South Kuril Islands, Disputed territory between Russia and Japan in North Pacific Ocean
The South Kuril Islands consist of a chain that stretches across the northwest Pacific between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido. The group includes larger inhabited landmasses and smaller rocky outcrops, all surrounded by open ocean.
Control of the islands shifted between Japan and Russia multiple times until Soviet forces occupied them at the close of World War II in 1945. Japanese residents were then forced to leave and Russian settlers arrived to replace them.
The archipelago carries a name derived from the Ainu word kur, which once meant people in their language. These indigenous communities fished and hunted here long before modern claims reshaped the land.
Entry to the islands requires special permits and travelers must comply with Russian visa regulations. Weather conditions in the Pacific typically restrict travel to warmer months when the sea is calmer.
More than a hundred volcanoes rise along this chain and belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire, causing regular seismic activity. Their heat feeds hot springs near the shore and creates conditions for rare marine animals in the surrounding waters.
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