Kunashiro Island
(2000 est. pop. 4,100). Kunashiro Island (or Kunashir, as the Russians know it) is a long, narrow volcanic island located approximately twenty kilometers from the eastern coast of the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. It is separated from this larger island by the Nemuro Kaikyo. It is 122 kilometers in length and ranges from 6.3 to 32 kilometers in width, with a total area of 1,500 square kilometers. The highest volcano is the Mont Chacha (Tiatia), which is 1,822 meters high.
The mineral deposits found on the island are tin, zinc, lead, copper, nickel, sulfur, and metallic sulfides. It has a maritime climate with an annual average temperature of 7°C. It is also characterized by abundant precipitation throughout almost the entire year, which encourages the island's rich flora. The annual average precipitation is 110 centimeters. Forestry, mainly of conifers, and mining were an important part of the island's economy until World War II. Located on the southwestern side of the island are the main fishing ports of Tomari (Golovnino) and Furukamappu (Yuzhno-Kuril'sk). The fishing products characterizing Kunashiro are green and brown kelp, salmon, trout, king crab, and scallop. Livestock farming prospered before World War II, but nowadays people do it as their second activity. The harsh weather and poor infrastructure make farming very difficult. The common practice is to cultivate small gardens for family consumption.
The Ainu people inhabited the island from the beginning of 1600s. The island was occupied by the Soviet Union in August 1945. At that time, approximately 7,000 Japanese people resided there. As of 2001, Kunashiro Island was still disputed territory, under the administration of the Russian Federation but claimed by Japan.
Further Reading
Hasegawa Tsuyoshi. (1998) The Northern Territories Dispute and Russo-Japanese Relations. Vol. 1: Between War and Peace, 1697–1985. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
——. (1998) The Northern Territories Dispute and Russo- Japanese Relations, Vol. 2: Neither War, nor Peace. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (1996) Japan's Northern Territories. Tokyo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Stephan, John J. (1974) The Kurils Islands, Russo-Japanese Frontier in the Pacific. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
This is the complete article, containing 348 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
