Disputed islands Native name: Курильские острова 千島列島 |
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Location of the Kuril Islands in the Western Pacific between Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia
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Geography | |
Location | Pacific Ocean |
Coordinates | 46°30′N 151°30′E / 46.500°N 151.500°ECoordinates: 46°30′N 151°30′E / 46.500°N 151.500°E |
Total islands | 56 |
Area | 10,503.2 km2 (2,595,400 acres) |
Highest point |
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Administered by | |
Russia | |
Districts | Severo-Kurilsky, Kurilsky and Yuzhno-Kurilsky Districts (Sakhalin Oblast) |
Claimed by | |
Russia | |
Districts | Severo-Kurilsky, Kurilsky and Yuzhno-Kurilsky Districts (Sakhalin Oblast) |
Japan | |
Subprefecture | Nemuro Subprefecture (Hokkaido) |
Demographics | |
Population | 19,434 (as of 2010) |
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (/ˈkʊərɪl/, /ˈkjʊərɪl/, or /kjʊˈriːl/; Russian: Кури́льские острова́, tr. Kurilskiye ostrova; IPA: [kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva]; Japanese: Kuriru rettō (クリル列島?, "Kuril Islands") or Chishima rettō (千島列島?, "Chishima Islands")), in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many minor rocks. It consists of Greater Kuril Ridge and Lesser Kuril Ridge. The total land area is 10,503.2 square kilometres (4,055.3 sq mi) and the total population is 19,434.