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Onekotan
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<h2 id="geography-and-geology">Geography and geology</h2> <p>Onekotan is roughly rectangular, with a length of 42.5 kilometers (26.4 mi), and a width ranging from 11 to 17 kilometers (6.8 to 10.6 mi). It has an area of 425 square kilometers (164 sq mi) <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p> <p>The island consists of two <a href="/facts/Stratovolcano/7xW98Mye">stratovolcanos</a> connected by a relatively flat isthmus. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/facts/Krenitsyn_(volcano)/LAkUs1eD">Krenitsyn</a> -(<a href="/facts/Russian_language/ETXrTgHV">Russian</a>: Креницын; <a href="/facts/Japanese_language/EEv485a5">Japanese</a> 黒石山; <i>Kuroishiyama</i>) with a height of 1,324 meters (4,344 ft) is the prominent <a href="/facts/Caldera/eWvTK8Es">caldera</a> at the southern end of the island. This volcano was named after Captain <a href="/facts/Pyotr_Krenitsyn/vSQH8ork">Pyotr Krenitsyn</a> of the <a href="/facts/Imperial_Russian_Navy/YHC9HrnF">Imperial Russian Navy</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The mountain rises from a depth of from 600 to 900 meters (2,000 to 3,000 ft), and contains a deep (369 m, 1,211 ft) central <a href="/facts/Caldera_lake/Vcb6IQW5">caldera lake</a> (Koltsevoe Lake) with a diameter of 7 kilometers (4.3 mi), called <a href="/facts/Tao-Rusyr_Caldera/LAkUs1eD">Tao-Rusyr Caldera</a>. The central peak of this "island within the island" is actually the highest point on Onekotan Island.</li> <li>Nemo -(<a href="/facts/Russian_language/ETXrTgHV">Russian</a>: влк Немо; <a href="/facts/Japanese_language/EEv485a5">Japanese</a> 根茂山; <i>Nemoyama</i>) with a height of 1,019 meters (3,343 ft) is the peak to the north. It has two nested subsidiary calderas, with the cone of <a href="/facts/Nemo_Peak/tLgWKCWc">Nemo Peak</a> rising in the southwest end of the youngest caldera and a crescent-shaped <a href="/facts/Volcanic_crater_lake/Vcb6IQW5">crater lake</a>, named Lake Chernoye, partially filling the northeast part.</li></ul> <p>The contemporary structure of the caldera basin of Koltsevoe Lake was examined by Kozlov et al.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> through sonar survey utilizing a digital sonar and satellite positioning. The survey yielded 27 sonar profiles and a compiled bathymetric map. Presently, the lake holds the fourth position among Russia's deepest lakes, standing as the deepest in the Russian Far East and the largest in the Sakhalin region. Its significant water volume underscores its importance as a vital hydrological asset in the Far Eastern macro-region. </p> <p>There are seven rivers on the island more than five kilometers long. The largest is Ozernaya River (8 kilometers (5.0 mi) long, which flows from the southern part of the caldera of the Nemo volcano to the Sea of Okhotsk. Almost the same length is the Kedrovka River, which flows from the central part of the island into the Pacific Ocean. </p><p>The climate of Onekotan is characterized by short, cool summers, high humidity, frequent fogs, and especially strong winds. However, the island's climate is generally considered to be mild oceanic with an average annual temperature of about 4.0 °C (39.2 °F). Even in record cold winters, temperatures below −15 °C (5 °F) were not observed. </p><p>Onekotan is separated from the neighboring islands by the <a href="/facts/Fourth_Kuril_Strait/IdI9Jmbr">Fourth Kuril Strait</a>, Yevreinov Strait, and <a href="/facts/Krenitsyn_Strait/1qzMtjVJ">Krenitsyn Strait</a>. The neighboring islands are <a href="/facts/Makanrushi/rn708Nbg">Makanrushi</a>, with a 1,170-meter (3,840 ft) volcanic peak, is 28 kilometers (17 mi) to the northwest of Onekotan; and <a href="/facts/Kharimkotan/UpLKlWSs">Kharimkotan</a>, with a 1,210-meter (3,970 ft) high volcano, is 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) to the southwest. Paramushir is located 53 kilometers (33 mi) to the northeast. </p><p>Onekotan still has an <a href="/facts/Active_volcano/c2M5upml">active volcano</a> with the most recent eruption, in 1952, forming a small <a href="/facts/Lava_dome/a3E6LnUJ">lava dome</a> on the coast of Krenitsyn island within the lake of Tao-Rusyr Caldera. A bay on the eastern shore contains the remains of an abandoned settlement. </p> <h2 id="climate">Climate</h2> <table><tbody><tr><th colspan="14">Climate data for Onekotan, Russia</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Month</th><th scope="col">Jan</th><th scope="col">Feb</th><th scope="col">Mar</th><th scope="col">Apr</th><th scope="col">May</th><th scope="col">Jun</th><th scope="col">Jul</th><th scope="col">Aug</th><th scope="col">Sep</th><th scope="col">Oct</th><th scope="col">Nov</th><th scope="col">Dec</th><th scope="col">Year</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily maximum °F (°C)</th><td>28(−2)</td><td>27(−3)</td><td>30(−1)</td><td>33(1)</td><td>37(3)</td><td>43(6)</td><td>50(10)</td><td>53(12)</td><td>52(11)</td><td>45(7)</td><td>37(3)</td><td>31(−1)</td><td>39(4)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Mean daily minimum °F (°C)</th><td>24(−4)</td><td>23(−5)</td><td>26(−3)</td><td>30(−1)</td><td>34(1)</td><td>40(4)</td><td>47(8)</td><td>51(11)</td><td>49(9)</td><td>42(6)</td><td>33(1)</td><td>27(−3)</td><td>36(2)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Average <a href="/facts/Precipitation/uq3nGQc8">precipitation</a> inches (mm)</th><td>3.2(81)</td><td>2.9(74)</td><td>3.7(94)</td><td>3.0(76)</td><td>2.0(51)</td><td>2.0(51)</td><td>2.3(58)</td><td>2.8(71)</td><td>4.0(100)</td><td>4.9(120)</td><td>5.2(130)</td><td>4.0(100)</td><td>40(1,006)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="14">Source: MSN.com "Records and Averages for Onekotan, Russia". Web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/Weather/records/onekotanrussia/we-island?q=onekotan&form=PRWLAS&iso=RU&el=PPSYmnmzWfTt8y7KyrkDPA%3d%3d">[1]</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Onekotan, with a number of shallow bays and sandy beaching providing landing points, was inhabited by the <a href="/facts/Ainu_people/odg3PUUW">Ainu</a> prior to European contact. It appears on an official map showing the territories of <a href="/facts/Matsumae_clan/ILvnFI9x">Matsumae Domain</a>, a <a href="/facts/Han_(administrative_division)/8bs4GQur">feudal domain</a> of <a href="/facts/Edo_period/BWxv9h57">Edo period</a> <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a> dated 1644, and these holdings were officially confirmed by the <a href="/facts/Tokugawa_shogunate/S4q54Sq6">Tokugawa shogunate</a> in 1715. </p><p>The island was surveyed by Russian <a href="/facts/Geodesist/EJH0Te0m">geodesists</a> and explorers <a href="/facts/Ivan_Yevreinov/cNmLuh9k">Ivan Yevreinov</a> and <a href="/facts/Fyodor_Luzhin/B5xryn7s">Fyodor Luzhin</a> in 1720, and was subsequently, claimed by the <a href="/facts/Empire_of_Russia/hg1g5SpV">Empire of Russia</a> in 1736 after the Ainu inhabitants were converted to the <a href="/facts/Russian_Orthodox_Church/AHbnwM6p">Russian Orthodox Church</a>; however Russian tax collectors encountered Japanese officials on the islands in 1744–45. </p><p><a href="/facts/Sovereignty/QnYhTTem">Sovereignty</a> initially passed to Russia under the terms of the 1855 <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_Shimoda/hQJnuW6x">Treaty of Shimoda</a>, but was returned to the <a href="/facts/Empire_of_Japan/gMpNKg2W">Empire of Japan</a> per the <a href="/facts/Treaty_of_Saint_Petersburg_(1875)/ePPeDWnJ">Treaty of Saint Petersburg</a> in 1875 along with the rest of the Kuril islands. The island was formerly administered as part of Shimushu District of <a href="/facts/Nemuro_Subprefecture/GcAP9nd5">Nemuro Subprefecture</a> of <a href="/facts/Hokkaid%C5%8D/kwacDkYD">Hokkaidō</a>. In 1884, the Ainu inhabitants were relocated by Japanese authorities to <a href="/facts/Shikotan/Pwkq5GAL">Shikotan</a>. </p><p>During <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, the island had a small Japanese garrison, which surrendered on August 25, 1945, without a fight. </p><p>After 1945, the island came under the control of the <a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto">Soviet Union</a>, and is now administered as part of the <a href="/facts/Sakhalin_Oblast/RCEmHMXH">Sakhalin Oblast</a> of the <a href="/facts/Russian_Federation/jfkCwyxn">Russian Federation</a>. A small garrison on the island was withdrawn in 2005. </p> <h2 id="flora-and-fauna">Flora and fauna</h2> <p>There are <a href="/facts/Salvelinus/MAeLbQR2">chars</a> in Lake Chyornoye, one of the two lakes on Onekotan, located at the northern end of the island. </p><p>In the spring and summer <a href="/facts/Pigeon_guillemot/9eFcyB11">pigeon guillemot</a> and <a href="/facts/Leach%27s_storm_petrel/ksECe4ly">Leach's storm petrel</a> nest on the island.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>Mammals found on the island include <a href="/facts/Arctic_fox/QajadDzo">foxes</a> and small rodents, with <a href="/facts/Pinniped/8ya4Lzek">seals</a> and <a href="/facts/Sea_lion/DDBD72Qo">sea lions</a> on the coast. </p><p>The strong winds and harsh climate limit the growth of trees to small thickets of <a href="/facts/Krummholz/tJpJsPoI">Krummholz</a> formations of <a href="/facts/Pinus_pumila/FtNsovzn">Siberian dwarf pine</a> with a maximum height of 2–4 meters, mostly in gullies. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Islands portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_volcanoes_in_Russia/xUVtmzMR">List of volcanoes in Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_islands_of_Russia/jg4s2ern">List of islands of Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_islands/5aNLa3XN">List of islands</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Desert_island/pd8cJH44">Desert island</a></li></ul> <h2 id="notes">Notes</h2> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Gorshkov, G. S. <i>Volcanism and the Upper Mantle Investigations in the Kurile Island Arc</i>. Monographs in geoscience. New York: Plenum Press, 1970. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-306-30407-4</li> <li>Krasheninnikov, Stepan Petrovich, and James Greive. The History of Kamtschatka and the Kurilski Islands, with the Countries Adjacent. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1963.</li> <li>Rees, David (1985). <i>The Soviet Seizure of the Kuriles</i>. Praeger Publishers. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-03-002552-5.</li> <li>Takahashi, Hideki, and Masahiro Ōhara. <i>Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin</i>. Bulletin of the Hokkaido University Museum, no. 2-. Sapporo, Japan: Hokkaido University Museum, 2004.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Onekotan. <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20061009042606/http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/EFS/lores.pl?PHOTO=STS068-231-54">NASA Earth from Space: Onekotan Island</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.lkirchner.de/onekotan/onekotan/krenitsyn/krenitsyn.html">Photographs of Onekotan Island</a></li> <li>Shubina, E. A; Ponomareva, E. V; Gritsenko, O. F (2006). "Population genetic structure of the char species of the Northern Kuril Islands and the rank of the Dolly Varden Char in the system of the genus Salvelinus (Salmonidae: Teleostei)". <i>Zhurnal Obshchei Biologii</i>. 67 (4): 280–97. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17022488">17022488</a>.</li> <li><a href="http://www.onekotan.com/">Onekotan - The Lost Island - A movie about 3 Athletes on the lost island Onekotan.</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"International Kuril Island Project（IKIP）". University of Washington Fish Collection or the respective authors. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2010-05-23. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121006073043/http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/okhotskia/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20121006073043/http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/okhotskia/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Tao-Rusyr Caldera". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-25. <a href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=290310" target="_blank">https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=290310</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Kozlov, D. N., Degterev, A. V., & Zarochintsev, V. S. Koltsevoe caldera lake: current state and structure of the basin (Onekotan Island, Kuril Islands). <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Kondratyev, A. Y., Litvinenko, N. M., Shibaev, Y. V., Vyatkin, P. S., & Kondratyeva, L. F. (2000). "The breeding seabirds of the Russian Far East". Seabirds of the Russian Far East, 37-81. <a href="http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CW69-15-4-2000E.pdf" target="_blank">http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CW69-15-4-2000E.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>