories have their own characteristics. For example, the archipelago belongs entirely to the Far North, if you look at legal documents. And this is despite the fact that Shikotan is located in the same latitude as the city of Sochi and Anapa.

Kunashir, Cape Stolbchaty

Climate of the Kuril Islands

Within the area under consideration, a temperate maritime climate prevails, which can be called cool rather than warm. The main impact on climatic conditions is exerted by baric systems, which usually form over the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, the cold Kuril Current, and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The southern part of the archipelago is covered by monsoon atmospheric flows, for example, the Asian winter anticyclone also dominates there.

Shikotan Island

It should be noted that the weather on the Kuril Islands is quite changeable. The landscapes of the local latitudes are characterized by less heat supply than the territories of the corresponding latitudes, but in the center of the mainland. The average minus temperature in winter is the same for each island included in the chain, and ranges from -5 to -7 degrees. In winter, prolonged heavy snowfalls, thaws, increased cloudiness and blizzards often occur. In summer, temperature indicators vary from +10 to +16 degrees. The further south the island is located, the higher the air temperature will be.

The main factor influencing the summer temperature index is the nature of the hydrological circulation characteristic of coastal waters.

If we consider the components of the middle and northern group of islands, it is worth noting that the temperature of coastal waters there does not rise above five to six degrees, therefore, these territories are characterized by the lowest summer rate for the Northern Hemisphere. During the year, the archipelago receives from 1000 to 1400 mm of precipitation, which is evenly distributed over the seasons. You can also talk about everywhere excess moisture. On the southern side of the chain in summer, the humidity index exceeds ninety percent, due to which fogs dense in consistency appear. If you carefully consider the latitudes where the Kuril Islands are located on the map, we can conclude that the area is particularly difficult. It is regularly affected by cyclones, which are accompanied by excessive precipitation, and can also cause typhoons.

Simushir Island

Population

Territories are populated unevenly. The population of the Kuril Islands lives year-round in Shikotan, Kunashir, Paramushir and Iturup. There is no permanent population in other parts of the archipelago. In total, there are nineteen settlements, including sixteen villages, an urban-type settlement called Yuzhno-Kurilsk, as well as two large cities, including Kurilsk and Severo-Kurilsk. In 1989, the maximum value of the population was recorded, which was equal to 30,000 people.

The high population of the territories during the Soviet Union is due to subsidies from those regions, as well as a large number of military personnel who inhabited the islands of Simushir, Shumshu and so on.

By 2010, the rate had dropped significantly. In total, 18,700 people occupied the territory, of which approximately 6,100 live within the Kuril District, and 10,300 in the South Kuril District. The rest of the people occupied the local villages. The population has decreased significantly due to the remoteness of the archipelago, but the climate of the Kuril Islands also played its role, which not every person can withstand.

Uninhabited Ushishir Islands

How to get to the Kuriles

The easiest way to get here is by air. The local airport called Iturup is considered one of the most important aviation facilities built from scratch in post-Soviet times. It was built and equipped in accordance with modern technological requirements, so it was given the status of an international air point. The first flight, which later became regular, was accepted on September 22, 2014. They became the plane of the company "Aurora", which arrived from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. There were fifty passengers on board. This event was negatively perceived by the Japanese authorities, who attribute this territory to their country. Therefore, disputes about who owns the Kuril Islands continue to this day.

It is worth noting that a trip to the Kuriles must be planned in advance. Route planning should take into account that the total archipelago includes fifty-six islands, among which Iturup and Kunashir are the most popular. There are two ways to get to them. It is most convenient to fly by plane, but tickets should be bought a few months before the scheduled date, since there are quite a few flights. The second way is a trip by boat from the port of Korsakov. The journey takes from 18 to 24 hours, but you can buy a ticket only at the box office of the Kuriles or Sakhalin, that is, online sales are not provided.

Urup is an uninhabited island of volcanic origin

Interesting Facts

Despite all the difficulties, life on the Kuril Islands is developing and growing. The history of the territories began in 1643, when several sections of the archipelago were surveyed by Marten Fries and his team. The first information received by Russian scientists dates back to 1697, when V. Atlasov's campaign across Kamchatka took place. All subsequent expeditions led by I. Kozyrevsky, F. Luzhin, M. Shpanberg and others were aimed at systematic development of the area. After it became clear who discovered the Kuril Islands, you can familiarize yourself with several interesting facts associated with the archipelago:

1. To get to the Kuriles, a tourist will need a special permit, since the zone is a border zone. This document is issued exclusively by the border department of the FSB of Sakhalinsk. To do this, you will need to come to the institution at 9:30 - 10:30 with your passport. The permit will be ready the very next day. Therefore, the traveler will definitely stay in the city for one day, which should be taken into account when planning a trip.
2. Due to the unpredictable climate, visiting the islands, you can get stuck here for a long time, because in case of bad weather, the airport of the Kuril Islands and their ports stop working. Frequent obstacles are high clouds and nebula. At the same time, we are not talking about a couple of hour flight delays. The traveler should always be prepared to spend an extra week or two here.
3. All five hotels are open for guests of the Kuriles. The hotel called "Vostok" is designed for eleven rooms, "Iceberg" - three rooms, "Flagship" - seven rooms, "Iturup" - 38 rooms, "Island" - eleven rooms. Reservations must be made in advance.
4. Japanese lands can be seen from the windows of local residents, but the best view opens on Kunashir. To verify this fact, the weather must be clear.
5. The Japanese past is closely connected with these territories. Japanese cemeteries and factories remained here, the coast from the Pacific Ocean is densely lined with fragments of Japanese porcelain, which existed even before the war. Therefore, here you can often meet archaeologists or collectors.
6. It is also worth understanding that the disputed Kuril Islands, first of all, are volcanoes. Their territories consist of 160 volcanoes, of which about forty remain active.
7. The local flora and fauna is amazing. Bamboo grows here along the highways, magnolia or mulberry tree can grow near the Christmas tree. The lands are rich in berries, blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, princesses, redberries grow abundantly here, chinese lemongrass, blueberry and so on. Locals say that you can meet a bear here, especially near the Tyati Kunashir volcano.
8. Almost every local resident has a car at his disposal, but there are no gas stations in any of the settlements. Fuel is delivered inside special barrels from Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
9. Due to the high seismicity of the region, its territory is built up mainly with two- and three-story buildings. Houses with a height of five floors are already considered skyscrapers and a rarity.
10. Until it is decided whose Kuril Islands, the Russians living here, the duration of the vacation will be 62 days a year. Residents of the southern ridge can use visa-free regime with Japan. This opportunity is used by about 400 people per year.

The Great Kuril Arc is surrounded by underwater volcanoes, some of which regularly make themselves felt. Any eruption causes a resumption of seismic activity, which provokes a “seaquake”. Therefore, local lands are subject to frequent tsunamis. The strongest tsunami wave about 30 meters high in 1952 completely destroyed the city on the island of Paramushir called Severo-Kurilsk.

The last century was also remembered for several natural disasters. Among them, the most famous was the 1952 tsunami that occurred in Paramushir, as well as the 1994 Shikotan tsunami. Therefore, it is believed that such a beautiful nature of the Kuril Islands is also very dangerous for human life, however, this does not prevent local cities from developing, and the population from growing.

The Kuril Islands are represented by a series of Far Eastern island territories, they have one side, this is the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the other is about. Hokkaido in . The Kuril Islands of Russia are represented by the Sakhalin Oblast, which stretches for about 1,200 km in length with an available area of ​​15,600 square kilometers.

The islands of the Kuril ridge are represented by two groups located opposite each other - called Big and Small. A large group located in the south belongs to Kunashir, Iturup and others, in the center - Simushir, Keta and in the north are the rest of the island territories.

Shikotan, Habomai and a number of others are considered to be the Small Kuriles. For the most part, all island territories are mountainous and go up to 2,339 meters in height. The Kuril Islands on their lands have about 40 volcanic hills that are still active. Also here is the location of hot springs. mineral water. The south of the Kuriles is covered with forest plantations, and the north attracts with unique tundra vegetation.

The problem of the Kuril Islands lies in the unresolved dispute between the Japanese and Russian sides over who owns them. And it has been open since WWII.

The Kuril Islands after the war began to belong to the USSR. But Japan considers the territories of the southern Kuriles, and these are Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan with the Habomai Islands group, as its territory, without having a legal basis for that. Russia does not recognize the fact of a dispute with the Japanese side over these territories, since their ownership is legal.

The problem of the Kuril Islands is the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement of relations between Japan and Russia.

The essence of the dispute between Japan and Russia

The Japanese demand that the Kuril Islands be returned to them. There, almost the entire population is convinced that these lands are originally Japanese. This dispute between the two states has been going on for a very long time, escalating after the Second World War.
Russia is not inclined to concede to the Japanese leaders of the state in this matter. The peace agreement has not been signed to this day, and this is connected precisely with the four disputed South Kuril Islands. About the legitimacy of Japan's claims to the Kuril Islands in this video.

The meanings of the southern Kuriles

The Southern Kuriles have several meanings for both countries:

1. Military. The Southern Kuriles are of military importance, thanks to the only exit to Pacific Ocean for the country's navy. And all because of the scarcity of geographical formations. IN this moment ships enter the ocean waters through the Sangar Strait, because it is impossible to pass through the La Perouse Strait due to icing. Therefore, submarines are located in Kamchatka - Avachinskaya Bay. The military bases operating in the Soviet era have now been looted and abandoned.
2. Economic. Economic importance - in the Sakhalin region there is a rather serious hydrocarbon potential. And belonging to Russia of the entire territory of the Kuriles, allows you to use the waters there at your discretion. Although its central part belongs to the Japanese side. In addition to water resources, there is such a rare metal as rhenium. Extracting it, the Russian Federation is in third place in the extraction of minerals and sulfur. For the Japanese, this area is important for fishing and agricultural purposes. This caught fish is used by the Japanese to grow rice - they simply pour it into the rice fields for fertilizer.
3. Social. By and large, there is no special social interest for ordinary people in the southern Kuriles. This is because there are no modern megacities, people mostly work there and live in cabins. Supplies are delivered by air, and less often by water due to constant storms. Therefore, the Kuril Islands are more of a military-industrial facility than a social one.
4. Tourist. In this regard, things are better in the southern Kuriles. These places will be of interest to many people who are attracted by everything real, natural and extreme. It is unlikely that anyone will remain indifferent at the sight of a thermal spring gushing out of the ground, or from climbing the volcano caldera and crossing the fumarole field on foot. And there is no need to talk about the views that open to the eye.

For this reason, the dispute over the ownership of the Kuril Islands has not moved forward.

Dispute over the Kuril territory

Who owns these four island territories - Shikotan, Iturup, Kunashir and the Habomai Islands, is not an easy question.

Information from written sources indicates the discoverers of the Kuriles - the Dutch. The Russians were the first to populate the territory of Chishim. Shikotan Island and the other three are designated for the first time by the Japanese. But the fact of discovery does not yet give grounds for the possession of this territory.

The island of Shikotan is considered to be the end of the world because of the cape of the same name located near the village of Malokurilsky. It impresses with its 40-meter drop into the ocean waters. This place is called the end of the world due to the amazing view of the Pacific Ocean.
Shikotan Island translates as Big City. It stretches for 27 kilometers, has a width of 13 km, occupied area - 225 square meters. km. The highest point of the island is the mountain of the same name, rising to 412 meters. Partially its territory belongs to the state nature reserve.

Shikotan Island has a very indented coastline with multiple bays, capes and cliffs.

Previously, it was thought that the mountains on the island are volcanoes that have ceased to erupt, with which the Kuril Islands abound. But they turned out to be rocks displaced by shifts in lithospheric plates.

A bit of history

Long before the Russians and the Japanese, the Kuril Islands were inhabited by the Ainu. The first information among Russians and Japanese about the Kuriles appeared only in the 17th century. A Russian expedition was sent in the 18th century, after which about 9,000 Ainu became citizens of Russia.

A treaty was signed between Russia and Japan (1855), called Shimodsky, where the boundaries were established, allowing Japanese citizens to trade on 2/3 of this land. Sakhalin remained a nobody's territory. After 20 years, Russia became the undivided owner of this land, then losing the south in the Russo-Japanese War. But during the Second World War, Soviet troops were still able to take back the south of Sakhalin land and the Kuril Islands as a whole.
Between the states that won the victory and Japan, nevertheless, a peace agreement was signed and it happened in San Francisco in 1951. And according to it, Japan has absolutely no rights to the Kuril Islands.

But then the Soviet side did not sign, which many researchers considered a mistake. But there were good reasons for this:

• The document did not indicate specifically what was included in the Kuriles. The Americans said that it is necessary to apply for this to a special international court. Plus, a member of the delegation of the Japanese state announced that the southern disputed islands are not the territory of the Kuril Islands.
• The document also did not indicate exactly who the Kuriles would belong to. That is, the issue remained controversial.

Between the USSR and the Japanese side in 1956, a declaration was signed, preparing a platform for the main peace agreement. In it, the Land of the Soviets goes to meet the Japanese and agrees to transfer to them only the two disputed islands of Habomai and Shikotan. But with a condition - only after the signing of a peace agreement.

The declaration contains several subtleties:

• The word "transfer" means that they belong to the USSR.
• This transfer will actually take place after the signing of the peace treaty.
• This applies only to the two Kuril Islands.

This was a positive development between the Soviet Union and the Japanese side, but it caused alarm among the Americans. Thanks to pressure from Washington, the ministerial chairs were completely changed in the Japanese government, and new officials who rose to high positions began to prepare a military agreement between America and Japan, which began to operate in 1960.

After that, a call came from Japan to give up not two islands proposed by the USSR, but four. America puts pressure on the fact that all agreements between the Land of Soviets and Japan are not obligatory to be fulfilled, they are supposedly declarative. And the existing and current military agreement between the Japanese and the Americans implies the deployment of their troops on Japanese territory. Accordingly, now they have come even closer to Russian territory.

Based on all this, Russian diplomats declared that until all foreign troops were withdrawn from its territory, it was impossible to even talk about a peace agreement. But in any case, we are talking about only two islands of the Kuriles.

As a result, the power structures of America are still located on the territory of Japan. The Japanese insist on the transfer of the 4 Kuril Islands, as stated in the declaration.

The second half of the 80s of the 20th century was marked by the weakening of the Soviet Union, and under these conditions, the Japanese side again raises this topic. But the dispute about who will own the South Kuril Islands, the countries remained open. The Tokyo Declaration of 1993 says that the Russian Federation is the legal successor of the Soviet Union, respectively, and previously signed papers must be recognized by both parties. It also indicated the direction to move towards the solution of the territorial affiliation of the disputed four Kuril Islands.

The 21st century, and specifically 2004, was marked by the raising of this topic again at a meeting between President Putin of the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Japan. And again, everything repeated - the Russian side offers its own conditions for signing a peace agreement, and Japanese officials insist that all four South Kuril Islands be transferred to their disposal.

2005 marked by readiness Russian President end the dispute, guided by the 1956 agreement and transfer two island territories to Japan, but the Japanese leaders did not agree with this proposal.

In order to somehow reduce tension between the two states, the Japanese side was offered to help develop nuclear energy, develop infrastructure and tourism, and improve the environmental and security situation. The Russian side accepted this proposal.

At the moment, for Russia there is no question - who owns the Kuril Islands. Without any doubt, this is the territory of the Russian Federation, based on real facts- following the results of the Second World War and the generally recognized UN Charter.

The mysterious Kuriles are a paradise for any romantic traveler. Inaccessibility, uninhabited, geographical isolation, active volcanoes, far from a "beach climate", avaricious information - not only do not scare away, but also increase the desire to get to the foggy, fire-breathing islands - the former military fortresses of the Japanese army, still hiding deep underground many secrets.
The Kuril arc with a narrow chain of islands, like an openwork bridge, connects two worlds - Kamchatka and Japan. The Kuriles are part of the Pacific volcanic ring. The islands are the tops of the highest structures of the volcanic ridge, protruding from the water only 1-2 km, and extending into the depths of the ocean for many kilometers.

In total, there are over 150 volcanoes on the islands, of which 39 are active. The highest of them is the Alaid volcano - 2339 m, located on the island of Atlasov. The presence of numerous thermal springs on the islands is associated with volcanic activity, some of them are curative.

Experts compare the Kuril Islands with a huge Botanical Garden, where representatives of various floras coexist: Japanese-Korean, Manchurian and Okhotsk-Kamchatka. Here they grow together - polar birch and thousand-year-old yew, larch with spruce and wild grapes, elfin cedar and velvet tree, interweaving of woody vines and carpet thickets of lingonberries. Traveling around the islands, you can visit various natural areas, get from the pristine taiga to subtropical thickets, from the moss tundra to the jungle of giant grasses.
The seabed around the islands is covered with dense vegetation, in the thickets of which numerous fish, mollusks, marine animals find refuge, and crystal clear water allows lovers of underwater travel to navigate well in the seaweed jungle, where unique finds also occur - sunken ships and the Japanese military technique - reminders of military events in the history of the Kuril archipelago.

Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir

GEOGRAPHY, WHERE THEY ARE, HOW TO GET TO
The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean in a slightly convex arc.
The length is about 1200 km. The total area is 10.5 thousand km². To the south of them is the state border of the Russian Federation with Japan.
The islands form two parallel ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. Includes 56 islands. They are of great military-strategic and economic importance. The Kuril Islands are part of the Sakhalin region of Russia. The southern islands of the archipelago - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai group - are disputed by Japan, which includes them in the Hokkaido prefecture.

The Kuril Islands belong to the regions of the Far North
The climate on the islands is marine, rather severe, with cold and long winters, cool summers, and high humidity. The mainland monsoon climate undergoes significant changes here. In the southern part of the Kuril Islands, frosts in winter can reach -25 ° C, the average temperature in February is -8 ° C. In the northern part, the winter is milder, with frosts down to -16 ° C and -7 ° C in February.
In winter, the islands are affected by the Aleutian baric minimum, the effect of which weakens by June.
The average temperature in August in the southern part of the Kuril Islands is +17 °C, in the north - +10 °C.

Iturup Island, White Rocks Kuril Islands

List of KURIL ISLANDS
List of islands with an area of ​​more than 1 km² in the direction from north to south.
Name, Area, km², height, Latitude, Longitude
Great Kuril Ridge
northern group
Atlasova 150 2339 50°52" 155°34"
Shumshu 388 189 50°45" 156°21"
Paramushir 2053 1816 50°23" 155°41"
Antsiferova 7 747 50°12" 154°59"
Macanrushi 49 1169 49°46" 154°26"
Onecotan 425 1324 49°27" 154°46"
Harimkotan 68 1157 49°07" 154°32"
Chirinkotan 6 724 48°59" 153°29"
Ekarma 30 1170 48°57" 153°57"
Shiashkotan 122 934 48°49" 154°06"

middle group
Raikoke 4.6 551 48°17" 153°15"
Matua 52 1446 48°05" 153°13"
Russhua 67 948 47°45" 153°01"
Ushishir Islands 5 388 — —
Ryponkicha 1.3 121 47°32" 152°50"
Yankich 3.7 388 47°31" 152°49"
Ketoi 73 1166 47°20" 152°31"
Simushir 353 1539 46°58" 152°00"
Broughton 7 800 46°43" 150°44"
Black Brothers Islands 37,749 — —
Chirpoy 21 691 46°30" 150°55"
Brat-Chirpoev 16,749 46°28" 150°50" Kuril Islands

Southern group
Urup 1450 1426 45°54" 149°59"
Iturup 3318.8 1634 45°00" 147°53"
Kunashir 1495.24 1819 44°05" 145°59"

Small Kuril Ridge
Shikotan 264.13 412 43°48" 146°45"
Polonsky 11.57 16 43°38" 146°19"
Green 58.72 24 43°30" 146°08"
Tanfilyev 12.92 15 43°26" 145°55"
Yuri 10.32 44 43°25" 146°04"
Anuchina 2.35 33 43°22" 146°00"

volcano Atsonapuri Kuril Islands

Geological structure
The Kuril Islands are a typical ensimatic island arc at the edge of the Okhotsk plate. It sits above a subduction zone where the Pacific Plate is being swallowed up. Most of the islands are mountainous. The highest height is 2339 m - Atlasov Island, Alaid volcano. The Kuril Islands are located in the Pacific volcanic ring of fire in a zone of high seismic activity: out of 68 volcanoes, 36 are active, there are hot mineral springs. Large tsunamis are not uncommon. The most famous are the tsunami of November 5, 1952 in Paramushir and the Shikotan tsunami of October 5, 1994. The last major tsunami occurred on November 15, 2006 in Simushir.

South Kuril Bay, Kunashir Island

earthquakes
In Japan, an average of 1,500 earthquakes per year is recorded, i.e. 4 earthquakes per day. Most of them are associated with movement in the earth's crust (tectonics). Over 15 centuries, 223 destructive earthquakes and 2000 of medium strength were noted and described: These, however, are far from complete numbers, since earthquakes began to be recorded in Japan with special instruments only since 1888. A significant proportion of earthquakes occur in the Kuril Islands region, where they are often appear as seaquakes. Captain Snow, who hunted sea animals here for many years, at the end of the last century, repeatedly observed such phenomena. So, for example, on July 12, 1884, 4 miles west of the Srednov stones, the gusty noise and shuddering of the ship lasted about two hours with intervals of 15 minutes and a duration of 30 seconds. The waves of the sea were not noticed at that time. The water temperature was normal, about 2.25°C.
Between 1737 and 1888 16 devastating earthquakes were noted in the region of the islands, for 1915-1916. - 3 catastrophic earthquakes in the middle part of the ridge, in 1929 - 2 similar earthquakes in the north.
Sometimes these phenomena are associated with underwater lava eruptions. The destructive impacts of earthquakes sometimes raise a huge wave (tsunami) on the sea, which is repeated several times. With colossal force, it falls on the shores, complementing the destruction from the shaking of the soil. The height of the wave can be judged, for example, from the case of the vessel “Natalia”, sent by Lebedev-Lastochkin and Shelekhov under the command of the navigator Petushkov to the 18th island: “On January 8, 1780, there was a severe earthquake; the sea rose so high that the gukor (A. S.’s ship), which was in the harbor, was carried to the middle of the island ... ”(Berkh, 1823, pp. 140-141; Pozdneev, p. 11). The wave caused by the earthquake of 1737 reached a height of 50 m and hit the shore with terrible force, breaking the rocks. Several new rocks and cliffs have risen in the Second Channel. During an earthquake on Simushir in 1849, all sources of groundwater dried up, and its population was forced to move to other places.

Paramushir island, Ebeko volcano

Mendeleev volcano, Kunashir island

Mineral springs
The presence of numerous hot and highly mineralized springs on the islands is associated with volcanic activity. They are found on almost all islands, especially on Kunashir, Iturup, Ushishir, Raikok, Shikotan, Ekarma. On the first of them there are quite a few boiling springs. On others, hot keys have a temperature of 35-70 ° C. They come out in different places and have a different debit.
On about. A Raikoke spring with a temperature of 44°C gushes at the foot of high cliffs and forms bath-like pools in the cracks of the hardened lava.
On about. Ushishir, a powerful boiling spring, comes out in the crater of a volcano, etc. The water of many springs is colorless, transparent, and most often contains sulfur, sometimes deposited along the edges with yellow grains. For drinking purposes, the water of most sources is unsuitable.
Some springs are considered healing and on the inhabited islands are used for healing. The gases emitted by volcanoes along fissures are often also rich in sulfurous fumes.

Devil's finger Kuril Islands

Natural resources
On the islands and in the coastal zone, industrial reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, mercury, natural gas, and oil have been explored. On the island of Iturup, in the area of ​​the Kudryavy volcano, there is the richest mineral deposit of rhenium known in the world. Here, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese mined native sulfur. The total resources of gold on the Kuril Islands are estimated at 1867 tons, silver - 9284 tons, titanium - 39.7 million tons, iron - 273 million tons. Currently, the development of minerals is not numerous.
Of all the Kuril Straits, only the Frieze Strait and the Ekaterina Strait are non-freezing navigable.

Bird's waterfall, Kunashir

Flora and fauna
Flora
Due to the large length of the islands from north to south, the flora of the Kurils is extremely different. On the northern islands (Paramushir, Shumshu and others), due to the harsh climate, woody vegetation is rather scarce and is represented mainly by shrub forms (dwarf trees): alder (alder), birch, willow, mountain ash, cedar elfin (cedar). On the southern islands (Iturup, Kunashir) coniferous forests grow from Sakhalin fir, Ayan spruce and Kuril larch with a large participation of broad-leaved species: curly oak, maples, elms, seven-blade calopanax with a large number of woody vines: petiolate hydrangea, actinidia, Chinese magnolia vine, wild grapes, poisonous oriental toxicodendron, etc. In the south of Kunashir, there is the only wild-growing species of magnolia in Russia - obovate magnolia. One of the main landscape plants of the Kuriles, starting from the middle islands (Ketoi and south) is the Kuril bamboo, which forms impenetrable thickets on the slopes of mountains and forest edges. Tall grasses are common on all islands due to the humid climate. Various berries are widely represented: crowberry, lingonberry, blueberry, honeysuckle and others.
There are more than 40 species of endemic plants. For example, Kavakam astragalus, island wormwood, Kuril edelweiss, found on Iturup Island; Ito and Saussurea Kuril, growing on the island of Urup.
The following plants are protected on the island of Iturup: endangered Asiatic half-flower, flowering plants mainland aralia, heart-shaped aralia, seven-lobed calopanax, Japanese kandyk, Wright's viburnum, Glen's cardiocrinum, obovate peony, Fori rhododendron, Sugeroki holly, Gray's two-leaf, pearl marsh, wolfwort low, mountain peony, lichens glossodium japanese and stereocaulon naked, gymnosperms juniper Sargent and yew spiky, bryophyte bryoxiphium savatier and atractylocarpus alpine, growing near the volcano Baransky. On the island of Urup protected viburnum Wright, Aralia heart-shaped and plagiotium obtuse.

Alaid volcano, Atlasov Island

Fauna
A brown bear lives on Kunashir, Iturup and Paramushir, and a bear was also found on Shumshu, but during a long stay on the island of a military base, due to its relatively small size, the bears on Shumshu were mostly knocked out. Shumshu is a connecting island between Paramushir and Kamchatka, and individual bears are now found there. Foxes and small rodents live on the islands. A large number of birds: plovers, gulls, ducks, cormorants, petrels, albatrosses, passerines, owls, falconiformes and others. Lots of bird colonies.
The coastal underwater world, unlike the islands, is not only numerous, but also very diverse. Seals, sea otters, killer whales, sea lions live in coastal waters. Of great commercial importance are: fish, crabs, molluscs, squids, crustaceans, trepangs, sea cucumbers, sea ​​urchins, sea ​​kale, whales. The seas washing the shores of Sakhalin and the Kuriles are among the most productive areas of the World Ocean.
Endemic animals (mollusks) are also present on Iturup Island: Iturup lacustrine, Iturup sharovka (Lake Reidovo), Kuril pearl mussel, Sinanodont-like kunashiriya and Iturup zatvorka are found on Dobroye Lake.
On February 10, 1984, the Kurilsky State Nature Reserve was established. 84 species included in the Red Book of Russia live on its territory.

Kunashir Island, Pervukhin Bay

History of the islands
17th-18th century
The honor of discovery, exploration and initial development of the Kuril Islands belongs to Russian expeditions and colonists.

The first visit to the islands is attributed to the Dutchman Gerrits Fries, who visited Fr. Uruppu. Calling this land "Company Land" - Companys lant (Reclus, 1885, p. 565), Friese, however, did not assume that it was part of the Kuril ridge.
The remaining islands north of Uruppu to Kamchatka were discovered and described by Russian "explorers" and navigators. And the Russians discovered Uruppa for the second time at the beginning of the 18th century. Japan at that time were known only o. Kunashiri and the Malaya Kuril ridge, but they were not part of the Japanese Empire. The northernmost colony of Japan was about. Hokkaido.
The server islands of the Kuril ridge were first reported by the clerk of the Anadyr prison, the Pentecostal Vl. Atlasov, who discovered Kamchatka. In 1697, he walked along the western coast of Kamchatka to the south to the mouth of the river. Golygina and from here "I saw how there are islands at sea."
Not knowing that trade with foreigners had been prohibited in Japan since 1639, Peter I in 1702 gave the task of establishing good-neighbourly trade relations with Japan. From that time on, Russian expeditions persistently made their way south from Kamchatka in search of a trade route to Japan. In 1706, the Cossack M. Nasedkin clearly saw land in the south from Cape Lopatka. According to the order of the Yakut voivode to “provide” this land, the Cossack ataman D. Antsiferov and Yesaul Ivan Kozyrevsky in 1711 went to about. Shumushu (Shumshu) and Paramusir (Paramushir), and upon their return they made a “drawing” of all the islands. To draw the southern islands, they used the stories of Japanese fishermen who were thrown out by a storm to Kamchatka and saw the southern islands.
In the campaign of 1713, Yesaul Ivan Kozyrevsky again "visited" the islands beyond the "transitions" (straits) and made a new "drawing". The surveyors Evreinov and Luzhin were surveying on the map in 1720 from Kamchatka to the Sixth Island (Simushiru). After 10 years, the brave leader of the "explorers" V. Shestakov with 25 service people visited the five northern islands. Following him, thorough work "for the sake of observation and finding a way to Japan" was carried out by Captain Spanberg, Bering's assistant on his second expedition.
During 1738-1739. Spanberg mapped and described almost all the islands. Based on his materials, they were shown on the "General Map Russian Empire» in the Academic Atlas of 1745, 40 islands under Russian names, for example, the islands of Anfinogen, Krasnogorsk, Stolbovoy, Krivoy, Osypnoy, Kozel, Brat, Sister, Olkhovy, Zeleny, etc. As a result of Spanberg’s work, the composition of the entire island range. The previously known extreme southern islands (“Company Land”, the island of “States”) were defined as components of the Kuril ridge.
For a long time before that, there was an idea of ​​some large "Land of Gama" to the east of Asia. The legend of Gama's hypothetical Land was forever dispelled.
In the same years, the Russians got acquainted with the small indigenous population of the islands - the Ainu. According to the largest Russian geographer of that time, S. Krasheninnikov, on about. Shumushu by the 40s of the 18th century. there were only 44 souls.
In 1750 he sailed to about. Shimushiru is the foreman of the First Nick Island. Storozhev. After 16 years (in 1766), foremen Nikita Chikin, Chuprov and centurion Iv. Black again tried to find out the number of all the islands and the population on them.

After the death of Chikina on about. Simushiru I. Cherny spent the winter on this island. In 1767 he reached Fr. Etorofu, and then settled on about. Uruppu. Returning to Kamchatka in the autumn of 1769, Cherny reported that on 19 islands (including Etorofu) 83 "shaggy" (Ainu) had accepted Russian citizenship.
In their actions, Chikin and Cherny were obliged to be guided by the instructions of the Bolsheretsk office: “When traveling to distant islands and back ... describe .... their size, the width of the straits, which are on the islands, animals, also rivers, lakes and fish in them. .. To visit about gold and silver ores and pearls ... offenses, taxes, robbery ... and other acts contrary to the decrees and rudeness and fornication violence, not to show, expecting the highest mercy and reward for jealousy. After some time, the Tyumen merchant Yak. Nikonov, as well as the sailors of the Protodyakonov trading company and other "explorers" delivered more accurate news about the islands.
In order to firmly and finally consolidate the islands and develop them, the chief commander of Kamchatka, Bem, proposed to build on about. Uruppu fortification, create a Russian settlement there and develop the economy. To implement this proposal and develop trade with Japan, the Yakut merchant Lebedev-Lastochkin equipped an expedition in 1775 under the command of the Siberian nobleman Antipin. The expedition ship "Nikolai" crashed near about. Uruppu. Two years later, to Antipin on about. Uruppa was sent from Okhotsk the ship "Natalia" under the command of navigator M. Petushkov.
After wintering on Uruppu, "Natalia" went to Akkesi Bay on about. Hokkaido and met a Japanese ship here. By agreement with the Japanese, Antipin and the translator, the Irkutsk townsman Shabalin, appeared in 1779 with the goods of Lebedev-Lastochkin on about. Hokkaido to Akkeshi Bay. Strictly mindful of the instructions received by Antipin that “... having met with the Japanese, act courteously, affectionately, decently ... find out what Russian goods they need“ things and what kind of things you can get from them in return, set prices and whether they would like to for mutual bargaining, to make an agreement on some island that would guide the future ... to establish peaceful relations with the Japanese, ”the merchants counted on trade that would be beneficial for both sides. But their hopes were not justified. In Akkesi, they were given the prohibition of the Japanese not only to trade on about. Hokkaido (Matsmai), but also sail to Etorofu and Kunashiri.
Since that time, the Japanese government began to oppose the Russians in the southern islands in every possible way. In 1786, it commissioned an official, Mogami Tokunai, to inspect the islands. Finding three Russians on Etorofu and interrogating them, Tokunai handed them an order: “Foreign nationals are strictly forbidden to enter Japanese territory. Therefore, I order you to return to your state as soon as possible. The movement of Russian merchants to the south for peaceful purposes was interpreted by the Japanese in a completely different way.

city ​​of Severo-Kurilsk

19th century
In 1805, a representative of the Russian-American Company, Nikolai Rezanov, who arrived in Nagasaki as the first Russian envoy, tried to resume negotiations on trade with Japan. But he also failed. However, the Japanese officials, who were not satisfied with the despotic policy of the supreme power, hinted to him that it would be nice to carry out a forceful action in these lands, which could push the situation against dead center. This was carried out on behalf of Rezanov in 1806-1807 by an expedition of two ships led by Lieutenant Khvostov and midshipman Davydov. Ships were plundered, a number of trading posts were destroyed, and a Japanese village was burned on Iturup. Later they were tried, but the attack for some time led to a serious deterioration in Russian-Japanese relations. In particular, this was the reason for the arrest of Vasily Golovnin's expedition.
The first distinction between the possessions of Russia and Japan in the Kuril Islands was made in the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.
In exchange for the right to own southern Sakhalin, Russia transferred to Japan in 1875 all the Kuril Islands.

20th century
After the defeat in 1905 in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia handed over to Japan southern part Sakhalin.
In February 1945, the Soviet Union promised the United States and Great Britain to start a war with Japan on the condition that Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands be returned to it.
February 2, 1946. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the formation on the territory of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands of the South Sakhalin Region as part of the Khabarovsk Territory of the RSFSR.
November 5, 1952. A powerful tsunami hit the entire coast of the Kuriles, Paramushir suffered the most. A giant wave washed away the city of Severo-Kurilsk (formerly Kasivabara). The press was forbidden to mention this catastrophe.
In 1956, the Soviet Union and Japan adopted a Joint Treaty officially ending the war between the two states and transferring Habomai and Shikotan to Japan. Signing the agreement, however, did not work out, because it came out that Japan was waiving the rights to Iturup and Kunashir, because of which the United States threatened not to give Japan the island of Okinawa.

Church of the Holy Trinity, Yuzhno-Kurilsk

The Problem of Ownership
At the end of World War II in February 1945, at the Yalta Conference of the Heads of Power, the countries participating in the anti-Hitler coalition, an agreement was reached on the unconditional return of the southern part of Sakhalin and the transfer of the Kuril Islands Soviet Union after the victory over Japan.
On July 26, 1945, within the framework of the Potsdam Conference, the Potsdam Declaration was adopted, which limited the sovereignty of Japan to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. On August 8, the USSR joined the Potsdam Declaration. On August 14, Japan accepted the terms of the Declaration and on September 2, 1945, signed the Instrument of Surrender confirming these terms. But these documents did not speak directly about the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR.
On August 18 - September 1, 1945, Soviet troops carried out the Kuril landing operation and occupied, among other things, the southern Kuril Islands - Urup, Iturup, Kunashir and the Lesser Kuril ridge.
In accordance with the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of February 2, 1946, in these territories, after their exclusion from Japan by Memorandum No. In 1947, it became part of the newly formed Sakhalin Oblast as part of the RSFSR.
On September 8, 1951, Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty, according to which it renounced "all rights, titles and claims to the Kuril Islands and to that part of Sakhalin Island and the islands adjacent to it, sovereignty over which Japan acquired under the Portsmouth Treaty of September 5, 1905 G." When discussing the San Francisco Treaty in the US Senate, a resolution was adopted containing the following clause: It is provided that the terms of the Treaty will not mean recognition for the USSR of any rights or claims in the territories belonging to Japan on no damage to the rights and legal grounds of Japan in these territories, nor will any provisions in favor of the USSR in relation to Japan, contained in the Yalta Agreement, be recognized. In view of the serious claims to the draft treaty, the representatives of the USSR, Poland and Czechoslovakia refused to sign it. The treaty was also not signed by Burma, the DRV, India, the DPRK, the PRC, and the MPR, which were not represented at the conference.
Japan makes territorial claims to the southern Kuril Islands Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Khabomai with a total area of ​​5175 km². These islands are called the "Northern Territories" in Japan. Japan substantiates its claims with the following arguments:
According to Article 2 of the Shimoda Treaty of 1855, these islands were included in Japan and they are the original possession of Japan.
This group of islands, according to the official position of Japan, is not included in the Kuril chain (Chishima Islands) and, having signed the act of surrender and the San Francisco Treaty, Japan did not renounce them.
The USSR did not sign the San Francisco Treaty.
However, the Shimodsky treatise is considered annulled due to the Russo-Japanese War (1905).
In 1956, the Moscow Declaration was signed, which ended the state of war and established diplomatic and consular relations between the USSR and Japan. Article 9 of the Declaration states, in part:
The USSR, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Islands to Japan, however, that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty.
On November 14, 2004, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the eve of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan, stated that Russia, as the successor state of the USSR, recognizes the 1956 Declaration as existing and is ready to conduct territorial negotiations with Japan on its basis.
It is noteworthy that on November 1, 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian leader to visit the Kuril Islands. President Dmitry Medvedev then stressed that “all the islands of the Kuril chain are the territory of the Russian Federation. This is our land, and we must equip the Kuriles.” The Japanese side remained implacable and called this visit regrettable, which in turn caused a response from the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to which there could be no changes in the status of the Kuril Islands.
Some Russian official experts, in search of a solution that could satisfy both Japan and Russia, offer very peculiar options. So, Academician K.E. Chervenko in April 2012, in an article on the possibility of a final settlement of the territorial dispute between the Russian Federation and Japan, voiced an approach in which the countries participating in the San Francisco Treaty (states that have the right to determine the international legal status of South Sakhalin with the adjacent islands and all the Kuril Islands) recognize the Kuriles de facto the territory of the Russian Federation, leaving behind Japan the right to consider them de jure (under the terms of the aforementioned agreement) not included in Russia.

Cape Stolbchaty, Kunashir Island

Population
The Kuril Islands are extremely unevenly populated. The population lives permanently only in Paramushir, Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan. There is no permanent population on the other islands. At the beginning of 2010, there are 19 settlements: two cities (Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk), an urban-type settlement (Yuzhno-Kurilsk) and 16 villages.
The maximum value of the population was noted in 1989 and amounted to 29.5 thousand people. In Soviet times, the population of the islands was significantly higher due to high subsidies and a large number of military personnel. Thanks to the military, the islands of Shumshu, Onekotan, Simushir and others were populated.
As of 2010, the population of the islands is 18.7 thousand people, including in the Kuril urban district - 6.1 thousand people (on the only inhabited island of Iturup, also includes Urup, Simushir, etc.); in the South Kuril urban district - 10.3 thousand people. (Kunashir, Shikotan and other islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge (Khabomai)); in the North Kuril urban district - 2.4 thousand people (on the only inhabited island of Paramushir, also includes Shumshu, Onekotan, etc.).

Onekotan Island

Economy and development
On August 3, 2006, at a meeting of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federal Program for the Development of the Islands from 2007 to 2015 was approved, including 4 blocks: the development of transport infrastructure, the fish processing industry, social infrastructure and the solution of energy problems. The program provides:
The allocation of funds for this program is almost 18 billion rubles, that is, 2 billion rubles a year, which is equivalent to about 300 thousand rubles for each inhabitant of the islands, which will increase the population from 19 to 30 thousand people.
The development of the fishing industry - at present, there are only two fish factories on the islands, and both are state-owned. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation proposes to create another 20 new fish hatcheries to replenish biological resources. The federal program provides for the creation of the same number of private fish breeding plants and the reconstruction of one fish processing plant.
On the islands, it is planned to build new kindergartens, schools, hospitals, develop a transport network, including the construction of a modern all-weather airport.
The problem of electricity shortage, which is four times more expensive in the Kuril Islands than in Sakhalin, is planned to be solved through the construction of power plants operating on geothermal sources, using the experience of Kamchatka and Japan.
In addition, in May 2011, the Russian authorities announced their intention to allocate an additional 16 billion rubles, thereby doubling the funding for the Kuril Islands development program.
In February 2011, it became known about plans to strengthen the defense of the Kuriles with an air defense brigade, as well as a mobile coastal missile system with Yakhont anti-ship missiles.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads.
Photo: Tatyana Selena, Viktor Morozov, Andrey Kapustin, Artem Demin
Russian Academy Sciences. Institute of Geography RAS. Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS; Editors: V. M. Kotlyakov (chairman), P. Ya. Baklanov, N. N. Komedchikov (chief editor) and others; Rep. editor-cartographer Fedorova E. Ya. Atlas of the Kuril Islands. — M.; Vladivostok: IPTs "DIK", 2009. - 516 p.
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia for the Sakhalin Region. Report "On the state and protection of the environment of the Sakhalin region in 2002" (2003). Retrieved June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.
Sakhalin region. Official site of the governor and government of the Sakhalin region. Retrieved June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on October 7, 2006.
Makeev B. "The Kuril problem: the military aspect". World economy and International Relations, 1993, No. 1, p. 54.
Wikipedia site.
Solovyov A.I. Kuril Islands / Glavsevmorput. - Ed. 2nd. - M .: Publishing House of the Glavsevmorput, 1947. - 308 p.
Atlas of the Kuril Islands / Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Geography RAS. Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS; Editors: V. M. Kotlyakov (chairman), P. Ya. Baklanov, N. N. Komedchikov (chief editor) and others; Rep. editor-cartographer Fedorova E. Ya .. - M .; Vladivostok: IPTs "DIK", 2009. - 516 p. - 300 copies. - ISBN 978-5-89658-034-8.
http://www.kurilstour.ru/islands.shtml