View source for Kuril Islands

{{Short description|Island chain located in Northeast Asia}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2023}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox islands
| disputed                   = yes
| name                       = Kuril Islands
| plural                     = yes
| native_name                = <br />{{native name|ru|Курильские острова|italics=no}}<br />{{nobold|{{native name|ja|千島列島|italics=no}}}}
| image_name                 = Kuril Island.jpg
| image_size                 = 300px
| image_caption              = A coastline along one of the Kuril Islands
| image_map                  = Sea of Okhotsk map with state labels.png
| map_caption                = Location of the Kuril Islands in the [[Pacific Ocean|Western Pacific]] between Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia
| location                   = Pacific Ocean
| coordinates                = {{Coord|47.0|N| 152.1|E|region:RU_type:isle_dim:1000000|display=inline,title}}
| total_islands              = 56
| area_km2                   = 10503.2
| length_km                  = 1150
| elevation_m                = 2339
| highest_mount              = [[Atlasov Island|Alaid]]
| country                    = {{flag|Russia}}
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Federal subjects of Russia|Federal subject]]
| country_admin_divisions_1  = [[Sakhalin Oblast]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Raion|Districts]]
| country_admin_divisions_2  = [[Severo-Kurilsky District|Severo-Kurilsky]], [[Kurilsky District|Kurilsky]], [[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District|Yuzhno-Kurilsky]]
| country1                   = {{flag|Japan}}<br />(partial claim, southernmost islands)
| country1_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| country1_admin_divisions_1 = [[Hokkaido]]
| country1_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Subprefectures of Hokkaido|Subprefecture]]
| country1_admin_divisions_2 = [[Nemuro Subprefecture|Nemuro]]
| population                 = 21,501
| population_as_of           = 2021
| ethnic_groups              = majority [[Russians]]
}}
[[File:Composite island map, from Series L506, U.S. Army Map Service, 1954-.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Composite map of the islands between [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] and [[Nemuro Peninsula]], combining twelve [[Army Map Service|U.S. Army Map Service]] maps compiled in the early 1950s]]
The '''Kuril Islands''' or '''Kurile Islands'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|(|j|)|ʊər|ɪ|l|,_|k|j|ʊ|ˈ|r|iː|l}} {{respell|KURE|il||,_|KOOR|il|,_|kyuu|REEL}}; {{langx|ru|Кури́льские острова́|Kuríl'skiye ostrová}}, {{IPA|ru|kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva|IPA}}; {{langx|ja|千島列島|Chishima rettō}}, {{IPA|ja|tɕiɕima ɾeꜜttoː|IPA}}, {{lit|Thousand Islands Archipelago}}, or {{langx|ja|クリル列島|Kuriru rettō|label=none}} {{IPA|ja|kɯɾiɾɯ ɾeꜜttoː|}}.}} are a volcanic [[archipelago]] administered as part of [[Sakhalin Oblast]] in the [[Russian Far East]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kuril-Islands |title=Kuril Islands |website=Britannica.com |date=14 April 2023 |access-date=3 August 2017 |archive-date=17 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517172304/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kuril-Islands |url-status=live }}</ref> The islands stretch approximately {{cvt|1300|km|mi}} northeast from [[Hokkaido]] in [[Japan]] to [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] in Russia, separating the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] from the north [[Pacific Ocean]]. There are 56 islands and many minor islets. The Kuril Islands consist of the [[Greater Kuril Chain]] and, at the southwest end, the parallel [[Lesser Kuril Chain]].<ref>[http://slovari.yandex.ru/Курильские%20острова/БСЭ/Курильские%20острова/ GSE] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424164845/http://slovari.yandex.ru/%D0%9A%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5%20%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0/%D0%91%D0%A1%D0%AD/%D0%9A%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5%20%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0/ |date=2013-04-24 }}</ref> The group termed the 'South Kurils' consists of those of the Lesser Kuril Chain together with [[Kunashir]] and [[Iturup]] in the Greater Kuril Chain. The [[Vries Strait]] between Iturup and [[Urup]] forms the Miyabe Line dividing the North and South Kurils. The Kuril Islands cover an area of around {{convert|10,503.2|km2|sqmi}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sakhalin.ru/Engl/Region/geography.htm |title=SAKHALIN.RU: Sakhalin and the Kuriles. Geography |access-date=2011-02-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114103636/http://www.sakhalin.ru/Engl/Region/geography.htm |archive-date=2011-01-14}}</ref> with a population of roughly 20,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8101395/Kuril-Islands-factfile.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=Kuril Islands: factfile |date=November 1, 2010 |access-date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128102912/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8101395/Kuril-Islands-factfile.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The islands have been under Russian administration since their [[Invasion of the Kuril Islands|1945 invasion]] by the [[Soviet Union]] near the end of [[World War II]]. Japan claims the four southernmost islands, including two of the three largest ([[Iturup]] and [[Kunashir]]), as part of its territory, as well as [[Shikotan]] and the unpopulated [[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 |first=Yuriko |last=Koike |date=31 March 2014 |access-date=5 August 2014 |archive-date=31 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831001620/https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/yuriko-koike-regards-vladimir-putin-s-invasion-of-ukraine-in-light-of-japan-s-own-territorial-disputes |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Etymology==
The name ''Kuril'' originates from the [[endonym|autonym]] that the [[indigenous peoples|Indigenous]] [[Ainu people|Ainu]] had used for the islands,  ''kur'', meaning 'man'.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kuriles-history.ru/book/chapter/26/ |title=Глава 26. Коренное население: айны |access-date=2021-09-01 |archive-date=2022-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218163434/https://www.kuriles-history.ru/book/chapter/26/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It may also be related to names for other islands that have traditionally been inhabited by the [[Ainu in Russia|Ainu people]], such as ''Kuyi'' or ''Kuye'' for [[Sakhalin]] and ''Kai'' for [[Hokkaido]]. 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}},  {{literally|Thousand Islands Archipelago}}), and also as the Kuriru Islands ([[Katakana]] and Kanji: {{lang|ja|クリル列島}}, {{lang|ja-Latn|Kuriru Rettō}}). Once Russians had discovered the islands in the 18th century, they derived a name for islands from the Russian {{lang|ru-Latn|kurit′}} {{lang|ru|курить}} 'to smoke' due to the perpetual volcanic plumes emitting from the islands' volcanoes resembling smoke.

== Geography and climate==
[[File:Yankicha.jpg|thumb|left|[[Caldera]] of the island [[Ushishir]]]]
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]]es 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>{{cite web |title=Central Kuril Island Tsunami in Crescent City, California |url=https://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/2005/tsunamis/Kuril_2006/index.html |date=16 November 2006 |access-date=1 September 2023 |publisher=[[University of Southern California]] Tsunami Research Center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061204113155/http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/2005/tsunamis/Kuril_2006/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 December 2006 }}</ref> Raikoke Island, near the centre of the archipelago, has an active volcano which erupted again in June 2019, with emissions reaching {{cvt|13,000.|m}}.

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|40|to|50|in|mm|-1}}, a large portion of which falls as snow. The [[Köppen climate classification]] of most of the Kurils is [[subarctic climate|subarctic]] (''Dfc''), although [[Kunashir Island|Kunashir]] is [[humid continental climate|humid continental]] (''Dfb''). However, the Kuril Islands' climate resembles the [[subpolar oceanic climate]] of [[southwest Alaska]] much more than the hypercontinental climate of [[Manchuria]] and interior Siberia, as precipitation is heavy and permafrost completely absent. It is characterized by mild summers with only 1 to 3 months above {{convert|10|°C|°F|disp=or}} and cold, snowy, extremely windy winters below {{convert|&minus;3|C|1|disp=or}}, although usually above {{convert|&minus;10|C|disp=or}}.

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: {{cvt|2339|m|ft|disp=or}}) on [[Atlasov Island]] at the northern end of the chain and Tyatya volcano ({{cvt|1819|m|ft|disp=or}}) on Kunashir Island at the southern end.

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]], [[Volcanic crater lake|crater lake]]s 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 [[volcanic landslide|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.
[[File:Вулкан Руруй (с Южно-Курильска).jpg|thumb|[[Stratovolcano]] Mt. Ruruy as viewed from [[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]]]]
The northernmost, [[Atlasov Island]] (Araido 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]]s, and other forms, in much the same way as the better-known [[Mount Fuji]]. Its summit is the highest point in [[Sakhalin Oblast]].

==Nature==
===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.

'''[[Pinniped]]''': The main 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]]s and [[Steller sea lion]]s 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]]''': Sea otters were exploited very heavily for their pelts in the 19th century, 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 |pages=1–6 |issue=1 |doi=10.47536/jcrm.v6i1.783 |s2cid=20154991|doi-access=free }}</ref>

'''[[Seabirds]]''': The Kuril islands are home to many millions of seabirds, including [[northern fulmar]]s, [[tufted puffin]]s, [[murre]]s, [[kittiwake]]s, [[guillemot]]s, [[auklet]]s, [[petrel]]s, [[gull]]s and [[cormorant]]s. 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. Several of the islands, including Kunashir and the Lesser Kuril Chain in the South Kurils, and the northern Kurils from Urup to Paramushir, have been recognised as [[Important Bird Area]]s (IBAs) by [[BirdLife International]] because they support populations of various [[threatened]] bird species, including many [[waterbird]]s, [[seabird]]s and [[wader]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kuril-islands-(between-urup-and-paramushir)-iba-russia-(asian) |title=Kuril islands (between Urup and Paramushir) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021 |website=BirdLife Data Zone |publisher=BirdLife International |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205183850/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kuril-islands-(between-urup-and-paramushir)-iba-russia-(asian) |url-status=live }}</ref>

===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]] on a species level.

The [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] divides the Kuril Islands into two [[ecoregion]]s. 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 and sparse forests]], a larger ecoregion that extends onto the [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] and [[Commander Islands]]. The Miyabe Line dividing the differing sets of predominant plants of the Kurils corresponds to the Vries Strait between Iturup and Urup. 

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]]es 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]], foxes, and [[martens]]. [[Leopard]]s once inhabited the islands. 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, [[Common raven|ravens]], [[peregrine falcon]]s, some [[wren]]s and [[wagtail]]s are common.

== History ==
[[File:Kuril-Chishima Ainu House 1899 (No.1057).jpg|thumb|right|Kuril Ainu people next to their traditional dwelling]]
[[File:Map of Chishima by Gisuke Sasamori.jpg|thumb|A map of Kuril Islands from Gisuke Sasamori's 1893 book ''Chishima Tanken'']]

=== Early history ===
[[File:Historical expanse of Ainu.png|thumb|right|Historical extent of the [[Ainu people|Ainu]]]]
The [[Ainu people]] inhabited the Kuril Islands from early times, although few records predate the 17th century. From the [[Kamakura period]] to the [[Muromachi period]], there were Ezo (Ainu) people called Hinomoto from the Pacific coast of Hokkaido to the Kuril region, and Mr. Ando, the Ezo Sateshiku and Ezo Kanrei, was in charge of this ("Suwa Daimyojin Ekotoba"). It is said that when turmoil broke out on Ezogashima, he dispatched troops from Tsugaru. Its activities include the Kanto Gomensen, which calls itself the Ando Suigun, and is based in Jusanminato ("Kaisen Shikimoku"), supplying Japanese products to Ezo society and purchasing large quantities of northern products and shipping them nationwide. ("Thirteen Streets").The Matsumae clan, a feudal lord of Japan, became independent from the Ando clan (the family of Goro Ando). The Japanese administration first took nominal control of the islands during the [[Edo period]] (1603–1868) in the form of claims by the [[Matsumae clan]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Kuril Islands |first=John J |last=Stephan |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |year=1974 |pages=50–56 |isbn=978-0-19-821563-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F3BxAAAAMAAJ |access-date=2021-01-27 |archive-date=2023-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707022158/https://books.google.com/books?id=F3BxAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{qn|date=January 2021}} The ''[[Shōhō|Shōhō Era]] [[Kuniezu|Map of Japan]]'' ({{Nihongo|2=[[w:ja:正保国絵図|正保国絵図]]|3=Shōhō kuni ezu}}), a map of Japan made by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in 1644, shows 39 large and small islands northeast of Hokkaido's [[Shiretoko Peninsula]] and [[Cape Nosappu]]. A Dutch expedition under [[Maarten Gerritsz Vries]] explored the islands in 1643. [[Fedot Alekseyevich Popov]] sailed into the area {{circa | 1649}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stephan |first1=John J. |title=The Kuril Islands: Russo-Japanese Frontier in the Pacific |year=1974 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F3BxAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Clarendon Press |publication-date=1974 |pages=38–39 |isbn=9780198215639 |access-date=27 January 2021 |quote=According to subsequent elaborations, a document in the Central State Archives [...] indicated that a merchant adventurer by the name of Fedot Alekseev Popov had reached the Kurils in 1649 after completing an odyssey from the Arctic [...] popular Soviet publications [...] have enshrined Popov as the discoverer of the Kurils. |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707022158/https://books.google.com/books?id=F3BxAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Russian Cossacks landed on [[Shumshu]] in 1711.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vysokov |first1=Mikhail Stanislavovich |author-link1= |title=A Brief History of Sakhalin and the Kurils |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uE4jAQAAIAAJ |publisher=Sakhalin Book Publishing House |publication-date=1996 |page=D-24 |isbn=9785884531222 |access-date=27 January 2021 |quote=Russians first set foot on the Kuril islands in August 1711 , when a detachment of Kamchatka Cossacks under the leadership of Daniil Antsiferov and Ivan Kozyrevsky landed on Shumshu, the northernmost of the Greater Kurils. |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707022643/https://books.google.com/books?id=uE4jAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[United States|American]] [[whaler|whaleship]]s 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 such 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 |last=Starbuck |first=Alexander |title=History of the American Whale Fishery from Its Earliest Inception to the year 1876 |year=1878 |publisher=Castle |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, north of [[Kunashir| Kunashir Island]], a [[Russia]]n [[schooner]] seized the bark ''Cape Horn Pigeon'', of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]] and escorted it 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>

=== Japanese administration ===
[[File:Shana_Village_in_Etorofu_Island.JPG|thumb|[[Shana, Hokkaido|Shana Village]] in Iturup ([[Shōwa period]]): a village hospital in the foreground, a factory in the left background with a fishery and a central radio tower (before 1945).]]
At the very end of the 19th century, the Japanese administration started the forced [[cultural assimilation|assimilation]] of the native Ainu people.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Loos |editor-first1=Noel |editor-last2=Osani |editor-first2=Takeshi |year=1993 |title=Indigenous Minorities and Education: Australian and Japanese Perspectives on their Indigenous Peoples, the Ainu, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders |publisher=Sanyusha Publishing Co., Ltd. |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4-88322-597-2}}</ref><ref name=Levinson>{{cite book |last=Levinson |first=David |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Asia |volume=1 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |page=72 |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-684-80617-4}}</ref> Also at this time the Ainu were granted automatic Japanese citizenship, effectively denying them the status of an indigenous group. Many Japanese moved onto former Ainu lands, including the Kuril islands. The Ainu were required to adopt Japanese names, and ordered to cease religious practices such as animal sacrifice and the custom of tattooing.<ref name=Levinson /> Although not compulsory, education was conducted in Japanese. Prior to Japanese colonization<ref>{{cite book |last=Siddle |first=Richard |title=Race, Resistance, and the Ainu of Japan |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |page=51 |isbn=978-0-41513-228-2}}</ref> (in 1868) about 100 Ainu reportedly lived on the Kuril islands.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Howell |chapter=The Meiji State and the Logic of Ainu 'Protection' |title=New Directions in the Study of Meiji Japan |editor-first=Helen |editor-last=Hardacre |location=Leiden |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |year=1997 |page=614 |isbn=978-9-00410-735-9}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
{{see also|Soviet–Japanese War}}
*In 1941 Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] ordered the assembly of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] strike-force for the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Hawaii Operation]] attack on Pearl Harbor in Tankan or [[Hitokappu]] Bay, [[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 26 November.
*On 10 July 1943 the first bombardment against the Japanese bases in [[Shumshu]] and [[Paramushir]] by American forces occurred. From [[Alexai Point Landing Field|Alexai airfield]] 8 [[B-25 Mitchell]]s from the [[77th Bombardment Squadron]] took off, led by Capt James L. Hudelson. This mission principally struck Paramushir.
*Another mission was flown during 11 September 1943 when the [[Eleventh Air Force]] dispatched eight [[B-24 Liberator]]s and 12 [[B-25]]s. Facing reinforced Japanese defenses, 74 crew members in three B-24s and seven B-25 failed to return. 22 men were killed in action, one taken prisoner and 51 interned in [[Kamchatka]].
*The Eleventh Air Force implemented other bombing missions against the northern Kurils, including a strike by six [[B-24]]s from the [[404th Bombardment Squadron]] and 16 [[P-38]]s from the [[54th Fighter Squadron]] on 5 February 1944.
*Japanese sources{{which|date=January 2021}} report that the [[Matsuwa]] military installations were subject to American air-strikes between 1943 and 1944.
*The Americans' strategic feint called "[[Operation Wedlock]]" diverted Japanese attention north and misled them about the U.S. strategy in the Pacific.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gawne |first1=Jonathan |year=2002 |title=Ghosts of the ETO: American Tactical Deception Units in the European Theater, 1944–1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qtg-IVgWzWEC |location=Havertown, Pennsylvania |publisher=Casemate |publication-date=2007 |page=10 |isbn=9781935149927 |access-date=27 January 2021 |quote=Operation WEDLOCK in 1944 created a notional force in the northern Pacific that appeared ready to invade the Kuril Islands. This pinned down Japanese troops and equipment in an area the Americans had no intention of attacking. |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707022644/https://books.google.com/books?id=Qtg-IVgWzWEC |url-status=live }}</ref> The plan included air strikes by the USAAF and U.S. Navy bombers which included U.S. Navy shore bombardment and submarine operations. The 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 [[Hokkaido]] area in anticipation that the Americans might invade from [[Alaska]].
[[File:RR5712-0051R 5 рублей 2020 реверс сталь 75-летие Курильской десантной операции.png|thumb|190px|A monument commemorating the Soviet landing depicted on a Russian [[Russian ruble|5 rouble]] coin, 2020]]
*American planners had briefly contemplated an invasion of northern [[Japan]] from the [[Aleutian Islands]] during the autumn 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 the idea. 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 for a possible invasion of Japan via the northern route were shelved{{by whom|date=January 2021}}.
*Between 18 August and 31 August 1945 Soviet forces [[Invasion of the Kuril Islands|invaded the North and South Kurils]].
*The Soviets expelled the entire Japanese civilian population of roughly 17,000 by 1946.
*Between 24 August and 4 September 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 the intention of taking photos of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] occupation in the area. Soviet fighters intercepted and forced them away.{{citation needed|date= February 2014}}

In February 1945 the [[Yalta Agreement]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945Malta/d503 |title=Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945 - Office of the Historian |website=history.state.gov |access-date=2019-04-04 |archive-date=2019-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404072809/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945Malta/d503 |url-status=live }}</ref> promised to the [[Soviet Union]] [[Invasion of South Sakhalin|South Sakhalin]] and the [[Invasion of the Kuril Islands|Kuril islands]] in return for entering the [[Pacific War]] against the Japanese during World War II. In August 1945 the Soviet Union mounted an armed invasion of [[South Sakhalin]] at the cost of over 5,000 Soviet and Japanese lives.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

===Russian administration===
{{see also|Kuril Islands dispute}}
The Kuril Islands are split into three administrative districts ([[raion]]s), each a part of [[Sakhalin Oblast]]:
*[[Severo-Kurilsky District]] ([[Severo-Kurilsk]])
*[[Kurilsky District]] ([[Kurilsk]])
*[[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]] ([[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]])

Japan maintains a claim to the three islands of [[Kunashir]], [[Iturup]], and [[Shikotan]], and the [[Habomai Islands]], together called the ''Northern Territories''.
In addition, the Japanese government claims that the Kuril Islands, other than the Northern Territories and South Karafuto, are undetermined areas under international law because the San Francisco Peace Treaty does not specify where they belong and the Soviet Union did not sign it.

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 |trans-title=Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 223-r dated February 8, 2017 |publisher=Publication.pravo.gov.ru |language=ru |date=8 February 2017 |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=11 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211235734/http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201702100038 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Demographics ==
[[File:Шикотан 008.jpg|thumb|right|Main village in [[Shikotan]]]]
[[File:Kunashir hram.jpg|thumb|Russian Orthodox church, Kunashir]]
{{As of|2013}}, 19,400 people inhabited the Kuril Islands, of which 16,700 lived on the four disputed southern islands and 2,600 lived on [[Paramushir]], the northernmost large island; the islands in between are uninhabited. These include ethnic [[Russians]], [[Ukrainians]], [[Belarusians]], [[Tatars]], [[Nivkh people|Nivkhs]], [[Oroch people|Oroch]], [[Japanese people|Japanese]] and [[Ainu in Russia|Ainus]]. [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox Christianity]] is the main religion. Some of the villages are permanently occupied by Russian soldiers. Others are inhabited by civilians, who are mostly fishermen, workers in fish factories, dockers, and social sphere workers (police, medics, teachers, etc.). Construction works on the islands have attracted migrant workers from the rest of Russia and other [[post-Soviet states]]. {{As of|2014}}, there were only 8 inhabited islands out of a total of 56.

==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.{{efn|"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.}}

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 |access-date=May 24, 2014 |archive-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821173500/http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airports/yuzhno-kurilsk-mendeleyevo-airport-dee |url-status=live }}</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 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029080242/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2007/09/15/122630/Islands-disputed.htm |archive-date=2007-10-29}}</ref>

In 2022, a special economic zone was established on the Kuril islands with special tax regimes, exemption from corporate income tax, VAT with reduced customs duties for 20 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Федеральный закон от 18.03.2023 № 84-ФЗ ∙ Официальное опубликование правовых актов |url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202303180029 |website=publication.pravo.gov.ru |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Law on preferential regime in Kuril Islands to be effective in 2 months — Deputy PM |url=https://tass.com/economy/1382217 |access-date=7 December 2023 |work=tass.com |date=Feb 2, 2022}}</ref> It is an important part of Russian government's plan to develop the [[Russian far east]].<ref>{{cite web |title=President Putin's Speech at the 2023 Far Eastern Economic Forum: Analysis |url=https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/president-putin-s-speech-at-the-2023-far-eastern-economic-forum-analysis.html/ |website=Russia Briefing News |access-date=7 December 2023 |language=en |date=13 September 2023}}</ref>

== Military ==
The main Russian force stationed on the islands is the [[18th Machine Gun Artillery Division|18<sup>th</sup> Machine Gun Artillery Division]], which has its headquarters in [[Goryachiye Klyuchi, Kurilsky District, Sakhalin Oblast|Goryachiye Klyuchi]] on the [[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. Subsequently, in 2015, additional anti-aircraft missile systems [[Tor missile system|Tor]] and [[Buk missile system|Buk]], [[Coastal defence and fortification|coastal defence]] missile system [[K-300P Bastion-P|Bastion]], [[Kamov Ka-50|Kamov Ka-52]] combat helicopters and one [[Kilo-class submarine|''Varshavyanka'' project submarine]] came on defence of Kuril Islands.{{cn|date=September 2023}} During the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, it was reported that parts of the 18<sup>th</sup> Machine Gun Artillery Division were redeployed to Eastern Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sebastien Roblin |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2022/07/20/russia-sends-pacific-island-machine-gun-artillery-division-to-ukraine/?ss=aerospace-defense&sh=37e26ab736b2 |title=Russia Sends Pacific Island 'Machine Gun Artillery Division' To Ukraine |work=Forbes.com |date= |access-date=2022-08-04 |archive-date=2022-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721025217/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sebastienroblin/2022/07/20/russia-sends-pacific-island-machine-gun-artillery-division-to-ukraine/?ss=aerospace-defense&sh=37e26ab736b2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== List of main islands ==
While in Russian sources{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} 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 18<sup>th</sup> and early 19<sup>th</sup> centuries, the Kuril Islands were explored by: [[Danila Antsiferov]], I. Kozyrevsky, [[Ivan Yevreinov]], [[Fyodor Luzhin]], [[Martin Spanberg]], [[Adam Johann von Krusenstern]], [[Vasily Golovnin]], and Henry James Snow.

<gallery>
File:Yuzhno-Kurilsk anchor.jpg|[[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]], Kunashir
File:214 1426 Sev Kur main street wiki.jpg|[[Severo-Kurilsk]], Paramushir
File:Atlasov.jpg|Atlasov
File:Iturup volcano Bogdan Khmelnitsky.jpg|A view of the volcano Bogdan Khmelnitsky on Iturup Island
File:Вулкан Тятя с вулкана Менделеева.jpg|[[Mendeleyeva]] in the southern part of Kunashir
File:Один из зубцов вулкана Менделеева.jpg|Yuzhno-Kurilsky District
File:Стратовулкан.jpg|[[Ebeko]] volcano, Paramushir
File:Белые скалы 5.jpg|White Rocks, Iturup
</gallery>

The following table lists information on the main islands from north to south:{{efn|In the  [[Greater Kuril Chain|Greater]]/ [[Lesser Kuril Chain]] designations, the former is the 'Inner' chain and broadly comprises the islands from [[Atlasov Island|Atlasov]] to [[Kunashir]] (thus including two of the South Kurils as set out here) and the latter forms a relatively short 'Outer' chain close to the [[Nemuro Peninsula]] of [[Hokkaido]] and extends to [[Shikotan]].}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Island
! scope="col" | Russian name
! scope="col" | Japanese name
!Ainu name
! scope="col" | Island Group
! scope="col" | Administrative centre&nbsp;/<br />{{nowrap|Landing point}}
! scope="col" | Other settlements
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Area
! scope="col" | {{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
|-
! [[Severo-Kurilsky District]]
| 
| 
|
| North Kurils (Kita-chishima / 北千島)
| [[Severo-Kurilsk]]
| Shelikovo, [[Podgorny]], Baikovo
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|3504|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 2,560
|-
| [[Shumshu]]
| Шумшу
| {{ruby-ja|占守島|しゅむしゅとう}} ''Shumushu-tō''
|*Sumusu
| rowspan="18" | North Kurils
| Baikovo
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|388|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 20
|-
| [[Atlasov Island|Atlasov]]
| Атласова
| {{ruby-ja|阿頼度島|あらいどとう}} ''Araido-tō''
|Oyakopa [Oyakoba]
| Alaidskaya Bay
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|150|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Paramushir]]
| Парамушир
| {{ruby-ja|幌筵島|ぱらむしるとう}} ''Paramushiru-tō, Horomushiro-tō''
|Paramusir
| [[Severo-Kurilsk]]
| Shelikovo, [[Podgorny]]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|2053|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 2,540
|-
| [[Antsiferov Island|Antsiferov]]
| Анциферова
| {{ruby-ja|志林規島|しりんきとう}} ''Shirinki-tō''
|Sirinki
| Antsiferov beach
| Cape Terkut
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|7|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Makanrushi]]
| Маканруши
| {{ruby-ja|磨勘留島|まかんるとう}} ''Makanru-tō''
|[uncertain]
| Zakat
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|50|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Awos]]
| Авось ''Avosʹ''
| {{ruby-ja|帆掛岩|ほかけいわ}} ''Hokake-iwa''
|Hainoko
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|0.1|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Onekotan]]
| Онекотан
| {{ruby-ja|温禰古丹島|おんねこたんとう}} ''Onnekotan-tō''
|Onekotan
| Mussel
| Kuroisi, Nemo, Shestakov
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|425|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Harimkotan]]
| Харимкотан ''Kharimkotan''
| {{ruby-ja|春牟古丹島|はりむこたんとう, はるむこたんとう}} ''Harimukotan-tō'', ''Harumukotan-tō''
|Harimkotan, Haruomakotan, Karinkotan
| Sunazhma
| Severgin Bay
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|70|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Ekarma]]
| Экарма
| {{ruby-ja|越渇磨島|えかるまとう}} ''Ekaruma-tō''
|Ekarmausi<!-- /usi/ is 'place', not /us/, per Ainu dictionary -->
| Kruglyy
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|30|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Chirinkotan]]
| Чиринкотан
| {{ruby-ja|知林古丹島|ちりんこたんとう}}
|Cirinkotan
| Cape Ptichy
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|6|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Shiashkotan]]
| Шиашкотан
| {{ruby-ja|捨子古丹島|しゃすこたんとう}} ''Shasukotan-tō''
|*Siaskotan
| Makarovka
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|122|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Lowuschki Rocks]] (Lowuschki-Felsen)
| Ловушки ''Lovushki''
| {{ruby-ja|牟知列岩|むしるれつがん}} ''Mushiru-retsugan''
|Musir
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|1.5|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Raikoke]]
| Райкоке
| {{ruby-ja|雷公計島|らいこけとう}} ''Raikoke-tō''
|Raikoke
| Raikoke
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|4.6|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Matua (island)|Matua]]
| Матуа
| {{ruby-ja|松輪島|まつわとう}} ''Matsuwa-tō''
|Matua
| Sarychevo
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|52|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Rasshua]]
| Расшуа
| {{ruby-ja|羅処和島|らしょわとう}} ''Rashowa-tō''
|uncertain; thought to be Rusoa and Ruskorke
| Arches Point
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|67|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Srednii]]
| Среднего ''Srednego''
| {{ruby-ja|摺手岩|すりでいわ}} ''Suride-iwa''
|Kankan-kaipe
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" |{{cvt|0.02|km2|disp=br()}}<ref>Srednego Island area estimate from Satellite view on Google maps at 47° 35' 10"N 152° 53' 43"E</ref>
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Ushishir]]
| Ушишир
| {{ruby-ja|宇志知島|うししるとう}} ''Ushishiru-tō''
|Ushishir
| Kraternya
| Ryponkicha
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|5|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Ketoy]]
| Кетой
| {{ruby-ja|計吐夷島|けといとう}} ''Ketoi-tō''
|uncertain; possibly Keutoi
| Storozheva
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|73|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
! [[Kurilsky District]]
| 
| 
|
| Middle Kurils (Naka-chishima / 中千島), split between the island groups
| [[Kurilsk]]
| Reidovo, Kitovyi, Rybaki, [[Goryachiye Klyuchi]], [[Kasatka]], [[Burevestnik Airport|Burevestnik]], Shumi-Gorodok, Gornyy
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|5138|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 6,606
|-
| [[Simushir]]
| Симушир
| {{ruby-ja|新知島|しむしるとう}} ''Shimushiru-tō'', ''Shinshiru-tō''
|
| rowspan="6" | North Kurils
| Kraternyy
| Srednaya bay
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|360|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Broutona]]
| Броутона
| {{ruby-ja|武魯頓島|ぶろとんとう}} ''Buroton-tō''
|Makanrur
| Nedostupnyy
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|7|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Chirpoy]]
| Чирпой
| {{ruby-ja|知理保以島|ちりほいとう}} ''Chirihoi-tō''; Chierupoi
|
| Peschanaya Bay
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|21|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Chyornie Bratya|Brat Chirpoyev]]
| Брат Чирпоев
| {{ruby-ja|知理保以南島|ちりほいなんじま}} ''Chirihoinan-jima''
|
| Garovnikova
| Semenova
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|16|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Urup]]
| Уруп
| {{ruby-ja|得撫島|うるっぷとう}} ''Uruppu-tō''
|
| Mys Kastrikum
| Mys Van-der-Lind
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|1450|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| Other
| 
| 
|
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|4.4|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Iturup]]
| Итуруп
| {{ruby-ja|択捉島|えとろふとう}} ''Etorofu-tō''; Ietorupu
|
| South Kurils (Minami-chishima / 南千島)
| [[Kurilsk]]
| Reidovo, Kitovyi, Rybaki, [[Goryachiye Klyuchi]], [[Kasatka]], [[Burevestnik Airport|Burevestnik]], Shumi-Gorodok, Gornyy
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|3280|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 6,602
|-
! [[Yuzhno-Kurilsky District]]
| 
| 
|
| rowspan="16" | South Kurils
| rowspan="2" | [[Yuzhno-Kurilsk]]
| [[Malokurilskoye]], Rudnaya, Lagunnoye, [[Otrada]], Goryachiy Plyazh, [[Aliger]], [[Mendeleyevo]], [[Dubovoye, Sakhalin Oblast|Dubovoye]], [[Polino]], Golovnino
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|1860.8|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 10,268
|-
| [[Kunashir]]
| Кунашир
| {{ruby-ja|国後島|くなしりとう}} ''Kunashiri-tō''
|
| Rudnaya, Lagunnoye, [[Otrada]], Goryachiy Plyazh, [[Aliger]], [[Mendeleyevo]], Dubovoye, [[Polino]], Golovnino
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|1499|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 7,800
|-
| [[Shikotan]] 
| Шикотан
| {{ruby-ja|色丹島|しこたんとう}} ''Shikotan-tō''
|
| [[Malokurilskoye]]
| Dumnova, Otradnaya, [[Krabozavodskoye]] (formerly Anama), [[Zvezdnaya]], [[Voloshina]], Kray Sveta
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|255|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 2,440
|-
| Other
| 
| 
|
| 
| Ayvazovskovo
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|9.1|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Habomai]]
| Хабомаи ''Khabomai''
| {{ruby-ja|歯舞群島|はぼまいぐんとう}} ''Habomai-guntō''
|Hapomai [Habomai]
| Zorkiy
| [[Zelyony Island (Kuril Islands)|Zelyony]], Polonskogo
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|97.7|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 28
|-
| [[Polonsky Island|Polonsky]]
| Полонского
| {{ruby-ja|多楽島|たらくとう}} ''Taraku-tō''
|
| Moriakov Bay station
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|11.57|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 2
|-
| [[Oskolki Island|Oskolki]]
| Осколки
| {{ruby-ja|海馬島|かいばとう}} ''Kaiba-tō, Todo-jima''
|Toto-musir [Todo-mushir]
| 
| 
| {{unk}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Zelyony Island (Kuril Islands)|Zeleny]]
| Зелёный ''Zelyonyy''
| {{ruby-ja|志発島|しぼつとう}} ''Shibotsu-tō''
|
| Glushnevskyi station
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|58.72|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 3
|-
| [[Dyomin Islands|Dyomin]]
| Харкар ''Kharkar''
| {{ruby-ja|春苅島|はるかるとう}} ''Harukaru-tō''
|Harkar-kotan, Harkar-musir
| Haruka
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|0.8|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Yuri Island|Yuri]]
| Юрий ''Yuriy''
| {{ruby-ja|勇留島|ゆりとう}} ''Yuri-tō''
| Uriru ''or'' Yuwaro
| Kalernaya
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|10.32|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Anuchin Island|Anuchin]]
| Анучина ''Anuchina''
| {{ruby-ja|秋勇留島|あきゆりとう}} ''Akiyuri-tō''
|
| Bolshoye Bay
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|2.35|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Tanfilyev Island|Tanfilyev]]
| Танфильев ''Tanfilʹev''
| {{ruby-ja|水晶島|すいしょうじま}} ''Suishō-jima''
|
| Zorkiy
| Tanfilyevka Bay, Bolotnoye
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|12.92|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 23
|-
| [[Moemoshiri Island|Moemoshiri]]
| Сторожевой ''Storozhevoy''
| {{ruby-ja|萌茂尻島|もえもしりとう}} ''Moemoshiri-tō''
|
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|0.07|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Odoke Island|Odoke]]
| Рифовый ''Rifovyy''
| オドケ島 ''Odoke-jima''
|
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|0.0025|km2|disp=br()}}<ref>Rifovyy Island area estimate from Satellite view on Google maps at 43° 24' 24"N 145° 52'33"E</ref>
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| [[Kaigara Island|Kaigara]]
| Сигнальный ''Signalʹnyy''
| {{ruby-ja|貝殻島|かいがらじま}} ''Kaigara-jima''
| Kaikarai
| 
| 
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|0.02|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|-
| Other
| 
| 
|
| 
| Opasnaya, Udivitelnaya
| style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|1|km2|disp=br()}}
| style="text-align: right;" | 0
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan="7" style="text-align: right;" scope="row" | Total:
! style="text-align: right;" | {{cvt|10503.2|km2|disp=br()}}
! style="text-align: right;" | 19,434
|}

== See also ==
{{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}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== 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.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|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
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070528025311/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://web.archive.org/web/20090813063239/http://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}}

[[Category:Kuril Islands| ]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Islands of the Sea of Okhotsk]]
[[Category:Islands of the Russian Far East]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of Japan]]
[[Category:Geography of Northeast Asia]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of Sakhalin Oblast]]
[[Category:Disputed islands of Asia]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]
[[Category:Pacific Coast of Russia]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Sea of Okhotsk]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Sakhalin Oblast]]
[[Category:Stratovolcanoes of Russia]]
[[Category:Former Japanese colonies]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Sea of Okhotsk]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of the Kurile Islands]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]