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News: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iturup, one of the disputed southern Kuril Islands claimed by Japan.
About Kuril Islands
- Location: The Kuril Islands are an island group in the Russian Far East, stretching from the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to northeastern Hokkaido in Japan.
- Boundary: They form the boundary between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk.
- Geographical Extent: The archipelago extends for about 1,300 km and covers over 15,600 sq. km.
- Composition: The archipelago comprises 56 islands, along with several islets and rocks.
- Division: The islands are divided into the Greater and Lesser Kuril Chains.
- Geology: The islands are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and contain over 100 volcanoes, including 35 active volcanoes.
- Natural Features: The islands have many hot springs, while earthquakes and tidal waves are common.
- Climate: The climate has long, cold, snowy winters and cool, wet and foggy summers.
- Vegetation: Vegetation ranges from tundra in the north to dense forests in the south.
- Major towns: Kurilsk, Severo-Kurilsk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk are important towns.
- Dispute:
- Sovereignty: Japan claims the four southern islands – Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai – as its Northern Territories, while Russia administers them as the South Kurils.
- Background: The Soviet Union seized the islands at the end of World War II and expelled Japanese residents by 1949.
- Impact: Russia and Japan have never formally concluded a peace treaty since the end of World War II.
