| Etorofu Island |
Articles about Iturup |
Information AboutEtorofu Island |
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| kuril islands | |
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Iturup is located near the southern end of the Kurile chain, between Kunashir (19 Km to the SW) and Urup (37 km to the NE). The town of Kurilsk (pop 2,200 as of 2002 ), district seat of Kurilsky District , is located roughly midway along its western shore.
GEOGRAPHY Iturup consists of Volcanic Massif s and Mountain Ridge s. A series of a dozen Volcano es running NE to SW form the backbone of the island, the highest being Berutarube (1,220 m) and the nearby Atsonupuri (1,206 m) near Iturup's southern end. The shores of the island are high and abrupt. The Vegetation mostly consists of Spruce , Larch , Pine , Fir , and mixed Deciduous Forest s with Alder , Liana s and Kuril Bamboo Underbrush . The mountains are covered with Birch and Siberian Dwarf Pine scrub, herbaceous Flower s or bare rocks. HISTORY Initially inhabited by the Ainu , the island saw both a Russian settlement (late 18th century) and a Japanese garrison ( 1800 ) at the site of the present-day Kurilsk. In 1855 Iturup was ceded to Japan by the Treaty Of Shimoda . On 26 November 1941 a Japanese . In 1945 , occupied by the Soviet Union after Japan's defeat in World War II . In 1956 the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations, but the peace treaty, As Of 2006 , has not been concluded due to the disputed status of Iturup and other islands Japan continues to claim. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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