Kuril on the world map. History of the Kuril Islands. The Kuril Islands in the history of Russian-Japanese relations. This historical fact of the real place of landing of the Russians on the coast of Kunashir was proved by Russian scientists. The expedition was led by the Irkutsk merchant D.

The Kuril Islands, which are part of the Sakhalin Region, consist of 56 large and small islands of volcanic origin. Stretching from north to south, from Kamchatka to Japanese island Hokkaido, these islands are of much more important geostrategic importance for Russia than it might seem at first glance.

Non-freezing straits

Between the islands of the Kuril chain there are only two straits that do not freeze during the cold season. This is the Catherine Strait, located between the islands of Iturup and Kunashir, as well as the Friza Strait between the islands of Iturup and Urup. If these southern islands belonged to another country, it is even difficult to imagine how transport communication would be carried out between, for example, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Vladivostok in winter. Moreover, do not forget about navy Russia in the Far East. Ships from Vladivostok will not be able to enter the Pacific Ocean in winter without the consent of third countries.

Mineral deposits

Despite their small size, the islands of the Kuril chain contain significant amounts of explored minerals. Here found ores of non-ferrous metals, mercury, and in coastal zone- hydrocarbon deposits. In addition, the richest mineral deposit of rhenium in the world was found on Iturup Island. Rhenium is contained here in the form of the mineral rhenite, the extraction of metal from which is more promising than extraction by traditional methods. In addition, rhenium is a very rare metal with a number of unique properties, and therefore it is highly valued in the world market.

Status of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk

In 2014, one of the most important events of recent times in the field of the settlement of legal status offshore territories of Russia. The UN Commission on the Continental Shelf recognized the Sea of ​​Okhotsk as an inland sea Russian Federation, and, accordingly, the rights to all natural resources that this territory contains. These are not only the richest deposits of hydrocarbons, but also biological resources - fish, crabs and other seafood. It is not difficult to guess that if at least part of the Kuril Islands belonged to another country, Russia would have to share these riches with a neighbor.

Fishing for bioresources

The coastal waters of the Kuril Islands are the richest reserves of king crabs, salmon and many other valuable biological resources. The increased interest in this territory from other countries is eloquently evidenced by regular cases of poaching of foreign ships in the coastal waters of the archipelago.

Population of the Kuril Islands

Ice-free straits and natural resources are, of course, very important. But the main wealth of the Kuril Islands is the people who live here. According to 2017 data, more than 19 thousand people live in the territory of two cities and several villages. This is quite a lot, given the island specifics of the region and certain difficulties caused by transport accessibility. The islands are a special world, and the people who inhabit the Kuriles love their small homeland very much.

Everyone knows about Japan's claims to the South Kuriles, but not everyone knows in detail the history of the Kuril Islands and their role in Russian-Japanese relations. This is what this article will be devoted to.

Everyone knows about Japan's claims to the South Kuriles, but not everyone knows in detail the history of the Kuril Islands and their role in Russian-Japanese relations. This is what this article will be devoted to.

Before turning to the history of the issue, it is worth explaining why the Southern Kuriles are so important for Russia *.
1. Strategic position. It is in the non-freezing deep-sea straits between the South Kuril Islands that submarines can enter the Pacific Ocean in a submerged position at any time of the year.
2. Iturup has the world's largest deposit of the rare metal rhenium, which is used in superalloys for space and aviation technology. World production of rhenium in 2006 amounted to 40 tons, while Kudryavy volcano emits 20 tons of rhenium every year. This is the only place in the world where rhenium is found in its pure form, and not in the form of impurities. 1 kg of rhenium, depending on the purity, costs from 1000 to 10 thousand dollars. There is no other rhenium deposit in Russia (in Soviet times, rhenium was mined in Kazakhstan).
3. The reserves of other mineral resources of the South Kuriles are: hydrocarbons - about 2 billion tons, gold and silver - 2 thousand tons, titanium - 40 million tons, iron - 270 million tons
4. The Southern Kuriles is one of 10 places in the world where, due to the turbulence of water due to the meeting of warm and cold sea currents, food for fish rises from the seabed. It attracts huge herds of fish. The cost of seafood produced here exceeds 4 billion dollars a year.

Let us briefly note the key dates of the 17th-18th centuries in Russian history associated with the Kuril Islands.

1654 or, according to other sources, 1667-1668- Sailing of a detachment led by Cossack Mikhail Stadukhin near the northern Kuril island of Alaid. In general, among the Europeans, the expedition of the Dutchman Martin Moritz de Vries was the first to visit the Kuriles in 1643, which mapped Iturup and Urup, but these islands were not assigned to Holland. Friz became so confused during his journey that he mistook Urup for the tip of the North American continent. The strait between Urup and Iturup now bears the name of de Vries.

1697 Siberian Cossack Vladimir Atlasov led an expedition to Kamchatka to conquer local tribes and tax them. The descriptions of the Kuril Islands he heard from the Kamchadals formed the basis of the earliest Russian map of the Kuriles, compiled by Semyon Remezov in 1700. 2

1710 the Yakut administration, guided by the instructions of Peter I “on finding the state of Japan and conducting trades with it,” instructs the Kamchatka clerks, “having done the courts, which are decent, for overflowing land and people on the sea with all sorts of measures, how it is possible to see through; and people will appear on that land, and those people of the great sovereign under the tsar’s highly autocratic hand again, as quickly as possible, by all means, according to local conditions, bring and collect yasak from them with great zeal, and make a special drawing for that land. 3

1711- A detachment led by ataman Danila Antsiferov and Yesaul Ivan Kozyrevsky examines the northern Kuril Islands - Shumshu and Kunashir 4 . The Ainu living on Shumshu tried to resist the Cossacks, but were defeated.

1713 Ivan Kozyrevsky leads the second expedition to the Kuril Islands. On Paramushir, the Ainu gave the Cossacks three battles, but were defeated. For the first time in the history of the Kuriles, their inhabitants paid yasak and recognized the power of Russia 5 . After this campaign, Kozyrevsky made a "Drawing map of the Kamchadal nose and sea islands." This map depicts the Kuril Islands for the first time from Cape Lopatka in Kamchatka to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. A description of the islands and the Ainu, the people who inhabited the Kuriles, is also attached to it. Moreover, in the descriptions attached to the final "drawing", Kozyrevsky also reported a number of information about Japan. In addition, he found out that the Japanese were forbidden to sail north of Hokkaido. And that "Iturups and Uruptsy live autocratically and not in citizenship." Also independent were the inhabitants of another large island of the Kuril chain - Kunashir 6 .

1727 Catherine I approves the "Opinion of the Senate" on Eastern Islands. It pointed out the need to "take possession of the islands lying near Kamchatka, since those lands belong to Russian possession and are not subject to anyone. The Eastern Sea is warm, not icy ... and may in the future follow commerce with Japan or China Korea " 7 .

1738-1739- The Kamchatka expedition of Martyn Shpanberg took place, during which the entire ridge of the Kuril Islands was passed. For the first time in Russian history, contact with the Japanese took place on their territory - at the anchorage near the island of Honshu, sailors purchased food from local residents 8 . After this expedition, a map of the Kuriles was published, which in 1745 became part of the Atlas Russian Empire 9, which was published in Russian, French and Dutch. In the 18th century, when not all territories on the globe were surveyed by European countries, the established "international law" (which, however, applied only to the countries of Europe), gave a priority right to own "new lands" if the country had a priority in publishing a map of the corresponding territories 10 .

1761 The Senate Decree of August 24 allows the free fishing of sea animals in the Kuriles with the return to the treasury of the 10th part of the production (PSZ-XV, 11315). During the second half of the 18th century, the Russians explored the Kuril Islands and created settlements on them. They existed on the islands of Shumshu, Paramushir, Simushir, Urup, Iturup, Kunashir 11 . Yasak is regularly collected from local residents.

1786 December 22 On December 22, 1786, the Collegium of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire was to officially declare that the lands discovered in the Pacific Ocean belonged to the Russian crown. The reason for the decree was "an attempt on the part of the English merchant industrialists on the production of trade and animal trade on the East Sea" 12 . In pursuance of the decree, a note was drawn up in the highest name about "the announcement through Russian ministers at the courts of all European maritime powers that these open lands by Russia cannot otherwise be recognized as belonging to your empire." Among the territories included in the Russian Empire was also "the ridge of the Kuril Islands, touching Japan, discovered by Captain Spanberg and Walton" 13 .

In 1836, the jurist and historian of international law Henry Wheaton published the classic work Fundamentals of International Law, which, among other things, dealt with the ownership of new lands. Wheaton singled out the following conditions for the acquisition by the state of the right to new territory 14:

1. Discovery
2. First development-first occupation
3. Long-term uninterrupted possession of the territory

As you can see, by 1786 Russia had fulfilled all these three conditions in relation to the Kuriles. Russia was the first to publish a map of the territory, including in foreign languages, the first to establish its own settlements there and began to collect yasak from local residents, and its possession of the Kuriles was not interrupted.

Above, only Russian actions in relation to the Kuriles in the 17-18th century were described. Let's see what Japan has done in this direction.
Today, Hokkaido is the northernmost island in Japan. However, it was not always Japanese. The first Japanese colonists appeared on south coast Hokkaido in the 16th century, but their settlements received administrative registration only in 1604, when the administration of the principality of Matsumae was established here (in Russia it was then called Matmai). The main population of Hokkaido at that time was the Ainu, the island was considered as a non-Japanese territory, and the principality of Matsumae (which did not occupy the whole of Hokkaido, but only its southern part) was considered "independent" of the central government. The principality was very small in number - by 1788 its population was only 26.5 thousand people 15 . Hokkaido became fully part of Japan only in 1869.
If Russia had more actively developed the Kuriles, then Russian settlements could have appeared on Hokkaido itself - it is known from documents that at least in 1778-1779 Russians collected yasak from the inhabitants of the northern coast of Hokkaido 16 .

Japanese historians, in order to assert their priority in the discovery of the Kuriles, point to the “Map of the Shoho period” dated 1644, on which the group of Habomai islands, the islands of Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup are indicated. However, it is unlikely that this map was compiled by the Japanese based on the results of the expedition to Iturup. Indeed, by that time, the successors of the Tokugawa shogun continued his course of isolating the country, and in 1636 a law was issued according to which the Japanese were forbidden to leave the country, as well as to build ships suitable for long-distance voyages. As the Japanese scholar Anatoly Koshkin writes, the “Map of the Shoho period” “is not so much a map in the true sense of the word, but a plan-scheme similar to a drawing, most likely made by one of the Japanese without personal acquaintance with the islands, according to the stories of the Ainu” 17 .

At the same time, the first attempts of the principality of Matsumae to arrange a Japanese trading post on the island of Kunashir closest to Hokkaido date back only to 1754, and in 1786 an official of the Japanese government, Tokunai Mogami, examined Iturup and Urup. Anatoly Koshkin notes that “neither the principality of Matsumae nor the central Japanese government, having official relations with any of the states, could legally put forward claims to “exercise sovereignty” over these territories. In addition, as documents and confessions of Japanese scientists testify, the government of the bakufu (the headquarters of the shogun) considered the Kuriles "foreign land." Therefore, the above actions of Japanese officials in the southern Kuriles can be regarded as arbitrariness perpetrated in the interests of seizing new possessions. Russia, in the absence of official claims to the Kuril Islands by other states, according to the then laws and according to generally accepted practice, re-included open lands into the composition of his state, notifying the rest of the world about it. 18

The colonization of the Kuril Islands was complicated by two factors - the difficulty of supply and the general shortage of people in the Russian Far East. By 1786, a small village on the southwestern coast of about. Iturup, where three Russians and several Ainu, who had moved from Urup, settled 19 . The Japanese, who began to show an increased interest in the Kuriles, could not help but take advantage of this. In 1798, on the southern tip of Iturup Island, the Japanese knocked over Russian signposts and set up posts with the inscription: "Etorofu - the possession of Great Japan." In 1801, the Japanese landed on Urup and arbitrarily set up an index pole, on which an inscription of nine hieroglyphs was carved: "The island has belonged to Great Japan since ancient times." 20
In January 1799, small Japanese military units were posted in fortified camps at two points on Iturup: in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe modern Gulf of Good Start (Naibo) and in the area modern city Kurilsk (Syana) 21 . The Russian colony on Urup languished, and in May 1806 Japanese envoys did not find any Russians on the island - there were only a few Ainu 22 .

Russia was interested in establishing trade with Japan, and on October 8, 1804, on the ship Nadezhda (participating in the round-the-world expedition of I.F. Kruzenshtern) Russian ambassador, State Councilor Nikolai Rezanov arrived in Nagasaki. The Japanese government was playing for time, and only six months later, on March 23, 1805, Rezanov managed to meet with the inspector of secret surveillance K. Toyama Rezanov. In an insulting form, the Japanese refused to trade with Russia. Most likely, this was due to the fact that the Western Europeans who were in Japan set up the Japanese government anti-Russian. For his part, Rezanov made a sharp statement: “I, the undersigned of the most eminent sovereign Emperor Alexander 1, the real chamberlain and cavalier Nikolai Rezanov, declare to the Japanese government: ... So that the Japanese empire does not extend its possessions beyond the northern tip of the island of Matmay, since all the lands and waters to north belong to my sovereign" 23

As for the anti-Russian sentiments that were fueled by Western Europeans, there is a very revealing story of Count Moritz-August Beniovsky, who was exiled to Kamchatka for participating in hostilities on the side of the Polish Confederates. There, in May 1771, together with the Confederates, he captured the St. Peter galliot and sailed for Japan. There he gave the Dutch several letters, which they in turn translated into Japanese and delivered to the Japanese authorities. One of them later became widely known as "Beniovsky's warning". Here it is:

“Highly respected and noble officers of the glorious Republic of the Netherlands!
The cruel fate that had carried me across the seas for a long time brought me a second time to Japanese waters. I went ashore in the hope that I might be able to meet Your Excellencies here and get your help. I am truly very sorry that I did not have the opportunity to speak with you personally, for I have important information that I wanted to tell you. The high respect that I have for your glorious state prompts me to inform you that this year two Russian galliots and one frigate, following a secret order, sailed around the coast of Japan and put their observations on the map, preparing for the attack on Matsuma and the islands adjacent to it, located at 41 ° 38' north latitude, to the offensive scheduled for the next year. For this purpose, on one of the Kuril Islands, which is closer than the others to Kamchatka, a fortress was built and shells, artillery and food depots were prepared.
If I could talk to you personally, I would tell more than what can be trusted to paper. Let Your Excellencies take such precautions as you deem necessary, but, as your fellow believer and zealous well-wisher of your glorious state, I would advise, if possible, to have a cruiser ready.
On this I will allow myself to introduce myself and remain, as follows below, your obedient servant.
Baron Aladar von Bengoro, army commander in captivity.
July 20, 1771, on the island of Usma.
P.S. I left a map of Kamchatka on the shore, which may be of use to you.”

There is not a word of truth in this document. “It is puzzling what purpose Beniovsky was pursuing by giving the Dutch such false information,” noted the American researcher Donald Keane. There can be no doubt about their unreliability. Far from having any aggressive intentions towards Japan, the Russians strained every effort to preserve their Pacific possessions... Beniovsky undoubtedly knew the real state of affairs, but the love of truth was never one of his virtues. Perhaps he hoped to curry favor with the Dutch by exposing to them the fictitious plot of the Russians.

However, let us return to Nikolai Rezanov. After unsuccessful negotiations in Japan, Rezanov went with an inspection to the Russian colonies on the northwestern coast of America and the Aleutian Islands.
From the Aleutian island of Unalashka, where one of the offices of the Russian-American Company was located, on July 18, 1805, he wrote letter 25 to Alexander I:

By strengthening the American institutions and building up the courts, we can also force the Japanese to open a market, which the people very much desire among them. I do not think that Your Majesty will be charged with a crime when I now have worthy employees, what Khvostov and Davydov are, and with the help of which, having built ships, I will set off next year to the Japanese shores to devastate their village on Matsmay, drive them out of Sakhalin and smash them along the shores fear, in order to take away fisheries, and deprive 200,000 people of food, the sooner to force them to open a bargain with us, to which they will be obliged. Meanwhile, I heard that they had already dared to establish a trading post on Urup. Your will, Most Merciful Sovereign, is with me, punish me as a criminal, that without waiting for a command, I get down to business; but my conscience will reproach me even more if I waste time and do not sacrifice Your glory, and especially when I see that I can contribute to the fulfillment of Your great Imperial Majesty intentions.

So, Rezanov, in the interests of the state, under his own responsibility, made an important decision - to arrange a military operation against Japan. He instructed Lieutenant Nikolai Khvostov and midshipman Gavriil Davydov, who were in the service of the Russian-American Company, to lead it. For this, the Juno frigate and the Avos tender were transferred under their command. The task of the officers was to make a voyage to Sakhalin and the Kuriles and find out whether the Japanese, having penetrated these islands, were oppressing the Kurilians brought into Russian citizenship. If this information was confirmed, the officers were to "drive out" the Japanese. That is, it was about protecting the territories belonging to the Russian Empire from the illegal actions of the Japanese.

In South Sakhalin, which Khvostov and Davydov visited twice, they liquidated a Japanese settlement, burned two small ships, and captured several merchants from Matsumae. In addition, the local Ainu foreman Khvostov issued a letter of acceptance of the inhabitants of Sakhalin into Russian citizenship and under the protection of the Russian emperor. At the same time, Khvostov hoisted two Russian flags (RAC and state) on the shore of the bay and landed several sailors who founded a settlement that existed until 1847. In 1807, the Russian expedition liquidated the Japanese military settlement on Iturup. The captured Japanese were also released there, with the exception of two left as interpreters.
Through the released prisoners, Khvostov conveyed his demands to the Japanese authorities 27:

“Russia's neighborhood with Japan made us wish for friendly ties to the true well-being of this last empire, for which an embassy was sent to Nagasaki; but the rejection of it, insulting to Russia, and the spread of Japanese trade in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, as the possessions of the Russian Empire, forced this power to finally use other measures, which will show that the Russians can always harm Japanese trade until they are notified through the inhabitants of Urup or Sakhalin about the desire to trade with us. The Russians, having now caused so little harm to the Japanese empire, wanted to show them only through the fact that the northern countries of it can always be harmed by them, and that further stubbornness of the Japanese government can completely deprive it of these lands.

Characteristically, the Dutch, having translated Khvostov's ultimatum to the Japanese, added on their own behalf that the Russians were threatening to conquer Japan and send priests to convert the Japanese to Christianity.

Rezanov, who gave the order to Khvostov and Davydov, died in 1807, so he could not protect them from punishment for military actions that were not coordinated with the central government. In 1808, the Admiralty Board found Khvostov and Davydov guilty of unauthorized violation of government instructions on the purely peaceful development of relations with Japan and outrages against the Japanese. As a punishment, the awards to officers for the bravery and courage shown in the war with Sweden were annulled. It should be noted that the punishment is very lenient. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the Russian government understood the correctness of the actions of the officers who actually expelled the invaders from Russian territory, but could not but punish them because of the violation of instructions.
In 1811, Captain Vasily Golovnin, who landed on Kunashir to replenish water and food supplies, was captured by the Japanese along with a group of sailors. Golovnin was on a round-the-world voyage, on which he set off in 1807 from Kronstadt, and the purpose of the expedition, as he wrote in his memoirs, was “the discovery and inventory of the little-known lands of the eastern edge of the Russian Empire” 29 He was accused by the Japanese of violating the principles of self-isolation of the country and together with his comrades spent more than two years in captivity.
The government of the shogun also intended to use the incident with the capture of Golovnin to force the Russian authorities to formally apologize for Khvostov's and Davydov's raids on Sakhalin and the Kuriles. Instead of an apology, the governor of Irkutsk sent an explanation to the deputy of the shogun on Ezo Island that these officers had taken their actions without the consent of the Russian government. This was enough to free Golovnin and other prisoners.
The monopoly right to develop the Kuril Islands belonged to the Russian-American Company (RAC), established in 1799. Its main efforts were aimed at the colonization of Alaska, as a region much richer than the Kuriles. As a result, by the 1820s, the actual border in the Kuriles was established along the southern tip of Urup Island, on which there was a RAK 30 settlement.
This fact is confirmed by the decree of Alexander I of September 1, 1821 “On the limits of navigation and the order of coastal relations along the coast Eastern Siberia, North-West America and the Aleutian, Kuril Islands, etc.". The first two paragraphs of this decree state (PSZ-XXVII, N28747):

1. The production of trade, whale and fishing, and any industry on the islands, in ports and bays, and in general throughout the entire Northwest coast of America, starting from the Bering Strait to 51 "North latitude, also along the Aleutian Islands and along the Eastern coast of Siberia; since along the Kuril Islands, that is, starting from the same Bering Strait to the Southern Cape of Urup Island, and precisely up to 45 "50" North latitude is provided for use by the only Russian citizen.

2. Accordingly, it is forbidden for any foreign ship not only to moor to the shores and islands subject to Russia, indicated in the previous article; but also to approach them at a distance of less than a hundred Italian miles. Anyone who violates this prohibition will be subject to confiscation with the entire cargo.

Nevertheless, as A.Yu. Plotnikov, Russia could still lay claim to, at least, Iturup Island, tk. Japanese settlements were only in the southern and central parts of the island, while the northern part remained uninhabited 31 .

Russia made the next attempt to establish trade with Japan in 1853. On July 25, 1853, the Russian ambassador Evfimy Putyatin arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun. As in the case with Rezanov, negotiations began only six months later, on January 3, 1854 (the Japanese wanted to get rid of Putyatin by starving him out). The question of trade with Japan was important for Russia, because the population of the Russian Far East was growing, and it was much cheaper to supply it from Japan than from Siberia. Naturally, during the negotiations, Putyatin also had to resolve the issue of territorial delimitation. On February 24, 1853, he received an "Additional Instruction" from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Here is an excerpt from it 32:

On this subject of boundaries, it is our desire to be as lenient as possible (without, however, betraying our interests), bearing in mind that the achievement of another goal - the benefits of trade - is of essential importance to us.

Of the Kuril Islands, the southernmost, belonging to Russia, is the island of Urup, to which we could confine ourselves, appointing it the last point of Russian possessions to the south, so that from our side the southern tip of this island was (as it is now in essence) the border with Japan, and that from the Japanese side the northern tip of Iturup Island was considered the border.

At the beginning of negotiations on the clarification of the border possessions of ours and the Japanese, the question of the island of Sakhalin seems to be important.

This island is of particular importance to us because it lies opposite the very mouth of the Amur. The power that will own this island will own the key to the Amur. The Japanese Government, no doubt, will firmly stand up for its rights, if not for the entire island, which it will be difficult for it to support with sufficient arguments, then at least for the southern part of the island: in Aniva Bay, the Japanese have fisheries that provide food for many to the inhabitants of their other islands, and for this circumstance alone they cannot but cherish the aforesaid point.

If, in negotiations with you, their Government shows compliance with our other demands - the demands regarding trade - then you can be compliant on the subject of the southern tip of Sakhalin Island, but this compliant should be limited to this, i.e. we can in no way recognize their rights to other parts of Sakhalin Island.

When explaining all this, it will be useful for you to point out to the Japanese Government that in the situation in which this island is located, if the Japanese cannot maintain their rights to it - rights that are not recognized by anyone - the said island can become in the very shortest time the prey of some strong maritime power, whose neighborhood is unlikely to be as beneficial and safe for the Japanese as the neighborhood of Russia, whose disinterestedness they have experienced for centuries.

In general, it is desirable that you arrange this question about Sakhalin in accordance with the existing interests of Russia. If, however, you encounter insurmountable obstacles on the part of the Japanese Government to the recognition of our rights to Sakhalin, then it is better in this case to leave this matter in its current state ( those. undelimited - statehistory).

In general, in giving you these additional instructions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by no means prescribes them for indispensable execution, knowing full well that nothing unconditional and indispensable can be prescribed at such a distant distance.

Your Excellency is therefore left with complete freedom of action.

So, we see, this document recognizes that the actual border between Russia and Japan runs along the southern tip of Urup. Putyatin's main task is to at least reject Japan's claims to the whole of Sakhalin, and as a maximum - to force the Japanese to recognize it as completely Russian, because. This island is of strategic importance.
Putyatin, however, decided to go further and in his message to the Supreme Council of Japan dated November 18, 1853, he proposed to draw a border between Iturup and Kunashir. As A. Koshkin notes, the Japanese government, which at that moment was under pressure from the United States and Western European countries that wanted to open Japan for trade, was afraid that Russia might join them, and therefore did not exclude the possibility of a demarcation, along which all the islands, including the most southern - Kunashir, were recognized as Russian. In 1854, in Japan, a “Map of the most important maritime borders great Japan", on which its northern border was drawn along the northern coast of Hokkaido. Those. under favorable circumstances, Putyatin could return Iturup and Kunashir to Russia 33 .

However, the negotiations reached an impasse, and in January 1854 Putyatin decided to break them off and return to Russia to learn about the course of the Crimean War. This was important, because The Anglo-French squadron also operated at Pacific coast Russia.
March 31, 1854 Japan signed a trade treaty with the United States. Putyatin again went to Japan in order to achieve for Russia the establishment of relations with Japan at a level no lower than with the United States.
The negotiations dragged on again, and on December 11, 1854, they were complicated by the fact that, as a result of the tsunami, the Diana frigate, on which Putyatin arrived (during his second arrival in Japan, he specially sailed on only one ship, so that the Japanese would not get the impression that Russia wants to demonstrate strength), crashed, the team ended up on the shore and the Russian ambassador was completely dependent on the Japanese. The negotiations were held in the city of Shimoda.

As a result of the intransigence of the Japanese on the issue of Sakhalin, Putyatin, for the sake of signing an agreement with Japan, went to the maximum compromise. On February 7, 1855, the Shimodsky Treaty was signed, according to which Sakhalin was recognized as undivided, and Russia recognized Japan's rights to Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup. Thus, the situation with the South Kuriles, which had de facto existed for many years, was officially recognized. However, since legally, these 4 islands were part of the Russian Empire, which was officially announced back in 1786, many historians of the Russian ambassador are now reproached for the fact that the South Kuriles were given to Japan without any compensation and that he should have defended to the end at least the largest of them is the island of Iturup 34 . Under the agreement, three Japanese ports- Nagasaki, Shimoda and Hakodate. In strict accordance with the Japanese-American treaty, the Russians in these ports received the right of extraterritoriality, i.e. they could not be judged in Japan.
To justify Putyatin, it is worth noting that the negotiations were conducted at a time when there was no telegraph connection between Japan and St. Petersburg, and he could not promptly consult with the government. And the way, both by sea and by land, from Japan to St. Petersburg, only in one direction, took a little less than a year. Under such conditions, Putyatin had to take full responsibility upon himself. From the moment he arrived in Japan until the signing of the Shimoda Treaty, the negotiations lasted 1.5 years, so it is clear that Putyatin really did not want to leave with nothing. And since the instructions he received gave him the opportunity to make concessions on the South Kuriles, he made them, after first trying to bargain for Iturup.

The problem of using Sakhalin, caused by the absence of a Russian-Japanese border on it, required a solution. On March 18, 1867, the "Temporary Agreement on Sakhalin Island" was signed, drawn up on the basis of the "Proposals for a Temporary Agreement on Cohabitation" of the Russian side. Under this agreement, both parties could move freely throughout the island and build buildings on it. This was a step forward, because earlier, although the island was considered undivided, the Russians did not use the southern part of Sakhalin, which the Japanese considered theirs. After this agreement, by order of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia M. Korsakov, the Muravievsky military post was founded in the vicinity of Busse Bay, which turned into a center for the development of Russian South Sakhalin. It was the southernmost post on Sakhalin and was located well south of the Japanese posts 35 .
The Japanese at that time did not have the opportunity to develop Sakhalin as actively, so this agreement was more beneficial for Russia than for Japan.

Russia sought to solve the problem of Sakhalin finally and completely get it into its possession. For this, the tsarist government was ready to cede part of the Kuril Islands.

The Russian Foreign Ministry authorized the military governor A.E. Crown and E.K. Byutsov, appointed Russian chargé d'affaires in China, to continue negotiations on Sakhalin. Instructions were prepared for them. Butsov was instructed to convince the Japanese Foreign Ministry to send their representatives to Nikolaevsk or Vladivostok to finally resolve the issue of Sakhalin on the basis of establishing a border along the La Perouse Strait, exchanging Sakhalin for Urup with adjacent islands, and preserving the rights of the Japanese to fisheries.
Negotiations began in July 1872. The Japanese government announced that the concession of Sakhalin would be accepted Japanese people and foreign states as the weakness of Japan and Urup with the adjacent islands will be insufficient compensation 35 .
The negotiations that began in Japan were difficult and intermittent. They resumed in the summer of 1874 already in St. Petersburg, when Enomoto Takeaki, one of the most educated people of Japan at that time, arrived in the Russian capital in the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

On March 4, 1875, Enomoto spoke for the first time about giving up Sakhalin in exchange for compensation in the form of all the Kuril Islands, from Japan to Kamchatka 36 . At that time, the situation in the Balkans was aggravated, the war with Turkey (which, like during the Crimean War, England and France could again support) became more and more real, and Russia was interested in solving the Far Eastern problems as soon as possible, incl. Sakhalin.

Unfortunately, the Russian government did not show due perseverance and did not appreciate the strategic importance of the Kuril Islands, which closed the exit to the Pacific Ocean from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and agreed to the demands of the Japanese. On April 25 (May 7), 1875, in St. Petersburg, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov on the part of Russia and Enomoto Takeaki on the part of Japan signed an agreement under which Japan renounced its rights to Sakhalin in exchange for the cession of all the Kuril Islands by Russia. Also, under this agreement, Russia allowed Japanese ships to visit the port of Korsakov in South Sakhalin, where the Japanese consulate was established, for 10 years without paying trade and customs duties. Japanese ships, merchants and fishermen were granted the most favored nation treatment in the ports and waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and Kamchatka 36 .

This agreement is often called an exchange agreement, but in fact we are not talking about the exchange of territories, because. Japan did not have a strong presence on Sakhalin and no real opportunities to keep it - the waiver of rights to Sakhalin became a mere formality. In fact, we can say that the 1875 treaty fixed the surrender of the Kuriles without any real compensation.

The next point in the history of the Kuril issue is the Russo-Japanese war. Russia lost this war and, under the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905, ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin along the 50th parallel.

This treaty has such an important legal significance that it actually terminated the treaty of 1875. After all, the meaning of the "exchange" treaty was that Japan renounced the rights to Sakhalin in exchange for the Kuriles. At the same time, at the initiative of the Japanese side, a condition was included in the protocols of the Portsmouth Treaty that all previous Russian-Japanese agreements were annulled. Thus, Japan deprived itself of the legal right to own the Kuril Islands.

Treaty of 1875, which is regularly referred to japanese side in disputes about the ownership of the Kuriles, after 1905 it became just a historical monument, and not a legal document. It would not be superfluous to recall that by attacking Russia, Japan also violated paragraph 1 of the Shimodsky Treaty of 1855 - "From now on, let there be permanent peace and sincere friendship between Russia and Japan."

Next key point - Second World War. On April 13, 1941, the USSR signed a neutrality pact with Japan. It was concluded for 5 years from the date of ratification: from April 25, 1941 to April 25, 1946. According to this pact, it could be denounced a year before the expiration of the period.
The United States was interested in the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan in order to accelerate its defeat. Stalin, as a condition, put forward the demand that after the victory over Japan, the Kuriles and South Sakhalin would go over to Soviet Union. Not everyone in the American leadership agreed with these demands, but Roosevelt agreed. The reason, apparently, was his sincere concern that after the end of World War II, the USSR and the USA would maintain good relations achieved in the course of military cooperation.
The transfer of the Kuriles and South Sakhalin was recorded in the Yalta Agreement of the Three Great Powers on the Far East on February 11, 1945. 37 It is worth noting that paragraph 3 of the agreement reads as follows:

The leaders of the three great powers - the Soviet Union, the United States of America and Great Britain - agreed that two or three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe, the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan on the side of the Allies, on the condition that:
…
3. Transfer to the Soviet Union of the Kuril Islands.

Those. we are talking about the transfer of all the Kuril Islands without exception, incl. Kunashir and Iturup, who were ceded to Japan under the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.

On April 5, 1945, the USSR denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact, and on August 8 declared war on Japan.

On September 2, the act of surrender of Japan was signed. South Sakhalin with the Kuriles went to the USSR. However, after the act of surrender, it was still necessary to conclude a peace treaty, in which new borders would be fixed.
Franklin Roosevelt, who was kind to the USSR, died on April 12, 1945, and was replaced by the anti-Soviet Truman. On October 26, 1950, American considerations on concluding a peace treaty with Japan were handed over to the Soviet representative in the UN in order to get acquainted. In addition to details unpleasant for the USSR, such as the retention of American troops on Japanese territory for an indefinite period, they revised the Yalta agreement, according to which South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands passed to the USSR 38 .
In fact, the United States decided to remove the USSR from the process of negotiating a peace treaty with Japan. In September 1951, a conference was to be held in San Francisco, at which a peace treaty between Japan and the allies was to be signed, but the United States did everything so that the USSR considered it impossible for itself to participate in the conference (in particular, they did not receive invitations to the conference PRC, North Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam, which the USSR insisted on and what was fundamental for it) - then a separate peace treaty would have been concluded with Japan in its American formulation without taking into account the interests of the Soviet Union.

However, these calculations of the Americans did not materialize. The USSR decided to use the San Francisco conference to expose the separate nature of the treaty.
Among the amendments to the draft peace treaty proposed by the Soviet delegation were the following 39:

Paragraph "c" shall be stated in the following wording:
"Japan recognizes the full sovereignty of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics over the southern part of Sakhalin Island with all the islands adjacent to it and the Kuril Islands and renounces all rights, titles and claims to these territories."
According to article 3.
Rewrite the article as follows:
"Japanese sovereignty will extend to the territory consisting of the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido, as well as Ryukyu, Bonin, Rosario, Volcano, Pares Vela, Marcus, Tsushima and other islands that were part of Japan before December 7, 1941, with the exception of those territories and islands referred to in Art. 2".

These amendments were rejected, but the US could not ignore the Yalta agreements at all. The text of the treaty included a provision stating that "Japan renounces 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 Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905." 40. From a philistine point of view, it may seem that this is the same as the Soviet amendments. From a legal point of view, the situation is different - Japan renounces claims to the Kuriles and South Sakhalin, but does not recognize the sovereignty of the USSR over these territories. With this wording, the agreement was signed on September 8, 1951 between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan. Representatives of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Poland, who participated in the conference, refused to sign it.

Modern Japanese historians and politicians differ in their assessments of Japan's renunciation of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands contained in the text of the peace treaty. Some demand the cancellation of this clause of the treaty and the return of all the Kuril Islands up to Kamchatka. Others are trying to prove that the South Kuril Islands (Kunashir, Iturup, Khabomai and Shikotan) are not included in the concept of the "Kuril Islands", which Japan refused in the San Francisco Treaty. The latter circumstance is refuted both by the established cartographic practice, when the entire group of islands - from Kunashir to Shumshu on maps is called the Kuril Islands, and by the texts of Russian-Japanese negotiations on this issue. Here, for example, is an excerpt from Putyatin's talks with Japanese representatives in January 1854. 41

« Putyatin: The Kuril Islands have belonged to us for a long time, and now Russian chiefs are on them. The Russian-American Company annually sends ships to Urup to buy furs, etc., and Russians had their settlement on Iturup even before, but since it is now occupied by the Japanese, we have to talk about it.

Japanese side: We considered all Kuril Islands have long belonged to Japan, but since most of of them passed one by one to you, then there is nothing to say about these islands. Iturup but it was always considered ours and we considered it a matter settled, as well as the island of Sakhalin or Krafto, although we do not know how far the latter extends to the north ... "

From this dialogue it can be seen that the Japanese in 1854 did not divide the Kuriles into "Northern" and "South" - and recognized Russia's right to most of the islands of the archipelago, with the exception of some of them, in particular, Iturup. Fun fact - the Japanese claimed that all of Sakhalin belonged to them, but they did not have it geographical map. By the way, using a similar argument, Russia could lay claim to Hokkaido on the grounds that in 1811 V.M. Golovnin in his "Remarks on the Kuril Islands" ranked Fr. Matsmai, i.e. Hokkaido, to the Kuriles. Moreover, as noted above, at least in 1778-1779, Russians collected yasak from the inhabitants of the northern coast of Hokkaido.

The unsettled relations with Japan hindered the establishment of trade, the resolution of issues in the field of fisheries, and also contributed to the involvement of this country in the anti-Soviet policy of the United States. At the beginning of 1955, the USSR representative in Japan turned to Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu with a proposal to start negotiations on the normalization of Soviet-Japanese relations. On June 3, 1955, Soviet-Japanese negotiations began in the building of the Soviet embassy in London. The Japanese delegation, as a condition for concluding a peace treaty, put forward obviously unacceptable demands - for "the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, the Chisima archipelago (Kuril Islands) and the southern part of Karafuto Island (Sakhalin)".

In fact, the Japanese understood the impossibility of these conditions. The secret instruction of the Japanese Foreign Ministry provided for three stages of putting forward territorial demands: “First, demand the transfer of all the Kuril Islands to Japan, with the expectation of further discussion; then, retreating somewhat, seek the cession of the southern Kuril Islands to Japan for "historical reasons", and, finally, insist on at least the transfer of the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to Japan, making this demand an indispensable condition for the successful completion of negotiations.
The fact that Habomai and Shikotan were the ultimate goal of diplomatic bargaining was repeatedly said by the Japanese Prime Minister himself. So, during a conversation with a Soviet representative in January 1955, Hatoyama stated that "Japan will insist during negotiations on the transfer of the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to her." There was no talk of any other territories 42 .

Such a "soft" position of Japan did not suit the United States. Thus, it was precisely for this reason that in March 1955 the American government refused to receive the Japanese Foreign Minister in Washington.

Khrushchev was ready to make concessions. On August 9, in London, during an informal conversation, the head of the Soviet delegation, A.Ya. Malik (during the war years he was the USSR ambassador to Japan, and then, in the rank of deputy foreign minister, the representative of the Soviet Union to the UN) suggested that the Japanese diplomat in the rank after Shun'ichi Matsumoto transfer the islands of Habomai and Shikotan to Japan, but only after the signing of a peace treaty.
Here is the assessment of this initiative by one of the members of the Soviet delegation at the London talks, later Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences S.L. Tikhvinsky43:

"I. A. Malik, acutely experiencing Khrushchev’s dissatisfaction with the slow progress of the negotiations and without consulting with the rest of the delegation members, prematurely expressed in this conversation with Matsumoto the spare position without exhausting the defense of the main position in the negotiations. His statement caused at first bewilderment, and then joy and further exorbitant demands on the part of the Japanese delegation ... N. S. Khrushchev's decision to renounce sovereignty over part of the Kuril Islands in favor of Japan was a rash, voluntaristic act ... The cession to Japan of part of the Soviet territory, which, without permission Khrushchev went to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet people, destroyed the international legal basis of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements and contradicted the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which recorded the refusal of Japan from South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands ... "

As this quote makes clear, the Japanese perceived Malik's initiative as a weakness and put forward other territorial demands. The negotiations have ceased. This suited the US as well. In October 1955, J. Dulles, in a note to the Japanese government, warned that the expansion of economic ties and the normalization of relations with the USSR "may become an obstacle to the implementation of the US government's assistance program to Japan."

Inside Japan, fishermen were primarily interested in concluding a peace treaty, who needed to obtain licenses to fish in the Kuriles. This process was greatly hampered by the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which, in turn, was due to the absence of a peace treaty. Negotiations resumed. The United States exerted serious pressure on the Japanese government. So, on September 7, 1956, the State Department sent a memorandum to the Japanese government stating that the United States would not recognize any decision confirming the sovereignty of the USSR over the territories that Japan had renounced under the peace treaty.

As a result of difficult negotiations, on October 19, the Joint Declaration of the USSR and Japan was signed. It proclaimed the end of the state of war between the USSR and Japan, the restoration of diplomatic relations. Paragraph 9 of the declaration read 44:

9. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan agreed to continue negotiations on the conclusion of a peace treaty after the restoration of normal diplomatic relations between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan.
At the same time, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 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 a peace treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Japan .

However, as we know, the signing of the peace treaty never took place. Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Ichiro, who signed the Declaration, resigned, and the new cabinet was headed by Kishi Nobusuke, an openly pro-American politician. Back in August 1956, the Americans openly proclaimed through Secretary of State Allen Dulles that if the Japanese government recognizes the Kuril Islands as Soviet, the United States will forever retain the island of Okinawa and the entire Ryukyu archipelago, which were then under American control.

On January 19, 1960, Japan signed the US-Japan Interoperability and Security Treaty with the United States, according to which the Japanese authorities allowed the Americans to use military bases on their territory for the next 10 years, to maintain ground, air and naval forces there. . On January 27, 1960, the USSR government announced that since this agreement was directed against the USSR and the PRC, the Soviet government refused to consider the transfer of the islands to Japan, since this would lead to an expansion of the territory used by American troops.

Now Japan claims not only Shikotan and Habomai, but also Iturup and Kunashir, referring to the bilateral Treatise on Trade and Borders of 1855 - therefore, signing a peace treaty based on the 1956 declaration is impossible. However, if Japan abandoned its claim to Iturup and Kunashir and signed a peace treaty, would Russia have to fulfill the terms of the Declaration and give up Shikotan and Khabomai? Let's consider this question in more detail.

On April 13, 1976, the United States unilaterally passed the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, according to which, effective March 1, 1977, they moved the border of their fishing zone from 12 to 200 nautical miles from the coast, establishing strict rules for access to it by foreign fishermen. Following the United States in 1976, by adopting relevant laws, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Canada, Australia and a number of other countries, including developing ones, unilaterally established 200-mile fishing or economic zones.
In the same year, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of December 10 “On temporary measures for the conservation of living resources and the regulation of fisheries in the sea areas adjacent to the coast of the USSR”, the Soviet Union also established sovereign rights over fish and other biological resources in its 200-mile coastal zone 46 .
New realities were fixed in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982. The concept of an "exclusive economic zone" was introduced, the width of which should not exceed 200 nautical miles. Article 55 of the convention provides that a coastal state in the exclusive economic zone has “sovereign rights for the purpose of exploration, exploitation and conservation of natural resources, both living and non-living, in the waters covering the seabed, on the seabed and in its subsoil, as well as in for the management of these resources, and in relation to other economic exploration and exploitation activities of the said zone, such as the production of energy through the use of water, currents and wind.” At the same time, it exercises jurisdiction in this zone in relation to “the creation and use of artificial islands, installations and structures; marine scientific research; protection and conservation of the marine environment” 47 .

Earlier, in 1969, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties was adopted.
Article 62 "Radical change of circumstances" of this convention reads (emphasis in bold is ours) 48:

1. A fundamental change that occurred in relation to the circumstances that existed at the conclusion of the contract, and which was not foreseen by the parties, cannot be referred to as a basis for terminating the contract or withdrawing from it, except when:
a) the existence of such circumstances constituted an essential basis for the consent of the parties to be bound by the treaty; And
b) the consequence of a change in circumstances fundamentally changes the scope of obligations still to be performed under the contract.
2. A fundamental change in circumstances cannot be invoked as grounds for terminating or withdrawing from a treaty:
A) if the treaty establishes a boundary; or
b) if such a fundamental change, to which a party to the treaty refers, is the result of a violation by that party of either an obligation under the treaty or another international obligation assumed by it in relation to any other party to the treaty.
3. If, in accordance with the preceding paragraphs, the parties are entitled to invoke a fundamental change in circumstances as a ground for terminating or withdrawing from a treaty, he may also invoke that change as a ground for suspending the operation of the treaty.

The introduction of the 200-mile economic zone is a circumstance that fundamentally changes the scope of commitments. It is one thing to transfer the islands when there was no talk of any 200-mile exclusive zone, and quite another thing when this zone appeared. However, can it be considered that the 1956 declaration falls under paragraph 2a, i.e. under the boundary? The declaration refers to sovereignty over land areas, while the border between maritime states runs along the sea. After the transfer of the islands to Japan, an additional agreement would be required to determine the maritime border.
Thus, it can be argued that the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was signed by both the USSR and Japan, is a fundamental change that falls under paragraph 1b of Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Those. Russia is not obliged to comply with the terms of the 1956 Declaration on the transfer of Habomai and Shikotan, if suddenly Japan agreed to sign a peace treaty.

On November 14, 2004, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, on the air of the NTV channel, made a statement that Russia recognizes the 1956 Declaration "as existing."
The next day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is always ready to fulfill its obligations, especially with regard to ratified documents. But these obligations will be fulfilled "only to the extent that our partners are ready to fulfill the same agreements."
On May 24, 2005, deputies of the Sakhalin Regional Duma published an open appeal to Sergey Lavrov before his trip to Japan, where they pointed out that the 1956 Declaration was no longer binding:

“However, in 1956 there were no internationally recognized 200-mile economic zones, the starting point of which is, in this case, the coast of the Kuril Islands. Thus, now in the case of the transfer of territories, the object of transfer is not only and not only the islands, but also the adjacent economic zones that are inseparable from them, which only produce smuggled seafood worth up to 1 billion US dollars a year. Isn't the emergence of maritime economic zones in the world after 1956 a significant change in the situation?

Summarizing, we briefly note the main points.

1. The Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 annulls the 1875 treaty, so references to it as a legal document are not valid. The reference to the Shimodsky treatise of 1855 is irrelevant, because Japan violated this treaty by attacking Russia in 1904.
2. The transfer of South Sakhalin and the Kuriles to the Soviet Union is fixed in the Yalta Agreement of February 11, 1945. The return of these territories can be considered both as a restoration of historical justice and as a legitimate military trophy. This is a completely normal practice, which has a huge number of examples in history.
3. Japan may not recognize Russia's sovereignty over these territories, but it also has no legal rights to them - its refusal to claim South Sakhalin and the Kuriles is recorded in the peace treaty signed in San Francisco in 1951.
4. The Japanese indications that Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashir and Iturup are not part of the Kuril Islands (and, therefore, are not subject to the 1951 treaty) do not correspond to either geographical science or the history of previous Russian-Japanese negotiations.
5. After signing the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and legalizing the 200-mile exclusive zone in international law, following the 1956 Declaration becomes optional for Russia. Its possible implementation today, as Putin and Lavrov announced, is not an obligation, but a gesture of goodwill.
6. The Southern Kuriles are of great strategic and economic importance, so there can be no question that these are just pieces of land that you don’t feel sorry for.
7. The Kuril Islands - from Alaid to Kunashir and Habomai - Russian land.

* Anatoly Koshkin. Russia and Japan. Knots of contradictions. M.: Veche, 2010. S. 405-406.

The Kuril archipelago is a chain of 56 large and small islands of volcanic origin. They are part of the Sakhalin region and stretch from north to south from Kamchatka to the shores of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The largest of them are Iturup, Paramushir, Kunashir and Urup, only three are inhabited - Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan, and besides them there are many small islands and rocks that stretch for 1200 km.

The Kuril Islands are interesting, first of all, for their nature. Volcanoes (most of which are active), lakes, thermal springs, diverse landscapes and national parks - a real paradise for photographers and other lovers of beautiful views.

There is practically no infrastructure on the islands, with transport, hotels and catering here to this day everything is not easy, but the unique nature and landscapes compensate for all the inconveniences.

How to get there

Get to the islands Kuril archipelago hard, but even harder to get out. All Kuril transport - airplanes and ferries - is tied to weather conditions, and they are far from always favorable in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Flight delays are measured not in hours, but in days, so when planning travel, it is always worth laying in a few spare days for possible waiting.

Paramushir (Northern Kuriles) is reached from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by boat or helicopter. The Yuzhno-Kuril Islands, which are more popular among tourists, come from Sakhalin - by plane from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk or by ferry from Korsakov.

By plane

Flights from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir Island and to Kurilsk on Iturup Island are operated by Aurora Airlines. According to the schedule, planes depart every day, but in reality they depend on the weather. Travel time - 1 hour 20 minutes one way, ticket price - from 400 USD round trip. Keep in mind that tickets should be purchased in advance, as they are sometimes sold out months in advance. Prices on the page are for November 2018.

On a ferryboat

Ferry "Igor Farkhutdinov" from the port of Korsakov leaves according to the schedule twice a week to the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan and Itupur (this is the same route with several stops). The schedule is very approximate, so it is impossible to buy tickets online in advance, and the departure time varies from several hours to a day. Tickets are sold at the box office of the Korsakov port in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, it is no longer possible to buy them at the port itself.

You can buy a ticket only one way, return tickets are sold after sailing on the ship itself (you need to sign up for a purchase).

The ferry takes about 20 hours, the conditions there are not the most luxurious, but quite decent: four- and two-bed cabins, as well as deluxe cabins with private facilities, there is an inexpensive restaurant and bar on board (there prices are already higher), as well as a small library . Ticket price - from 2800 RUB per person.

When crossing from Sakhalin to Kunashir, it is usually very rocking, and many passengers complain of seasickness, so just in case, you should have motion sickness pills with you.

Obtaining an entry permit

To visit the Kuril Islands, you need a pass to the border zone, it is issued by the Sakhalin Coast Guard Department of the FSB in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The application can be submitted on working days in the morning from 9:30 to 10:30 (you only need a passport and a photocopy of it, which can be done on the spot), the next morning the pass will be ready, there are usually no problems with obtaining it.

If you try to come to the Kuriles without a pass, at least you will be fined (about 500 RUB), and at the maximum, you will be sent back to Sakhalin on the same flight.

The pass is issued only to the islands indicated in the application, so you need to indicate all the places you are going to visit.

Search for flights to the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (the nearest airport to the Kuril Islands)

Weather in the Kuril Islands

The most comfortable weather for traveling around the Kuril Islands is from mid-June to mid-September. In June and July, the least rains, and August is considered the hottest month by local standards - here it is about +15 ° С. The Southern Kuriles are consistently cooler than the northern ones, here in August it is about +10…+12 °С, and in the Northern Kuriles at the same time - up to +16…+18 °С due to warm currents.

September and October are the rainiest months in the Kuril archipelago, and the air temperature in October is about +8…+10 °С. Humidity in this region is quite high all year round.

In winter, in the south - frosts down to -25 ° С, in the north it is slightly warmer - up to -16 ... -18 ° С.

Kuril Islands Hotels

The tourist infrastructure on the Kuril Islands is not developed. There are several small hotels in Kunashir and one in Iturup. The total hotel stock is about 70 rooms, there are no large hotels, and all buildings are low-rise due to the high seismicity of the region.

It is not possible to reserve a room through popular online booking systems - these hotels are not presented there. You need to book directly by phone (online booking forms and even not every hotel has its own website) or through a travel agency.

The average cost of living is about 3000 RUB per day for a double room. The conditions are quite spartan, but the bed and bathroom are in the room.

Cuisine and restaurants

There are few cafes and restaurants on the Kuril Islands, they are all located in cities and usually at hotels. The restaurant in the House of Russian-Japanese Friendship in Yuzhno-Kurilsk is considered the best, where Japanese tourists often stop.

Also in cities and towns there are small cafes and shops where you can buy delicious seafood snacks: squid, octopus, etc. Prices for everything except fish and seafood are about 20-30% higher than on the mainland.

Entertainment and attractions

The main attraction of the Kuril archipelago is its amazing nature. This is a mountain range that rises from the depths of the ocean and shows only its peaks. On the Kuril Islands there are about 40 operating and many extinct volcanoes, the highest active volcano - Alaid on Atlasov Island, 30 km from Paramushir Island in the Northern Kuriles. Its height is 2339 m and with its outlines and the correct shape of the cone, it resembles the Japanese Fuji volcano.

The island-volcano Chirinkotan is almost inaccessible due to the rocky shore, you can moor to it only by boat in one single place - at the highest cliff. The volcano is constantly smoking, and the island itself is notable for the fact that hundreds of birds gather here for bird markets.

In the northern part of the island of Iturup, you can see the White Rocks - the ridges of the porous structure of volcanic origin stretch for 28 km and are cut by picturesque canyons. The coast near the rocks is covered with white quartz and black titanomagnetite sand.

On the island of Kunashir, a warehouse of Japanese left boots has been partially preserved. In the Japanese army, the left and right boots were stored separately to prevent theft, and also so that the enemy could not use them if they found a warehouse.

Lakes and thermal springs

The lakes of the Kuril Islands are also famous for their beauty. Especially picturesque is the mountain lake Osen on the island of Onekotan. It is round in shape, the banks are framed by sheer 600-700-meter cliffs. On the island of Kunashir there is a boiling lake Ponto. The water here seethes, bubbling, jets of gas and steam whistle out near the shores.

On the slopes of the Baransky volcano there are unique thermal springs and reservoirs, and on a rocky plateau there is a whole geothermal station that generates electricity. There are geysers, lakes, sulfur streams and pools of boiling mud. The most famous hot lake is the "Emerald Eye", the temperature of which reaches 90 degrees. The Boiling River flows out of it with hot and acidic water, which in one place breaks off and falls from an 8-meter height in a hot waterfall.

The water in the sea around the islands is crystal clear, and the bottom is covered with vegetation, where fish and others live. Marine life. Divers will be interested here: in addition to marine life, at the bottom you can see sunken Japanese ships and other military equipment.

National parks

There are two national parks on the territory of the Kuril archipelago. The reserve "Small Kuriles" is located on several islands at once, mostly on Shikotan, and also part of the Pacific Ocean belongs to it. The reserve was established in 1982 to preserve the population of rare birds and animals, mainly marine ones. Seals, northern fur seals, gray dolphins, humpback whales and other animals live here.

Kurile Islands

If you look at the map of Russia, then in the Far East itself, between Kamchatka and Japan, you can see a chain of islands, which are the Kuriles. The archipelago forms two ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. The Great Kuril Ridge includes about 30 islands, as well as a large number of small islands and rocks. The Small Kuril Ridge stretches parallel to the Big one. It includes 6 small islands and many rocks. At the moment, all the Kuril Islands are controlled by Russia and are included in its Sakhalin region, some of the islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. The Kuril Islands are administratively part of the Sakhalin Oblast. They are divided into three districts: Severokurilsky, Kurilsky and Yuzhno-Kurilsky.

The Kuril Islands, which are an area of ​​active volcanic activity. A significant role in the formation of the relief of the islands is played by sea terraces of different heights. The coastline is replete with bays and capes, the coasts are often rocky and steep, with narrow boulder-pebble, rarely sandy beaches. Volcanoes are located almost exclusively on the islands of the Greater Kuril Ridge. Most of these islands are active or extinct volcanoes, and only the northernmost and southernmost islands are composed of sedimentary formations. Most of the volcanoes of the Kuril Islands arose directly on the seabed. The Kuril Islands themselves are the peaks and ridges of a solid still hidden under water. mountain range. The Great Kuril Ridge is a remarkable and vivid example of the formation of a ridge on the earth's surface. There are 21 known active volcanoes on the Kuril Islands. The most active volcanoes of the Kuril ridge include Alaid, Sarychev Peak, Fuss, Snow and Milna. Attenuated volcanoes, which are in the solfataric stage of activity, are located mainly in southern half Kuril ridge. There are many extinct volcanoes Atsonupuri Aka Roko and others on the Kuril Islands.

The climate of the Kuril Islands is moderately cold, monsoonal. It is determined by their location between two huge bodies of water- the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. The average temperature in February is from -5 to -7 degrees C. The average temperature in August is from 10 degrees C. The features of the monsoon climate are more pronounced in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, which is more influenced by the Asian continent cooling in winter, from which cold and dry western winds. Only the climate of the southernmost islands is somewhat mitigated by the warm Soya current fading here.

Significant amounts of precipitation and a high runoff coefficient favor the development of a dense network of small streams on the islands. In total, there are more than 900 rivers here. The mountainousness of the islands also determines the steep slope of the rivers and the high speed of their flow; rapids and waterfalls are frequent in the riverbeds. Rivers of the flat type are a rare exception. The main food of the river is received from rains, snow nutrition also plays a significant role, especially from snowfields occurring in the mountains. Only slowly flowing streams within the flat areas are covered with ice every year. The water of many rivers is undrinkable due to high salinity and high sulfur content. There are several dozen lakes of various origins on the islands. Some of them are associated with volcanic activity.

On the Kuril Islands there are 1171 species of only vascular plants belonging to 450 genera and 104 families. There are 49 species of trees, including 6 conifers, 94 species of shrubs, including 3 conifers, 11 species of woody lianas, 9 species of shrubs, 5 species of bamboo, 30 species of evergreens, including 7 coniferous and 23 deciduous species. In respect of the richest is Kunashir, where 883 species grow. There are somewhat fewer species on Iturup (741) and Shikotan (701). The terrestrial invertebrate fauna of the South Kuril Islands is unique and far from being fully explored. Here passes the northern border of the distribution of a huge number of species found in addition to the South Kuriles in Japan, Korea and China. In addition, the Kuril species are represented by populations adapted to the peculiar insular conditions of existence. The insect fauna of the southern part of the Kuril archipelago is closer to the fauna of Hokkaido.

The permanent population of the islands lives mainly on southern islands- Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and northern - Paramushir, Shumshu. The basis of the economy is the fishing industry, because. the main natural wealth is the biological resources of the sea. Agriculture, due to unfavorable natural conditions, has not received significant development. The population today is about 8,000 people. The number of employees has steadily increased in recent years and reached 3,000 in 2000. The bulk of the population is employed in industry. In recent years, the birth rate has slightly exceeded the death rate. Natural population decline has been replaced by natural population growth. The migration balance is also negative.

The problem of ownership of the southern Kuril Islands is a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia, which Japan considers unresolved since the end of World War II. After the war, all the Kuril Islands came under the administrative control of the USSR, but a number of the southern islands are disputed by Japan. The Kuril Islands are of great geopolitical and military-strategic importance for Russia and affect the national security of Russia. On the way to solving the problem of the Kuril Islands, our country still has to go through a lot of discussions and disputes, but the only key to mutual understanding between the two countries is the creation of a climate of trust.

Geographical position

On the border of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, between the island of Hokkaido and the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies the Kuril archipelago.1 The archipelago forms two ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. The Great Kuril Ridge stretches for almost 1,200 km between 43 degrees 39 minutes (Cape Veslo on the island of Kunashir) and 50 degrees 52 minutes north (Cape Kurbatov on the island of Shumshu). The ridge includes about 30 islands (the largest of them are Kunashir, Iturup, Urup, Simushir, Onekotan, Paramushir and Shumshu), as well as a large number of small islands and rocks. The Lesser Kuril Ridge stretches parallel to the Greater Ridge for 105 km between 43 degrees 21 minutes and 43 degrees 52 minutes north latitude. It includes 6 small islands (the largest of them is Shikotan) and many rocks. The total area of ​​the Kuril Islands is 15.6 thousand square meters. km. The length is 1175 km. The area is 15.6 thousand km². Coordinates: 46°30? With. sh. 151°30? V. d.? / ?46.5° N sh. 151.5° E e. They are of great military-strategic and economic importance. Includes 20 large and more than 30 small islands. List of islands from north to south:

northern group:

Shumshu Atlasov Island (Alaid)

Paramushir

Antsiferov Island

Middle group:

Macanrushi

Avos Rocks

· Onekotan

Harimkotan

· Chirinkotan

Shiashkotan

· Trap Rocks

Raikoke

· Medieval rocks

Ushishir Islands

Ryponkicha

Simushir

Broughton Island

The Black Brothers

Brother Chirpoev

Southern group:

Kunashir

Small Kuril Ridge

Shikotan

Islands of the South Kuril chain

Polonsky Island

· Shard Islands

Green Island

Tanfiliev Island

Yuri Island

Demin Islands

Anuchin Island

Signal Island

At the moment, all the Kuril Islands are controlled by Russia and are included in its Sakhalin region, some of the islands are the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.

Administrative division

The Kuril Islands are administratively part of the Sakhalin Oblast. They are divided into three districts: North Kuril, Kuril and South Kuril. The centers of these regions have the corresponding names: Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk. And there is another village - Malo-Kurilsk (the center of the Lesser Kuril Ridge). There are four Kurils in total. At present, the Sakhalin Region includes 25 municipalities: 17 urban districts and 2 municipal districts, on the territory of which there are 3 urban settlements and 3 rural settlements.

History of the islands

Before the arrival of the Russians and the Japanese, the islands were inhabited by the Ainu. In their language, “kuru” meant “a person who came from nowhere,” from which their second name “smokers” came from, and then the name of the archipelago. In Russia, the first mention of the Kuril Islands dates back to 1646. The first Russian settlements of that time are evidenced by Dutch, German and Scandinavian medieval chronicles and maps. In 1644, a map was drawn up, on which the islands were designated under the collective name "thousand islands". Then, in 1643, the islands were explored by the Dutch, led by Marten Fiers. This expedition made more detailed maps and described the lands.

18th century

In 1738-1739, Martyn Spanberg walked along the entire ridge, putting the islands he met on the map. In the future, the Russians, avoiding dangerous voyages to the southern islands, mastered the northern ones. Great success was achieved by the Siberian nobleman Antipov with the Irkutsk translator Shabalin. They managed to win the favor of the Kuriles, and in 1778-1779 they managed to bring into citizenship more than 1500 people from Iturup, Kunashir and even Matsumaya (now Japanese Hokkaido). In the same 1779, Catherine II by decree freed those who accepted Russian citizenship from all taxes. But relations were not built with the Japanese: they forbade the Russians to go to these three islands. In the "Extensive land description of the Russian state ..." of 1787, a list of the 21st island belonging to Russia was given. It included the islands up to Matsumai, whose status was not clearly defined, since Japan had a city in its southern part. At the same time, the Russians had no real control even over the islands south of Urup. There, the Japanese considered the Kuriles to be their subjects.

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 nobles, 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 off the ground. This was carried out on behalf of Rezanov in 1806-1807 by an expedition of two ships. 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 a while led to a serious deterioration Russo-Japanese relations.

20th century

February 2, 1946. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the inclusion of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the RSFSR.

1947. Deportation of Japanese and Ainu from the islands to Japan. Displaced 17,000 Japanese and an unknown number of Ainu.

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.

Where did such unusual, exotic names come from? The term "Kuril Islands" is of Russian-Ainu origin. It is related to the word "kur", which means "man". At the very end of the 17th century, Kamchatka Cossacks for the first time called the inhabitants of the south of Kamchatka (Ainu) and the then unknown southern islands "Kurils". Peter I became aware in 1701-1707. about the existence of the "Kuril Islands", and in 1719 "Kuril Land" was for the first time clearly marked on the map by Semyon Remizov. Any suggestions that the name of the archipelago was given by "smoking" volcanoes belong to the realm of legends.

These are the words of the Ainu language: Paramushir - a wide island, Onekotan - an old settlement, Ushishir - the land of bays, Chiripoi - birds, Urup - salmon, Iturup - big salmon, Kunashir - black island, Shikotan - the best place. Beginning in the 18th century, the Russians and the Japanese tried to rename the islands in their own way. Most often used serial numbers - the first island, the second, etc.; only the Russians counted from the north, and the Japanese from the south.

Relief

The Kuril Islands, which are an area of ​​active volcanic activity, are two parallel underwater ridges, which are expressed above the ocean level by a chain of islands of the Greater and Lesser Kuril ridges.

The relief of the first is predominantly volcanic. There are more than a hundred volcanoes here, of which more than 40 are active. Volcanic structures often merge at their bases and form narrow, ridge-like, with steep (usually 30-40°) ridges, elongated mainly along the strike of the islands. Often volcanoes rise in the form of isolated mountains: Alaid - 2339m, Fussa - 1772m, Milna - 1539m, Bogdan Khmelnitsky - 1589m, Tyatya - 1819m. The heights of other volcanoes, as a rule, do not exceed 1500m. Volcanic massifs are usually separated by low isthmuses, which are composed of Quaternary marine deposits or volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the Neogene age. The forms of volcanoes are different. There are volcanic structures in the form of regular and truncated cones; often in the crater of an older truncated cone rises a young one (Krenitsyn volcano on Onekotan Island, Tyatya volcano on Kunashir). Calderas are widely developed - giant cauldron-shaped failures. They are often flooded by lakes or the sea and form huge deep-water (up to 500 m) bays (Broughton on Simushir Island, Lion's Mouth on Iturup).

A significant role in the formation of the relief of the islands is played by sea terraces of different heights: 25-30 m, 80-120 m and 200-250 m. .

The Lesser Kuril Ridge, protruding slightly on the day surface, continues in the northeast direction in the form of the underwater Vityaz Ridge. It is separated from the bed of the Pacific Ocean by the narrow Kuril-Kamchatka deep-water (10542 m) trench, which is one of the deepest-water trenches in the world. There are no young volcanoes on the Lesser Kuril Ridge. The islands of the ridge are flat land areas leveled by the sea, rising above the ocean level by only 20-40 m. The exception is the largest island of the ridge - Shikotan, which is characterized by low-mountain (up to 214 m) relief, formed as a result of the destruction of ancient volcanoes.

Geological structure

On the territory of the Kuril Islands, formations of the Cretaceous, Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary periods come to the surface within two garlands of islands: Bolshekurilskaya and Malokurilskaya. tuff sandstones, tuff siltstones, tuff gravelstones, sandstones, siltstones, mudstones are noted on the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge. Volcanic, volcanogenic-sedimentary, sedimentary deposits of the Neogene and Quaternary age, intruded by numerous relatively small extrusive and subvolcanic bodies and dikes of a wide petrographic range, from basalts and dolerites to rhyolites and granites, take part in the geological structure of the Greater Kuril ridge. The territory of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands and the adjacent water area of ​​the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk is part of the transition zone from the continent to the ocean, entering the northwestern segment of the Pacific mobile belt. The western part of this region belongs to the Hokkaido-Sakhalin geosynclinal-folded system, and the eastern part belongs to the Kuril-Kamchatka geosynclinal-island-arc system of the folded-block structure. The main difference between these systems lies in the Cenozoic history of development: in the Khokkaido-Sakhalin system, sedimentation processes prevailed in the Cenozoic, and volcanism occurred sporadically in local structures: the Kuril-Kamchatka system at that time developed in the mode of an active volcanic arc, which left an imprint on the composition of the formed here structural-material complexes. Cenozoic deposits were the first to fold into folds; formations of this age in the Kurile-Kamchatka system underwent block dislocations, and folded structures are not typical for them. Significant differences are also noted in the pre-Cenozoic formations of the two tectonic systems. The structures of the first order for both systems are troughs and uplifts that developed throughout the Cenozoic. The formation of the structural plan of the region was largely determined by faults.

Minerals

On the islands and in the coastal zone, industrial reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, mercury, natural gas, and oil have been explored.2 On the island of Iturup, in the area of ​​the Kudryavy volcano, there is the only known deposit of rhenium in the world. Here, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese mined native sulfur. The total resources of gold in the Kuril Islands are estimated at 1,867 tons, silver - 9,284 tons, titanium - 39.7 million tons, iron - 273 million tons. Currently, the development of minerals is not numerous.

Volcanism

Volcanoes are located almost exclusively on the islands of the Greater Kuril Ridge. Most of these islands are active or extinct volcanoes, and only the northernmost and southernmost islands are composed of sedimentary formations. These layers of sedimentary rocks on the mentioned islands were the foundation on which volcanoes arose and grew. Most of the volcanoes of the Kuril Islands arose directly on the seabed. The relief of the seabed between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido is a steep ridge with bottom depths of about 2,000 m towards the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and near the island of Hokkaido even more than 3,300 m and with depths of more than 8,500 m towards the Pacific Ocean. As you know, immediately to the southeast of the Kuril Islands is one of the deepest ocean trenches, the so-called Tuscarora depression. The Kuril Islands themselves are the peaks and ridges of a solid mountain range hidden still under water. The Great Kuril Ridge is a remarkable and vivid example of the formation of a ridge on the earth's surface. Here one can observe a bend in the earth's crust, the crest of which rises 2–3 km above the bottom of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and 8–8.5 km above the Tuskarora depression. Faults formed at this bend along its entire length, along which fiery-liquid lava broke through in many places. It was in these places that volcanic islands Kuril ridge. Volcanoes poured out lava, threw out a mass of volcanic sand and debris that settled nearby in the sea, and it became and becomes smaller and smaller. In addition, the bottom itself, due to various geological reasons, can rise, and if such a geological process continues in the same direction, then after millions of years, and maybe after hundreds of thousands, a continuous ridge will form here, which, on the one hand, will connect Kamchatka with Hokkaido, and on the other hand, it will completely separate the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The volcanoes of the Kuril ridge are located on arcuate faults, which are a continuation of the faults of Kamchatka. Thus, they form one volcanic and tectonic Kamchatka-Kuril arc, convex towards the Pacific Ocean and directed from the southwest to the northeast. The activity of volcanoes on the Kuril Islands in the past and at present is very intense. There are about 100 volcanoes here, of which 40 are active and are in the solfataric stage of activity. Initially, volcanoes arose in the Upper Tertiary on the extreme southwestern and northeastern islands of the Kuril chain, and then they moved to its central part. Thus, volcanic life on them began quite recently, only one or a few million years, and continues to this day.

active volcanoes

21 active volcanoes are known on the Kuril Islands, of which five stand out for their more active activity, among the most active volcanoes of the Kuril ridge, these include Alaid, Sarychev Peak, Fuss, Snow and Milna. Among the active volcanoes of the Kuril Islands, the most active volcano is Alaid. It is also the highest among all the volcanoes of this ridge. As a beautiful cone-shaped mountain, it rises directly from the sea surface to a height of 2,339 m. At the top of the volcano there is a small depression, in the middle of which the central cone rises. It erupted in 1770, 1789, 1790, 1793, 1828, 1829, 1843 and 1858, that is, eight eruptions in the last 180 years. As a result of the last eruption, a volcanic island with a wide crater was formed, called Taketomi. It is a side cone of the Alaid volcano.

Sarychev Peak is in second place in terms of the intensity of volcanic activity and is a stratovolcano located on the island of Matua. It has the form of a two-headed cone. On the high (1497 m) peak there is a crater with a diameter of about 250 m and a depth of about 100 - 150 m. There are many cracks near the crater on the outer side of the cone, from which white vapors and gases were emitted (August and September 1946). To the southeast of the volcano are, apparently, small secondary cones. Starting from the 60s of the XVIII century to the present, its eruptions occurred in 1767, around 1770, around 1780, in 1878-1879, 1928, 1930 and 1946. In addition, there are numerous data on its fumarole activity. So in 1805, 1811, 1850, 1860. he "smoked". In 1924, an underwater eruption occurred near it. Thus, over the past 180 years, there have been at least seven eruptions. They were accompanied by both explosive activity and outpourings of basaltic lava.

The Fussa Peak Volcano is located on the island of Paramushir and is a free-standing beautiful cone, the western slopes of which steeply break into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Fuss Peak erupted in 1737, 1742, 1793, 1854 and 1859, with last eruption, i.e., 1859, was accompanied by the release of asphyxiating gases.

Snow Volcano is a small low domed volcano, about 400 m high, located on Chirpoi Island. At its top there is a crater about 300 m in diameter. Apparently, it belongs to the shield volcanoes. An indication without an exact date is known about the eruption of this volcano in the 18th century. In addition, Snow volcano erupted in 1854, 1857, 1859 and 1879.

Volcano Miln is located on the island of Simushir, is a two-headed volcano with an inner cone 1526m high. Lava flows are visible on the slopes, which in places protrude into the sea in the form of huge lava fields. There are several side cones on the slopes. There is information about the volcanic activity of the Milna volcano dating back to the 18th century. According to more accurate information, it erupted in 1849, 1881 and 1914. To less active volcanoes include the Severgin, Sinarka, Raikoke and Medvezhiy volcanoes.

fading volcanoes

Attenuated volcanoes, which are in the solfataric stage of activity, are located mainly in the southern half of the Kuril chain. Only the intensely smoking Chikurachki volcano, 1817 m high, located on the island of Paramushir, and the Ushishir volcano, located on the island of the same name, are located in the northern half of the ridge. Ushishir volcano (400 m) the edges of its crater form a ring-shaped ridge, destroyed only with south side, due to which the bottom of the crater is filled with sea. Black Volcano (625 m) is located on the Black Brothers Island. It has two craters: one at the top, about 800 m in diameter, and the other crack-shaped on the southwestern slope.

Extinct volcanoes

There are many extinct volcanoes of various shapes on the Kuril Islands - cone-shaped, dome-shaped, volcanic massifs, the “volcano in a volcano” type. Among the cone-shaped volcanoes, Atsonupuri stands out for its beauty, 1206 m high. It is located on the island of Iturup and is a regular cone; on its top there is an oval-shaped crater, about 150 m deep. cone-shaped volcanoes Volcanoes are also included: Aka (598m) on the island of Shiashkotan; Roko (153m), located on the island of the same name near Brat Chirpoev Island (Black Brothers Islands); Rudakov (543m) with a lake in the crater, located on the island of Urup, and Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcano (1587m), located on the island of Iturup. Dome-shaped volcanoes are Shestakov (708 m), located on the island of Onekotan, and Broughton - 801 m high, located on the island of the same name. Volcanic massifs include Ketoi volcano - 1172 m high, located on the island of the same name, and Kamuy volcano - 1322 m high, located in the northern part of Iturup Island. The “volcano within a volcano” type includes: Krenitsyn Peak on Onekotan Island.

Climate

The climate of the Kuril Islands is determined by their location between two vast bodies of water - the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. The climate of the Kuril Islands is moderately cold, monsoonal. The average temperature in February (the coldest month on the islands) is from -5 to -7 degrees C. The average temperature in August is from 10 degrees C in the north to 16 degrees C in the south. Precipitation for the year falls 1000-1400 mm. The features of the monsoon climate are more pronounced in the southern part of the Kuril Islands, which is more influenced by the Asian continent, which cools in winter, from where cold and dry westerly winds blow. Winter in the south is cold, with frosts down to -25°. In the north, winters are milder: frosts reach only -16 °. Northern part the ridge is in winter under the influence of the Aleutian baric minimum; cyclonic activity develops along its western periphery, with which storm winds and significant precipitation are associated. Sometimes up to 1.5 m of snow falls per day. The action of the Aleutian minimum weakens towards June and fades in July-August. sea ​​waters, washing the islands, in summer they heat up more slowly than land, and the winds blow through the Kuril ridge from the ocean to the mainland. They carry a lot of water vapor, the weather becomes cloudy, foggy (due to the temperature difference between cold sea masses and warming land). Dense fogs persist for weeks; cloudiness prevents the heating of the sea and islands by the sun's rays. However, in summer there is not such a noticeable increase in precipitation as in the continental monsoon region of the Far East, since a lot of precipitation also falls in winter. For three summer months, they fall only 30-40% of the annual amount, equal to 1000-1400 mm. The average temperature of the warmest month - August - from 10 ° in the north to 17 ° in the south. In September, the action of the Aleutian low again intensifies, in connection with which prolonged drizzling rains begin in the northern half of the Kuril arc. In the south, monsoon rains are replaced by good weather, occasionally disturbed by typhoons. The general severity of the climate of the Kuril Islands is due not only to the low temperatures of the waters of the neighboring Sea of ​​Okhotsk, but also to the influence of the cold Kuril current, which washes the island ridge from the east. Only the climate of the southernmost islands is somewhat mitigated by the warm Soya current fading here.

Water resources

Significant amounts of precipitation and a high runoff coefficient favor the development of a dense network of small streams on the islands. In total, there are more than 900 rivers here. Due to the mountainous surface of the islands, the surface runoff is divided into numerous small drainage basins, forming a system of streams spreading from the central heights. The mountainousness of the islands also determines the steep slope of the rivers and the high speed of their flow; rapids and waterfalls are frequent in the riverbeds. Rivers of the flat type are a rare exception. Approaching the sea, some rivers rush down waterfalls from high cliffs, others go out onto a flat, sandy or swampy coast; at the mouths of these rivers there are often shallow bars, pebble spits and embankments that block the entry of boats into the rivers even at high tide. The main food of the river is received from rains, snow nutrition also plays a significant role, especially from snowfields occurring in the mountains. Rivers flood in spring and after heavy rains in summer. Mountain rivers are not covered with ice every year, and waterfalls freeze only in exceptionally severe winters. Only slowly flowing streams within the flat areas are covered with ice every year; the longest freeze-up period is 4-5 months. The water of many rivers is undrinkable due to high salinity and, in particular, high sulfur content. There are several dozen lakes of various origins on the islands. Some of them are associated with volcanic activity. These are small and deep. mountain lakes, lying in the Craters of extinct volcanoes, there are sometimes volcanic dam lakes. The waters of these lakes have a yellowish color from the release of sulfur sources. On the coast there are larger, usually lagoon-type lakes up to 10 km long, often containing fresh water; they are separated from the sea by dunes and are often connected to it through small channels.

Flora and fauna

In the Kuril Islands, according to D.P. Vorobyov, 1171 species of only vascular plants grow, belonging to 450 genera and 104 families. There is no more accurate information, since no one was engaged in generalization and analysis of the flora of the region after him. Of these, 47 species (4%) are adventitious plants. There are 49 species of trees, including 6 conifers, 94 species of shrubs, of which 3 are conifers, 11 species of woody lianas, 9 species of shrubs, 5 species of bamboo, 30 species of evergreens, including 7 coniferous and 23 deciduous. Among the latter heather and lingonberry predominate - 16 species. In floristic terms, the richest is Kunashir, where 883 species grow. There are somewhat fewer species on Iturup (741) and Shikotan (701). All types of trees, 10 types of vines and 4 types of bamboo are found on these islands. The flora of the vascular plants of the Kuriles reveals a significant similarity with the flora of neighboring countries and regions. Species common with Kamchatka - 44%, with Sakhalin - 67%, with Japan - 78%, with Primorye and Amur Region - - 54%, with North America - 28%. Common species for the Kuriles and Sakhalin make up 56.7% of the entire flora of Sakhalin. In the Kuril Islands, only 2 families of the Sakhalin flora are absent - water-colored and boxwood, they are absent in Kamchatka and Primorye. The flora of the Kuriles is much poorer in comparison with the flora of Primorye and the Amur Region: representatives of 240 genera of the flora of this part of the mainland, including apricot, microbiota, ephedra, hazel, hornbeam, barberry, deutsia, mistletoe, etc., are absent on the islands. The flora of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, closest to the Kuriles, has 1629 species. The Japanese flora has the greatest similarity with the flora of the southern Kuriles (37.7%) and less with the flora of the northern islands (17.86%). In the 60s of the last century, Kuril Vorobyov counted 34 endemics among the species of vascular flora. But this number, in his opinion, should be reduced due to the description of some of them in Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Japan. Among the endemics there are 4 species of grasses, sedges - 2 species, willows - 5, dandelions - 8, wrestler - 1, St. Significant differences in the ecological situation on the islands determined both the distribution of individual species and the quantitative representation of some taxa. The number of species on the islands given below is not definitively established. Research is constantly making adjustments. Literature data indicate that 883 species grow in Kunashir, Iturup 741, Shikotan 701, Urup 399, Simushin 393, Ketoi 241, Paramushir 139, Alaida 169. Extensive thickets of algae are common off the coast of the Kuriles. The vegetation of fresh water bodies is not very rich.

Fauna and wildlife

The terrestrial invertebrate fauna of the South Kuril Islands is unique and far from being fully explored. Here passes the northern border of the distribution of a huge number of species found in addition to the South Kuriles in Japan, Korea and China. In addition, the Kuril species are represented by populations adapted to the peculiar insular conditions of existence. The insect fauna of the southern part of the Kuril archipelago is closer to the fauna of Hokkaido. However, the insect fauna of the islands is given a certain originality by the Kuril endemics, the presence of which has been established only in recent years. Currently, 37 species and subspecies of endemic insect species are known, found on the territory of Kunashir and Shikotan. The fauna of the orders of Hemiptera (230 species), Coleoptera (only weevils make up 90 species), Orthoptera (27 species), mayflies (24 species) and other representatives of this vast class is diverse. 4 species of South Kuril insects are currently listed in the Red Book of Russia. These are: wrinkled-winged ground beetle, Maksimovich's beauty, similar mimevemia, owl asteropetes. In addition, two types of sailboats common on the territory of the reserve: the Maaka tail-bearer and the blue tail-bearer are included in the regional Red Book of the Sakhalin Region. On Kunashir Island and the islands of the Lesser Kuril Range (including Shikotan), there are currently 110 species of non-marine molluscs. The species composition of fish in inland waters is the richest in Kunashir and includes 22 species. Salmonids (pink salmon, chum salmon, Dolly Varden) are the most widespread. Sakhalin taimen, spawning in the lakes of the island, is listed in the Red Book of Russia. In the Kurilsky Reserve on the island of Kunashir, there are 3 species of amphibians - the Far Eastern frog, the Far Eastern tree frog and the Siberian salamander. The total number of birds found in the territory of the Kuril Reserve and the Small Kurils reserve is 278 species. There are 113 species of rare birds, of which 40 species are listed in the Red Data Books of the IUCN and the Russian Federation. About 125 species of birds nest on the islands. The Kuril Islands are inhabited by a unique population of the island subspecies of the fish owl. This area has the highest density of this species in the world. At least 26 pairs of these birds nest in Kunashir, and there are only a little more than 100 pairs left in the world. The South Kuril Islands are inhabited by 28 species of mammals. Of these, 3 species are listed in the Red Books of the IUCN and the Russian Federation marine mammals- Kuril sea otter, island seal anthur and sea lion. An endemic species, the Shikotan vole, lives on the island of Shikotan. The largest representative of the terrestrial fauna is the brown bear, found only in Kunashir (more than 200 animals). Chipmunk, sable, weasel and acclimatized European mink are also found in the thickets on Kunashir Island. On the territory of the islands of Kunashir and Shikotan, the fox and hare are widespread. The most numerous representatives of the fauna are small mammals: shrews (the most common species is the clawed shrew) and rodents (red-gray vole, Japanese mouse). On the territory of the small islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge, only the fox, the gray-backed vole, the rat, the house mouse and the clawed shrew are found. Of the cetaceans in the waters of the islands, families of killer whales, minke whales, flocks of the Pacific white-sided dolphin, white-winged and common porpoise can often be found.

Population

76.6% of the population are Russians, 12.8% Ukrainians, 2.6% Belarusians, 8% other nationalities. The permanent population of the islands lives mainly on the southern islands - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the northern ones - Paramushir, Shumshu. The basis of the economy is the fishing industry, because. the main natural wealth is the biological resources of the sea. Agriculture has not received significant development due to unfavorable natural conditions. There are certain features in the formation of the population of the Kuril Islands. After the deportation of Japanese citizens in the post-war years, the influx of labor was mainly carried out by immigrants from the mainland. In national terms, the population was mainly represented by Slavic peoples. Representatives of the peoples of the North and Koreans were practically absent in the Kuriles. This trend continues to the present. Over the past decades, the process of forming a permanent population has continued on the islands, primarily at the expense of local natives and people of retirement age, who, due to the current difficult socio-economic situation, are not able to move to the mainland. The number of both the actual population and the permanent one, after the collapse of the 90th year, continues to decline and today is about 8,000 people. The reasons for this situation are the low natural population growth and the migration outflow of the Kuril people. More of them drop out than they come in. An analysis of the age and sex structure of the population leads to the conclusion that the process of its formation has not yet ended. The main indicator of this is the predominance of men over women, an increased proportion of people of working age and a small number of elderly people, which is not typical for most regions of the country. Consider those who are employed in the field of labor activity. The number of employees has steadily increased in recent years and reached 3,000 in 2000. At the same time, the number of unemployed has been declining in recent years. The labor resources of the district were distributed as follows - the bulk of the able-bodied population is employed in industry, the rest are evenly distributed among other industries National economy. In recent years, the birth rate has slightly exceeded the death rate. Thus, we can say that the natural decline in the population was replaced by a natural increase in the population. The migration balance is also negative. Although the outflow of the population that took place in the 90s has decreased. Most of the youth receive higher education (60-70%). In general, the population of the Kuril Islands is decreasing. This is primarily due to the remoteness of the islands, undeveloped transport infrastructure, adverse weather conditions, and a difficult socio-economic situation. Added to this is the uncertainty about the future political status of a number of the South Kuril Islands, the territory of which Japan claims. Inhabitants disputed islands, and the regional authorities are practically withdrawn from the ongoing negotiations between Moscow and Tokyo.

Week tour, one day hiking and excursions combined with comfort (trekking) in the mountain resort Khadzhokh (Adygea, Krasnodar Territory). Tourists live at the camp site and visit numerous natural monuments. Rufabgo Waterfalls, Lago-Naki Plateau, Meshoko Gorge, Big Azish Cave, Belaya River Canyon, Guam Gorge.

If you look at the map of Russia, then in the Far East itself, between Kamchatka and Japan, you can see a chain of islands, which are the Kuriles. In general, the Kuril Islands consist of two ridges - the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. The large one separates the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean.

The Great Kuril Ridge - really big - has a length of 1200 km and stretches from the Kamchatka Peninsula (in the north) to the Japanese island of Hokkaido (in the south). It includes more than 30 islands, of which the largest are: Paramushir, Simushir, Urup, Iturup and Kunashir.

The so-called "disputed" southern islands are highlighted with a rectangle

The relief of the islands is predominantly mountainous volcanic (there are 160 volcanoes, of which about 40 are active), the prevailing heights are 500-1000 m. The Small Kuril Ridge - really small - stretches for only 120 km and extends from the island of Hokkaido (in the south) to the northeast. It consists of 6 small islands, rising above the ocean level by only 20-40 m. The exception is the island of Shikotan, which is characterized by low-mountain relief, formed as a result of the destruction of ancient volcanoes.

About titles

Where did such unusual, exotic names come from? The term "Kuril

islands" - of Russian-Ainu origin. It is associated with the word "kur", which means "man". At the very end of the 17th century, Kamchatka Cossacks first called the inhabitants of the south of Kamchatka (Ainu) and the then unknown southern islands "smokers". Peter I became aware

in 1701-1707 about the existence of the "Kuril Islands", and in 1719 "Kuril Land" was for the first time clearly marked on the map by Semyon Remezov.

Any assumptions that the name of the archipelago was given by "smoking" volcanoes are relegated to the realm of legends. The Ainu themselves christened each island separately. These are the words of the Ainu language: Paramushir - a wide island, Onekotan - an old settlement, Ushishir - the land of bays, Chiripoi - birds, Urup - salmon, Iturup - big salmon, Kunashir - black island, Shikotan - the best place. Beginning in the 18th century, the Russians and the Japanese tried to rename the islands in their own way. Most often used serial numbers - the first island, the second, etc.; only the Russians counted from the north, and the Japanese from the south.

Kurilians

Japan is close, whatever you say! From the southern islands, good weather can be seen even with the naked eye. But the proximity of Japan does not yet mean the same life as theirs. There are reasons for this: the Kuriles are a place forgotten and abandoned by God and the Tsar, that is, by the Government. In the last few years, visa-free trips by Kuril people to Japan and Japanese people to the Kuriles have become more frequent. If ours go there to buy something, such as video vacuum cleaners, then the Japanese are purely to visit the graves of their ancestors,

look, be surprised - how is it that Russians still live!

Kurilians are special people. There are even jokes about them! Life in the Kuriles is not for everyone. On the one hand, there is beautiful nature and clean sea (and ocean) air, and on the other, the constant threat of earthquakes and tsunamis (but they are rare and those who are afraid have long since dumped them in other places). The permanent population of the islands lives mainly on the southern islands - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the northern ones - Paramushir, Shumshu. There is practically no population on the rest, except for border guards and various scientists there.

Administrative division

The Kuril Islands are administratively part of the Sakhalin Oblast. They are divided into three districts: North Kuril, Kuril and South Kuril. The centers of these regions have the corresponding names: Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk and Yuzhno-Kurilsk. And there is another village - Malo-Kurilsk (the center of the Lesser Kuril Ridge). There are four Kurilsks in total, at the post office quite often this raises questions from postal workers, and letters can go to the wrong Kurilsk.

Climate

The weather in Kamchatka is rather cold and humid. In winter, frosts are -10 - - 15 ° С (sometimes up to -25, but rarely), in summer +10 - +15 (sometimes up to +31, but rarely). Fogs often occur in summer, blizzards and storms often occur in winter. The largest number sunny days in autumn, but autumn is characterized by the strongest typhoons with storms and hurricane-force winds. In the warm season, you can swim. In sunny weather, you can sunbathe. Kuril tan is unique, it does not wash off for a very long time and lasts until the next tanning season! Most major islands the ridges are cut by numerous raging rivers and streams. There are many lakes, including those in the craters of extinct volcanoes. In the coastal zone there are lakes of lagoon origin. The shores of the islands are mostly steep or terraced. Streams of water, falling through deep clefts, form quite beautiful waterfalls, such as "Beard of an old monk", "Hair of a beauty", etc. The waterfall "Ilya Muromets" (141 m, located on our island, in the north) is one of the highest in Russia! The islands are also famous for their numerous hot springs, as well as reserves of mineral waters (narzan).

Flora and fauna

The flora and fauna of the Kuriles are exceptionally rich and varied. Our islands are an amazing natural phenomenon. We can say that they are a huge botanical garden, where birch and yew, spruce and acacia, larch and wild grapes, fir and hydrangea coexist. The flora of the islands has 1400 plant species. Larch forests (poplars, willows, alders) grow in the river valleys. Deciduous species predominate: birch, elm, maple, ash, yew, lemongrass, which give the vegetation a southern look. Berry, wild rosemary and other shrub plants are common. Under the conditions of the island, the gigantism of some herbaceous plants is manifested: Sakhalin and Weirich buckwheat, butterbur, bear angelica (bear pipe), silkworm, etc. They develop very quickly and form powerful thickets. By the end of summer, many grasses rise to 3 meters in height, and the famous bear's pipe plant grows up to 4 meters. Butterbur, which the Sakhalin people call "burdock" is also striking in its size: in August it reaches 3 meters in height, with a leaf diameter of up to one and a half to two meters. The Kuriles are the only place in Russia where Glen's lily grows, where magnolias grow in natural conditions. In the wild, they are found only in the south of Kunashir. Here you can also find the rare bluish Glen spruce, the wood of which has special, rare properties and is indispensable for creating musical instruments. The most valuable medicinal plants grow on the island: lemongrass, aralia, eleutherococcus. Tonic tinctures made from them successfully replace preparations of the "root of life" - ginseng. You can find actinidia kolomikta, the fruits of which contain ten times more vitamin C than blackcurrants. 4 types of wild rose grow, including one of the most large-fruited - wrinkled wild rose. The weight of its individual fruits reaches 25 grams. Yew, fir, Ayan spruce, oak, maple, viburnum, bamboo, and numerous creepers grow on the Kuril Islands.

The fauna of the Kuriles is diverse. From game animals live bear, wolverine, foxes, sable, hare, reindeer, squirrel, chipmunk, ermine, otter.

Sika deer, Ussuri raccoon, muskrat, Barguzin sable have been acclimatized in the last 20 years. There are wapiti, musk deer. Forest birds live on the island: capercaillie, woodcock hazel grouse, ptarmigan, titmouse, woodpecker, mallard, teal, guillemots, cormorants. Bird colonies are common in the Kuriles. It is estimated that one and a half million guillemots, about a million fulmars, a million storm-petrels, more than four hundred thousand mermaids nest here.

Sakhalin rivers, lakes and seas are rich in fish. A wide variety of salmon, there are Sakhalin sturgeon, pike, crucian carp, carp, the largest freshwater fish - kaluga of the sturgeon family. Its length reaches over 5 meters, weight - up to 1 ton. Tyuleniy Island, located to the east of Sakhalin, is known all over the world - it is unique reserve where the fur seal rookery is located. Sea lions also live in the Sakhalin-Kuril basin - the largest animals from pinnipeds, their weight reaches a ton.

National economy

The basis of the economy is the fishing industry, because. the main natural wealth is the biological resources of the sea. Agriculture has not received significant development due to unfavorable natural conditions. The main part of the consumed agricultural products is imported from Sakhalin, as well as from Japan and other regions of the planet. Transport communications are carried out by sea and air. In winter, regular navigation stops. Due to difficult meteorological conditions, flights are not regular. Especially in winter - you can sit and wait for a plane for several weeks.