The President of Russia has visited the disputed Kuril Islands for the first time, travelling to Iturup as Moscow's relations with Japan remain deeply strained over Russia's war in Ukraine.
About Kuril Islands:
The Kuril Islands is an island group in the Russian Far East that forms the boundary between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk.
The archipelago, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast (Russia), extends for about 1,300 kilometers from the Kamchatka Peninsula’s (Russia) southern tip to Hokkaido’s (Japan) northeastern corner.
The islands are divided into the Greater and Lesser Kuril Chains.
These are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire
The climate in the islands is severe, with long, cold, snowy winters and cool, wet, foggy summers.
Vegetation ranges from tundra on the northern islands to dense forest on the larger southern islands.
The principal centers are the towns of Kurilsk on Iturup, the largest island, Severo-Kurilsk on Paramushir, and Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir.
Although Russia administers all the Kuril Islands, some islands are at the heart of the Russo-Japanese feud known as the Kuril Islands dispute.
Japan considers the four southernmost islands as part of its Northern Territories.
Tokyo claims that the disputed islands have been part of Japan since the early 19th century.
As a result of this dispute, Russia and Japan have never formally concluded a peace treaty to end World War II.
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