Iturup settlements. Travel to the Kuril Islands and the island of Iturup. In a controversial status
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択捉島Satellite image of the island
Geography
The island stretches from northeast to southwest for 200 km, width from 7 to 27 km. Area - 3174.71 km². Length coastline reaches 581.9 km. Consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. There are 20 volcanoes on the island, nine of which are active: Kudryavy (986 m), Lesser Brother (562 m), Chirip (1589 m), Bogdan Khmelnitsky (1585 m), Baransky (1134 m), Ivan the Terrible (1159 m) , Stokap (1634 m), Atsonupuri (1205 m), Berutarube (1223 m). There are many waterfalls on the island, including one of the highest in Russia - the Ilya Muromets waterfall (141 m), located on the Medvezhiy Peninsula; lakes, hot and mineral springs. At the entrance to the Lion's Mouth Bay there is the island of Stone Lion, 182 meters high. On the Pacific side there is an island. Lonely .
Flora
872 species of vascular plants have been recorded on the island. Most of The island's territory is covered with coniferous forests of Ayan spruce and Sakhalin fir; Cajander larch grows in the central part. In the south of the island there are broad-leaved species: curly oak, maples, calopanax, as well as bird cherry sciori, Kuril cherry and several types of woody vines: Kaempffer grapes, wood pliers, oriental toxicodendron, Chinese lemongrass, actinidia kolomikta. There are developed thickets of bamboo - Kuril saza, due to which forests and mountain slopes are often impassable. In the north of the island, which has a more severe climate, dwarf cedar, bush alder, different kinds bush willows and birches.
Endemics of the island are Kavakamian astragalus, island wormwood, and Kuril edelweiss. Among the rare plants of Iturup, the following can be distinguished: the endangered Asian pommel, continental and cordate aralia, seven-lobed calopanax, Japanese candyk, Wright's viburnum, Glen's cardiocrinum, obovate peony, Fori's rhododendron, Sugeroki holly, Gray's bifolia, pearl marshwort, low wolfwort , mountain peony, Sargent juniper, pointed yew, lichens Glossodium japonica and Stereocaulon naked, moss-like Bryoxyphium savatier and Atractycarpus alpine, growing near the Baransky volcano.
In the extreme south of the island there is a state nature reserve"Island".
Fauna
In the northern part of Iturup, between the Slavnaya and Glush rivers, many brown bears live. A feature of the fauna of Iturup is the disharmony of the theriofauna, that is, a pronounced predominance of predatory mammals. The ratio of predators (fox, mink, sable, bear) to potential land victims (rat, red-gray vole, house mouse, mountain hare) here reaches 1:1. As a result, predators are forced to diversify their diet with seafood and seabirds, which is one of the features of their diet in the Kuril Islands in general.
Transport
Air traffic is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield, owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sea communication (passenger and cargo) is carried out through the motor ship “Igor Farkhutdinov”. On September 22, 2014, the civil airport “Iturup” was opened on the island. On the morning of September 22, the first flight of Aurora Airlines from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk took place there. The governor took part in the opening of the airport Sakhalin region Alexander Khoroshavin. In the near future, the airport will only accept flights from Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan region, but international flights are also planned in the future.
Population
The indigenous population of the island is the Ainu. Currently, some have been completely assimilated, while others were repatriated to Japan as subjects of the former Japanese Empire along with ethnic Japanese in the period from 1947 to 1949.
The current population is 6387 people. (2007) - formed as a result of migration exchange with the continent in the second half of the 20th century.
Settlements
In the central part of the island, on the shores of the Kuril Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, the city of Kurilsk is located - the administrative center of the region and the only urban settlement of the island. Rural settlements: Reidovo, Kitovoe, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi (2025 people), Burevestnik, Shumi-Gorodok, Gornoe (1757 people). Non-residential settlements: Active, Slavnoe, September, Vetrovoe, Zharkie Vody, Pioneer, Yodnaya, Lesozavodskoe, Berezovka.
Economy
In 2007, within the framework of the federal target program “Socio-economic development of the Kuril Islands for 2006-2015,” plans were announced to build an international airport on the island. In the administration municipality“City district “Kurilsky”” planned to allocate 1.2 billion rubles for the construction of the airport. Head of a federal agency air transport Alexander Yurchik stated that the new airport will be the main airport in the Kuril Islands. On September 22, 2014, the airport received its first regular flight of the Aurora company from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with 50 passengers on board.
Minerals
There is a rhenium deposit on Iturup. Discovered in 1992 on the Kudryavy volcano. The deposit is represented by a fumarole field with permanent sources of high-temperature deep fluids - fumaroles. Rhenium is found in the form of the mineral rhenium ReS2, with a structure similar to molybdenite.
According to the Institute of Volcanology and Geodynamics of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, the Kudryavy volcano releases 20 tons of rhenium every year (by the way, the world production of rhenium in 2006 was about 40 tons; the price of 1 kg of rhenium is up to 3.5 thousand dollars). In 2003, Russian scientists successfully carried out experimental work on the extraction of rhenium from disulfide emitted by a volcano. Commenting on the success of Russian specialists, Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted that rhenium is a strategically valuable metal that is used in the military-industrial complex (primarily in the aerospace sector). The largest specialist in the field of rare refractory metals E.M. Savitsky wrote: “Many rare elements are still little used in industry due to insufficient knowledge of their properties. Rhenium has so many positive qualities that it has become a metal in short supply. Any quantities of it will be absorbed by industry. Rhenium is reliability, strength, quality.” The high-temperature rare-metal vapor-gas system of the Kudryavy volcano on Iturup Island has been attracting the attention of researchers for a quarter of a century, since the discovery of rare-metal mineralization in fumarole products.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Crystal Chemistry of Rare Elements (IMGRE) of the Ministry natural resources and RAS, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences A. Kremenetsky noted that extracting rhenium on the island is economically feasible. According to the scientist, in addition to rhenium, there is also the possibility of extracting bismuth, indium, germanium, silver, gold and selenium. Kremenetsky emphasized: “If only the unique volcanic deposit on the island of Iturup did not also end up abroad.”
Previously, the USSR mined rhenium in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Emphasizing the importance of rhenium mining, Nezavisimaya Gazeta wrote: “God sent Russia the Kudryavy volcano on Iturup Island, where this rhenium is a real storehouse!” .
On Iturup there is a large deposit of native sulfur (more than 4 million tons), clearly visible from the sea when approaching Kurilsk between the Chirip and Bogdan Khmelnitsky volcanoes.
Climate
The island's climate is generally classified as temperate maritime. However, it is complicated by the monsoon component, as well as a significant difference in the microclimate between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific part. The latter is explained by the fact that the Sea of Okhotsk coast is warmed by the warm waters of the Soya Current, while the Pacific coast is noticeably colder. On the Sea of Okhotsk coast of the island there is less fog, so the number of clear and warm days per year is noticeably higher than on the Pacific coast, due to which the flora and fauna here are richer and more diverse. In general, summers on the island are humid and quite cool. Due to high humidity, the warmest month of the year is August, when average daily temperatures reach +14°C. This is higher than on Urup, but a little cooler than on Kunashir. The sum of active temperatures on Iturup is 1350°C compared to 1700°C on Kunashir, 1650°C on Shikotan and 700°C on Urup. Winters on the island are much milder than on the continent, characterized by frequent snowfalls and thaws. Thanks to the huge reserves of snow, many southern plants successfully survive during the cold period, and in the summer, melting snowfields maintain optimal water supply for moisture-loving species. Forester N.A. Popov called these climatic conditions"snowy subtropics". This definition is not widely accepted by researchers in the region, but some sources use it.
- Average annual air temperature - 4.9 °C
- Relative humidity - 74.7%
- Average wind speed - 6.9 m/s
| Average daily air temperature according to NASA | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | But I | Dec | Year |
| −2.0 °C | −3.7 °C | −2.3 °C | 1.4 °C | 4.2 °C | 7.7 °C | 11.2 °C | 13.6 °C | 12.8 °C | 10.0 °C | 5.2 °C | 0.5 °C | 4.9 °C |
Hydrography
Story
In a controversial status
In 1643, between the islands of Iturup and Urup, the Dutch navigator De Vries discovered a strait, which was later named after him. Frieze gave the name to the island of Iturup Land of the States- in honor of the States General, the then unofficial name of Holland.
As part of the Russian Empire
From 1947 to 1949, subjects of the former Japanese Empire (including the native Ainu) were repatriated to Japan.
Since 1991, it has been part of Russia as the successor country of the USSR. Currently, the Japanese side is constantly returning to the problem " Northern Territories"(islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, group of Habomai islands), insisting on their transfer to its jurisdiction. The lack of visible progress on this issue is preventing the conclusion of a peace treaty between the countries.
see also
Notes
- Iturup Island is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia, which rules the island, and Japan. In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the island is part of the territory of the Russian Federation, according to the administrative-territorial division of Japan - it is part of the Nemuro district of Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan.
- Autumn on Urup, sakhalin.info. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
- Russian National Library. Atlas of the Russian Empire of 1745. Atlas maps. (undefined) . exhibitions.nlr.ru. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- 税務署所在地・案内(北海道) (Japanese)
- Map of Nemuro Subprefecture(undefined) . Unavailable link
- Administrative map of Japan (As of April 1, 2009)(English) . Archived from the original on February 7, 2013.
- Northern Territories Affairs Office of the Hokkaido Governorate General Department
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At first glance, inaccessibility, harsh and unpredictable weather, and geographical isolation may scare off tourists. On the other hand, this only increases the desire to see and visit. The southernmost and most big Island Kuril ridge, - Iturup believe a real gem Kuril, a nature reserve in the ocean. And this is not at all pompous.
2.
A little roughly woven from the amazing world of volcanoes, boiling rivers, lava flows and volcanic lakes, Iturup is located in the water area Pacific Ocean. The unique coastal strip is formed by bays, bays and capes, which are washed by waters on the northern side Sea of Okhotsk.
3.
The main attraction of the island is, of course, the volcanoes. In a relatively small area (3200 km²) there are currently 9 operating ones. The largest is Stokap, 1634 meters high, and the smallest, which is called as such, is Little Brother, reaches a height of 562 meters.
In addition, Iturup boasts many picturesque waterfalls, lakes and hot mineral springs.
4.
As for the name of the island, it most likely came from the word “Etorop”, which can be translated from the ancient Ainu language as “jellyfish”.
5.
You can get to this unique island from Sakhalin by boat or plane. Today, the new civil airport “Iturup”, opened on the island in 2014, receives up to 6 flights per week, and the travel time is 1 hour 10 minutes.
6.
True, while the pleasure is not cheap - 17 thousand rubles one way. Kuril transport depends on weather conditions, and the weather in the Sea of Okhotsk is rarely favorable. Delays in the Kuril Islands are calculated not in hours, but in days. You also need to understand that successfully getting to the island does not guarantee an easy return back to the point of departure.
7.
First of all, Iturup attracts with its relative virginity and untouched nature.
Surprisingly, there are still some left on the island great amount places where no human has ever set foot. There are still many mysteries and secrets here that are still waiting for their researchers - discoverers.
8.
For example, in the center of the island there is an emerald, non-freezing round lake. It has no name(!) and has not been studied at all. And off the coast of Iturup you can find sunken ships and Japanese military equipment, which have long been transformed into habitats for fish and shellfish...
Locals admit that many places of absolute beauty can only be reached in certain time years, and up to some, exclusively by water.
For example, on the Medvezhy Peninsula you can admire the largest waterfall in Russia with the fabulous name Ilya Muromets, whose height is slightly more than 140 meters. It was opened during the Soviet era and can only be viewed from the sea.
9.
The main transport on the island is SUVs and shift cars. The asphalt ends literally five minutes after leaving the city of Kurilsk, and then the “normal men’s road” begins.
The main ski routes are in the direction of the volcanoes. The most popular is Baranovsky Volcano, which offers stunning views of the surrounding area in good sunny weather.
10.
An active volcano with active fumarolic and steam-hydrothermal activity, it is famous for its hot sulfuric acid rivers and the bewitching smell of hydrogen sulfide.
At its foot, people have long chosen places for swimming. So, from the sources of the Boiling River comes the purest thermal water, which, pouring into small and cozy lakes, popularly called “Blue Eyes”, cools to a pleasant temperature of 40-50 degrees. Appreciating such baths is especially pleasant and unforgettable in winter, when the air is the same 40-50 degrees, but already below zero.
11.
Another active volcano- Atsonupuri, which last “pleased” with its eruption in 1932, has a perfectly regular shape, for which it is constantly compared to Fuji Etorofu.
8 km from Kurilsk there is an unusual coastal terrace called Yankito - a pile of bizarre pointed rocks on the seashore, formed from frozen volcanic lava.
12.
The island also has a unique, the only economically viable deposit of rhenium in the world, from which the most expensive and rare metal is obtained. Kudryavy Volcano annually throws about 20 tons of this element to the surface.
There are many beautiful bays here, for example Tornaya, September, where you can not only admire beautiful views, but also to catch fish. An unforgettable trip is worth taking in the direction of the picturesque rocks - Four Brothers.
13.
The northern shores of the island's Golden Bay are golden yellow, glistening like gold at sunset, while Kasatka Bay will delight the inner artist with its Mirror Beach.
By the way, Kasatka Bay, formerly called Hitokappu Bay, is well known in world history. It was from here that Japanese aircraft carriers with aircraft on board set off to attack Pearl Harbor. They did not return back and in 1945, according to the Potsdam Agreement, the island of Iturup came under the jurisdiction of the USSR, and the Japanese population was repatriated.
14.
In general, while the island was under Japanese rule, many structures were built here not only for military purposes, but also for civilian purposes. You can still find here dilapidated underground structures, an airfield, military warehouses...
Among other popular entertainments available to tourists, it is worth noting the dream of many experienced anglers - halibut fishing, as well as a trip to the Vannochki hot springs, located 2 km from Kurilsk.
Sometimes the size of a sea trophy - white-winged halibut - reaches 100 kg! And swimming in the water and health complex, where 46 degree water comes straight from the well, will be the most unforgettable health procedure for anyone.
15.
By the way, according to Kuril scientists, the composition of water, enriched with a set of salts and minerals, is one of the most useful in the world chemical composition. It is ideal for the treatment of skin endocrine diseases, as well as the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Today, in a certain sense, Iturup has become an outpost of the country. The Kuril Islands are territories traditionally claimed by Japan, which considers the island part of the Nemuro District of Hokkaido Prefecture. And it's a really tense border story.
In general, about six and a half thousand people live on Iturup today. IN central region Islands on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk is the only city and administrative center here - Kurilsk. Its population is about 1800 people. The rest of the islanders live in the villages of Kitovoe, Reidovo, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi and a number of other settlements.
Text: Tatiana Buturlina, photo: Zaur Karamyzov, Russian photo union
"Russian Planet", April 3, 2018
In the northwestern part of the Pacific sector of the Earth, the abysses of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk are separated by a majestic mountain underwater structure, stretching from Japanese Islands to the Kamchatka Peninsula. Its length is 1250 km with an average width of 150 km; the height above the seabed reaches 5 km.
The upper part of the ridge rises above sea level, forming, like a garland of stringed beads, an arched chain of the Kuril Islands, consisting of the Greater and Lesser Kuril ridges.
Iturup (Japanese: 択捉島 Etorofu) is an island in the southern group of the Great Kuril Islands, the most large island archipelago (3200 sq. km), its length is about 200 km, average width 25 km. The island consists of volcanic massifs and mountain ranges. The banks are high and steep. The most prominent peaks: Mount Stokap (1634 m) and Bogdan Khmelnytsky volcano (1585 m). According to the most common version, the name of the island of Iturup goes back to the word “etorop”, which translated from the Ainu language means “jellyfish”.
Iturup Island: photos
Volcano Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Iturup Island
Iturup Island: where is it located?
According to the administrative-territorial structure of Russia, Iturup Island is part of the Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. The island's ownership is disputed by Japan, which considers its territory to be part of the Nemuro subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture.
Iturup Island on the world map
Iturup Island: how to get there
Air traffic is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield, owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Sea communication (passenger and cargo) is carried out through the motor ships “Igor Farkhutdinov” and “Polaris”. On September 22, 2014, the civil airport “Iturup” was opened on the island. On the morning of September 22, the first flight of Aurora Airlines from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk took place there. The Governor of the Sakhalin Region, Alexander Khoroshavin, took part in the opening of the airport. In the near future, the airport will only accept flights from Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Region, but international flights are also planned in the future.
Iturup Island: video
Life on Iturup Island