Which of the Kuril Islands is the largest. Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve: Tourist Season and "Night of Museums

(Far East)

The island arc of the Kuriles stretches for one thousand two hundred kilometers from Kamchatka to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Thirty-six large islands and more than a hundred small islets and rocks make up this Far Eastern archipelago. It represents two parallel island chains: the volcanic Great Kuril Ridge and located east of the Lesser Ridge, where active volcanoes no.

The Kuriles are the second region of active volcanism in Russia after Kamchatka. There are more volcanoes here than on the territory of their northern neighbor - more than a hundred, including forty active. But erupt Kuril volcanoes less often than their Kamchatka counterparts, and only a few, like Alaid, Tyat or Sarychev volcano, demonstrate a truly formidable disposition.

It is interesting that the names of most of the volcanoes, as well as bays, straits or waterfalls, are Russian or Japanese and appeared in the last two hundred years, and almost all the islands have retained the ancient names given to them by the indigenous inhabitants of the archipelago - the Ainu.

The Kruzenshtern and Bussol straits divide the Great Range into three parts: the northern one with the islands of Shumshu, Paramushir, Onekotan and Shiashkotan; middle, which includes a lot of small islets and only one large island Simushir; and the southern one, in which the main, largest and most populated islands are concentrated: Urup, Iturup and Kunashir. This also includes the Small Kuril Ridge, which has a length of only one hundred and five kilometers and consists of a rather large picturesque island Shikotan and several small islets.

Atlasov Island is located in the north of the island chain to the west of Shumshu. It is a giant cone of the Alaid volcano that has grown out of the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. This is the most extreme and highest fire-breathing mountain in the Kuril Islands, rising above the sea for almost two and a half kilometers. Its regular conical top, crowned with a plume of smoke, is somewhat reminiscent of Fujiyama, sung by the artists and poets of Japan.

In good weather, the Alaid peak can be seen from Kamchatka, and, most likely, it was it that was noticed in 1698 by the discoverer of the peninsula, the Cossack Pentecostal Vladimir Atlasov, who later wrote in his report that “opposite the first river on the sea I saw as if there were islands”.

Kamchadals tell an interesting legend about this volcano located in the south of Kamchatka, Kuril Lake, in the center of which is the Heart of Alaid islet.

In the middle of the Kuril Lake, the legend says, there was once a high and beautiful mountain Alaid. The surrounding mountains, as if by selection, small, nondescript, envied the handsome Alaid and told various dirty tricks about him: he, they say, blocks the sun, and prevents the month from rising to the sky, he clings with its horn to the top of Alaid, and the glacier, where- I found it and sheltered it on my slope, and a lot more ...

Alaid is tired of the evil gossip around. He left the lake, left Kamchatka and found a new place for himself - in the sea, near the Kuril Islands. The lake water rushed after Alaid, but did not catch up with him. This is how the Ozernaya river was formed in Kamchatka. But love for his native land was strong in Alaid, he could not completely part with it, and left his heart in the lake. So now there is an islet of Uchichi in the middle of the lake, which means Heart-Stone.

The Europeans discovered the Kuril Islands in 1643, when the Dutch sailor De Vries visited them. But even thirty years before him, the Japanese had already landed on the southern islands, exploring and trying to settle down Shikotan and Kunashir.

However, in 1711, Russian Cossacks headed by Danila Antsiferov and Ivan Kozyrevsky arrived on the islands from Kamchatka. They brought the local Ainu "under the sovereign's hand" and imposed a tax-yasak. Since then, the islands have become part of Russia and for almost three centuries (with the exception of forty years between the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and World War II) have been our eastern outpost.

All Russian Far East, deservedly famous for its natural beauty, you will not find more picturesque corners than in the Kuril Islands. Each island, with rare exceptions, is beautiful in its own way. The formidable majesty of volcanoes smoking gas jets here side by side with the bizarre beauty of coastal bays and rocks, unusual exotic flora on land and marine wonders in the Okhotsk and Pacific waters.

And if a traveler who has visited Kamchatka, the Ussuriysk Territory or Sakhalin is overwhelmed with admiration, then he simply falls in love with the Kuriles once and for all.

Although the Kuril volcanoes do not threaten with eruptions as often as the Kamchatka ones, they bring even more troubles. And the reason for this is their close proximity to the sea. Any eruption is accompanied by tremors, and they, in turn, cause "seaquakes". And the angry sea falls on the shores of the islands with giant destructive tsunami waves.

In 1952, a thirty-meter tsunami wave completely destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk on the island of Paramushir. The few surviving residents, having lost loved ones, homes and property, left the island forever. Similar disasters have happened before. The explorer of Kamchatka Krasheninnikov as early as 1737 described the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the coast of the peninsula and the Northern Kuriles.

“At three o'clock in the middle of the night,” he writes, “a shaking began and lasted for a quarter of an hour ... Meanwhile, there was a terrible noise and excitement at the sea, and suddenly water fell on the banks at a height of three fathoms, which, without standing at all, fled into the sea and Then the land shook again, the water came against the previous one, but when it was cast it ran so far that it was impossible to see the sea. they had never been seen before ... About a quarter of an hour after that, another terrible shaking followed, and moreover, water surged on the bank by thirty fathoms ... Because of this flood, the local residents were completely ruined, and many died in disaster ... "

In 1770, during the eruption of the Alaid volcano, the resulting tsunami destroyed the houses and gardens of the inhabitants of Paramushir and Shumshu. And in 1933, a wave twenty meters high hit the island of Harimkotan, where the Sarychev volcano erupted.

Since many volcanic islands are uninhabited, eruptions themselves cause serious damage only when they occur on large islands, which are chains of several volcanoes that have grown on a common base. There are few such islands, but they, naturally, are better populated and developed by man.

On Kunashir, Mendeleev, Golovnin and Tyatya volcanoes are active and dangerous. There are eight active volcanoes on Iturup: the most violent of them are the volcanoes of Baransky, Tebenkov, Ivan the Terrible, Stokap, Atsonupuri and Berutaruba. On Simushir, the Burning Sopka, Zavaritsky volcano and Prevo Peak are restless, on Shiashkotan - Sinarki and Kuntomintor, and on Onekotan - the Krenitsyn and Nemo volcanoes.

A special case is the island of Paramushir. It consists of three parallel intergrown volcanic ridges, consisting of more than thirty volcanoes. Six of them are active, with the most active volcano Ebeko located just eight kilometers from Severo-Kurilsk. When on March 8, 1963, this fire-breathing mountain decided to "salute" Women's Day, the poisonous sulfur dioxide from the formed fumaroles was blown towards the city by the wind, and residents could not leave their homes. Those who were caught by the gas attack in the cinema or in the club were forced to stay there and spend the night. Fortunately, in the morning the wind changed and the situation in the city returned to normal.

The Atlasov Island we have already mentioned is famous all over the world for its active and very formidable volcano Alaid. It erupts every thirty to forty years. The last time it was in 1972. And before that, in 1933, as a result of an underwater eruption near Alaid, a new island of Taketomi was formed. It gradually grew due to new eruptions, and in 1961 it merged with its neighbor, forming a peninsula. Mighty Alaid, like the Italian volcano Krakatau, has been serving as a beacon for captains sailing from the Sea of Okhotsk to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky since the time of Bering.

It must be admitted that the volcanic activity of the Kuril Islands has not only negative sides. On many islands there are mineral springs, including hot springs. On Shiashkotan, for example, there are up to a thousand hot springs. And on the island of Urup there is even a hot waterfall! In the craters of some volcanoes, warm lakes have formed, healing many ailments. The same volcano Ebeko has been serving the residents of Severe-Kurilsk as a kind of "dispensary" for a long time. Every weekend Kuril residents go to him to swim in a warm lake located in his crater. The water in this natural pool is heated to almost forty degrees.

The Hot Beach on Kunashir Island is famous all over the planet. You will not find such a miracle of nature anywhere else in the world. It is not difficult to get to it from Yuzhno-Kurilsk. Only seven kilometers to the south along the Pacific coast, and from afar, a stretch of the coast is visible, shrouded in thick steam. The beach is located at the foot of Mendeleev volcano, and volcanic rocks are covered here with a thin layer of sea sand. In some places it is very hot, and in some places streams of steam make their way through it. This vapor, which has risen to the surface through cracks in volcanic rocks, seems to dissolve in the thickness of the sand and warms it. Wherever you dig a hole on the beach, steam immediately begins to flow out of it.

A strip of hot sand stretches for almost a kilometer along the coast. The temperature of the steam is one hundred degrees, and the water in the hot springs gushing everywhere is heated to ninety-eight degrees. The inhabitants of the island use jets of underground steam to heat food, use them to heat their homes. Chickens rush here all year round, as in the sheds heated by steam, it is warm in winter. A bathhouse and a laundry in the local village also do without stokers, and the children love to bake in the hot sand next to the caught crabs.

Despite the constant danger posed by them, volcanoes are all the same amazingly beautiful natural structures. These are not always the correct cones, like Alaid's. Sometimes it is a double cone, so to speak, "a volcano within a volcano," like Tyatya, for example. Sometimes it is a mountain crowned with jagged walls, like the ruins of an ancient fortress, and sometimes only caldera hollows remain from volcanoes. And if these calderas find themselves on the seashore, stunning beauty bays are formed, such as Lion's Mouth on Iturup Island. The entrance to it is guarded by the Rock-Lion rock sticking out of the ocean, which really looks like a sleeping lion.

The Krenitsyn volcano on Onekotan is unique in its appearance. In the southern part of this long, narrow island is the Ring Lake. In the center of the caldera lake, the cone of a young volcano ascended for almost one and a half kilometers. The top of the black mountain is powdered with snow and slightly smokes, reminding of its origin.

And on the coast of the island of Harimkotan, after the next eruption of the Severgin volcano, many small lakes were formed, fed by streams flowing from its slopes. The water of the streams is saturated with mineral salts, and at the bottom of the lakes, these salts are deposited in concentric circles, forming multi-colored sediments: red, orange, yellow, green, white. Each lake has its own, special color of the bottom, and in the sunlight a scattering of water saucers shines with all the colors of the rainbow.

The structure of the Zavaritsky volcano on Simushir is unusual. Here, from the bottom of the ancient caldera, as well as on the Krenitsyn volcano, a new cone has grown. But he, in turn, exploded, forming a "caldera in a caldera". The middle of it is occupied by Lake Turquoise. This is probably the most beautiful lake on the archipelago: in good weather its waters really sparkle with turquoise and shimmer gently in the sun. This is due to the fact that the water of the caldera lake contains the smallest particles of sulfur that reflect light.

The wildlife of the islands is a worthy framing of the volcanic landscape of the Kuril ridge. Its originality is explained by the great length of the archipelago. Its northern islands are adjacent to the snowy Kamchatka, where the largest bears in Russia roam the gloomy taiga, and the rarest bighorn sheep is still found on steep rocks. And from the southern islands, in good weather, you can see Hokkaido, where cheerful macaques frolic in groves of tropical plants and warm volcanic springs.

In addition, the cold current Oya-Sio passes along the Pacific coast of the Kuril ridge, bringing fogs, rains and cold winds. The Okhotsk coast of the Southern Kuriles is washed by the warm Soya current, one of the branches of the Pacific Gulf Stream - the Kuro-Sio current. Therefore, the vegetation of the Kuriles differs sharply not only in the northern and southern parts of the archipelago, but even on the opposite shores of the same islands.

Northern islands: Shumshu, Paramushir and others - the kingdom of cedar and alder elfin, and the temperature in summer does not rise above ten degrees. And in the south, on Iturup, Kunashir and their neighbors, there are real forests of fir, oak, maple, wild cherry with bamboo undergrowth. Even yew and velvet trees grow on Shikotan. All this varied forest stand is densely intertwined with wild grapes and other vines. Add to this the magnolia, found in the south of Shikotan, and you will understand that the local flora is already close to subtropical. At the same time, on the southern, Pacific coast of the same Iturup, the slopes are covered with the same cedar elfin as on Paramushir, and it is worth crossing the volcanic ridge to the Okhotsk coast, as thickets of three-meter bamboo will approach the path.

But the land fauna of the islands is not rich: bears, foxes and small rodents - voles, shrews. On several islands, however, there are still herds of mustangs - feral horses brought here by Japanese cavalrymen before the war. But sea coast pleases with the wealth of the animal world. Killer whales and sperm whales, gray whales and dolphins frolic everywhere in the Kuril waters, from the Treason Strait separating Kunashir from Hokkaido to the First Kuril Strait north of Shumshu. Here you can meet fur seals and sea otters, seals and the largest of the seals - sea lions. These huge animals, sometimes weighing a ton, sometimes come into battle even with young sperm whales.

On every island or on the rocks near its shores, there are sure to be bird colonies. Hundreds of thousands of bald gulls, kittiwakes, cormorants, fulmars and axes inhabit the Kuril Islands.

And they all have enough food - after all, places where warm and cold currents meet are always especially rich in fish. Huge flocks of large silvery ivasi sardines, saury, pollock and halibut come here. There is plenty of space for flounders, sea bass and gobies. And in the rivers red fish ascend to spawn: chum salmon, pink salmon and char. It is clear that both animals and birds of the Kurils are always provided with food.

It is difficult to get to this Far Eastern volcanic archipelago yet. Only three motor ships go here from Vladivostok through Sakhalin. It takes two days to reach the southern Kuriles, and all five to the northern ones. Kamchatka coasters, which go around the peninsula, also visit Paramushir. But in winter, when the Sea of Okhotsk is frozen, the islands are connected to the mainland only by rare flights.

But the inaccessibility only makes the goal more desirable. And if the traveler managed to get to the Kuril Islands, what he saw there will never be erased from his memory. Already sailing by the Catherine Strait (between Iturup and Kunashir), he will see five volcanoes from the deck at once, including the almost two-kilometer handsome Tyatya, which, like Alaid, serves as a lighthouse at the exit from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Pacific Ocean.

Having landed on the coast in Yuzhno-Kurilsk, you can take advantage of the low tide, in an hour and a half to walk along the black sand packed with waves to the Hot Beach, swim in its springs and marvel at this kilometer-long hot "frying pan", bubbling with steam. And pushing through the Kunashiri bamboo jungle and cedar elfin to the top of Mendeleev volcano, the traveler will be able to see fumaroles, mud volcanoes, and amazing sulfur fields on the slope of the volcano. Indeed, there are not so many places on Earth where icicles of yellow sulfur grow right before our eyes on stone cornices near the outlets of gas jets. You can put a branch of elfin into the stream, and in ten minutes it will turn into a kind of yellow coral.

There are no less natural wonders on the largest Kuril island - Iturup. Here the highest waterfall in Russia - 140-meter Ilya Muromets falls into the ocean from black basalt rocks. Here is the picturesque bay of Lion's mouth, the fumaroles of the Berutarube volcano and Lake Krasivoe in the Urbich caldera. Iturup has the most beautiful forests rich in berries and mushrooms. Local residents gather here some kind of special "Japanese mushroom", the size of a frying pan. They say that he is never wormy, and the taste is not inferior to white.

In the main village of the island of Malokurilsk, where a plant for processing whale meat existed for many years, until Russia stopped hunting them, you can see the most unusual fences in the world - from a whalebone! And all this exoticism is seen so far, not counting the residents of Kuril and border guards, forty to fifty people a year.

Tourist exploration of the amazing archipelago, the edge of volcanoes and fumaroles, bamboo and magnolias, bird colonies and sea lion rookeries, waterfalls and bizarre rocks has not even begun yet.

But an inquisitive traveler now, if he so wishes, could take a cruise, for example, along the route: Iturup - Kunashir - Shikotan. On this way, he would look into the fabulous Lion's Mouth with its five hundred meter steep walls and for the first time feel himself inside a real volcanic vent, feel the Hot Beach under his feet and hear the roar of the Kunashir solfatar, swam along the Shikotan fjords and meet the dawn on a distant beautiful promontory with an expressive the name of the End of the World. And, looking at the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, I would almost physically feel that the next land in the east is eight thousand kilometers. As much as to the west to Moscow ...

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Near the islands of the Kuril ridge, underwater vegetation is represented by huge underwater meadows of seaweed, most of which are seaweed. It is used for many purposes and is also eaten.

Large forests of Melano spermae algae surround each island in the ridge - they are spread out around them in a green strip, reaching up to half a mile. The most amazing algae are Nereocystis Lutkeanus algae. They grow very quickly. Starting to grow in April, at the end of June the algae reach 50 meters in length and rise to the water surface of the sea. Sailing on a boat, it is rather hard to escape from their embrace.

Terrestrial vegetation

The ridge of the Kuril Islands has a fairly strong extension from north to south, due to which the vegetation cover on each individual island is very diverse. The southern islands of the ridge have the richest species composition of plants, the northern islands are covered with less vegetation, and the middle ones are completely poor in it. In addition, the vegetation changes depending on the height of growth above sea level.

The northernmost islands of the Kuril ridge are covered with thickets of bush alder and dwarf pine. There are also many swamps and tundra vegetation. The local vegetation is similar to that of Cape Lopatka. These include eaten species such as blueberries, sweet grass, sweet root (sout), wild garlic, sarana, shelaminik, kutagarnik (kanasut), cloudberries and shiksha.

The poorest species composition has vegetation growing on the southern islands of the northern link and the northern islands of the middle link of the Kuril ridge. These islands are also small in size and absolute heights very low. Even bush alder and dwarf pine do not grow here. Bare areas of steep mountain slopes are often found on the islands of Ekarma, Chirinkotan and Raikoke. Only in the lowlands are there green mosses and rare flowers.

The peaks and highlands of the Middle and Northern Kuriles are covered with green islets of grass, scattered between stones and consisting of small shrubs, individual bunches and specimens of herbaceous plants. There are also many lichens and mosses growing here.

The islands, which make up the middle link of the Kuril ridge, do not have coniferous trees, except for the dwarf pine. There are thickets of shrubby alder and elm birch groves with a small undergrowth of Kuril bamboo. The northern boundary of bamboo growth passes through the island of Ketoi. The main part of the Middle Kuriles is occupied by thickets of heather and dwarf cedar. The further south you go, the larger the heath areas become.

To the south of the Bussol Strait, an increase in species vegetation and plant cover density is very well felt. Dense thickets of grasses occupy Etorofu Island and the lowlands of Uruppu Island. On the island of Etorofu, you can also find thickets of nettles, asa, umbrella grasses and fuki, which do not allow you to walk around the island, you can only follow the well-trodden paths or go by the sea. In the depressions of the island of Kunasari, a jungle of nettles, sasa and umbrella plants, reaching the height of human growth, has grown. In the river valleys of the island, reeds grow, alternating with irises, sorrel, wild onions and lilies. On dry hills, they are replaced by beautiful carpets of forget-me-nots, daisies, carnations, geraniums, buttercups and dandelions. Sand dunes the Sikotan Islands are covered with fragrant rose and wild peas.

The southern islands of the Kuril ridge, such as Etorofu, Uruppu and Kunasari, are covered with coniferous forests of Sakhalin fir (Abiessachalinensis), Hokkaida spruce (Piceajezoensis) and a small amount of Glen spruce (Picea Glehni). Coniferous forests begin at the foot of the mountains, and the further north, the lower the upper limit of their distribution.

Maple (Acerukurunduense) and yew are sometimes found in coniferous forests. The forest undergrowth consists of sasa - practically impenetrable thickets of Kuril bamboo. Above the coniferous forests, there are groves of elm birch, with undergrowth of cedar dwarf trees and the same bamboo. Sometimes they contain tall grasses, represented by Kamchatka Shelamin (Filipendulakamtscha-tica), Cocoa spear (Cacaliahastata), sweet hogweed (Heracleumdulce), Palm-leaved rosewood (Seneciopalmatus), Angelica bears (Angelicaursina) and other Even higher, above the elm birch groves, there are hard-to-pass thickets of shrubby alder (Alnus Maximoviczii) and dwarf pine (Pinuspumila).

On the southern islands, especially on Kunashiri Island, the southern slopes are covered with groves of hardwoods such as oak, maple, aspen and Japanese birch. But their areas are very small. The farther south, the more noticeable the vertical zoning of vegetation becomes - the northern forests are located on low hills and lowlands (Shumushu Island), the southern ones reach high mountain slopes. On the island of Uruppu, only the mountain peaks are not overgrown with forests - they are snow-covered most of the year. The highest points of Kunasiri Island are occupied by groves and lonely trees. In the lowlands of the Sikotan Island, meadows and marshes are spread, and the tops of the hills are occupied by forests.

The vegetation cover is distributed depending on the exposure of the slopes: for example, on the island of Ekarum, shrubs are located on the eastern side. Also, the formation and distribution of vegetation is strongly influenced by the orographic structure of the islands, protection from the effects of strong winds and the distribution of the loose cover of the weathering crust.

The forests are of poor quality. Trees are exposed to high atmospheric humidity, which leads to early decay of trees, the formation of twigs and hollows. The island of Etorofu has the best composition of the forest, although it also has most of the dry trees. In those valleys through which the corridor winds pass, and those located on the windward mountain slopes, it is often possible to find creeping, flag and dwarf trees with a meandering and curving trunk.

Fauna of the Kuril Islands

For a long period of time, the main object of the fishery was the sea beaver (otter) and fur seal. Over time, as a result of uncontrolled fishing, the number of these animals has significantly decreased.

The number of the fur seal was so large that its rookeries were almost on all the islands of the ridge. The clothing of the local aborigines - the Ainu, before the appearance of the cruel industrialists, was made of fur seals. In the 70-80s of the last millennium, the clothes of the Ainu began to be sewn from the skins of birds, and only the edges of clothing and collars were trimmed with fur of a cat. On the islands of Raikoke, Sredneva and Musiru in the old days there were rookeries of fur seals, each of which numbered 50,000 individuals. Now they are abandoned too.

By the end of the last century, the population of the sea beaver also began to decrease. In one season, the schooner hunted 2,000 fur seal skins, while only 70-80 beaver skins could be hunted in a year. Previously, herds of sea beavers numbered 100 or more heads, but now it is rare to find 12 individuals in a herd. In the last century, there were 18 sea lion rookeries on the islands of the Kuril ridge, and the annual catch was 100,000 individuals. There is no such number of sea lion rookeries anywhere in the world. When sailing near the islands, sailors use the roar of sea lions and the smell of their rookeries as a guide. The seal is found throughout the entire territory of the ridge. Fishing for her is much less. Near the southern islands, there are gray-bellied, humpback and gray whales, which are rarely found off the northern islands.
Also near the southern islands there are many dolphins, which are also the object of fishing. All harvested animals have wonderful skins (beaver, fur seal and sea lion), fat and tasty meat (seal and sea lion). The migratory route of whales, which in summer go to the Pacific Ocean for feeding and return for wintering to the shores of Korea and further to the south, runs along the Kuril Islands.

Commercially valuable large whales such as the herring whale or fin whale (Balaenopteraphysalus), sperm whale (Phyxtercutodon) and bottlenose whales can be found near the islands of the ridge. A variety of freshwater fish is found in rivers and lakes: mountain and key trout, roach. In summer, large herds of salmonids rush to the estuaries of the island rivers for spawning, where they become available for fishing. The characteristic salmon fish of the Sea of Okhotsk include pink salmon, sockeye salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and pink salmon, and the sima is found on the southern islands.

The coastal waters of the islands are home to many invertebrates: sea urchins, jellyfish, crabs, starfish, molluscs, sea cucumbers and sea anemones.

Due to the proximity of a large body of water, a large number of oceanic birds, typical of the southern and central parts of the Pacific Ocean, nest on the Kuril Islands. These include storm petrels, petrels, and albatrosses. Red-throated loons and ducks are found near freshwater reservoirs: merganser, mallard, teal, killer whale, sea crested duck, pintail and scoop. There are also many nesting sites for gulls, waders and terns. The Kuril Islands are rich in coastal seabirds, which form huge nesting colonies on majestic steep cliffs - bird colonies. These include talkative gulls (kittiwakes) and two types of guillemots, which lay their eggs in rock ledges, where they can then be collected and eaten. In the scree, burrows and cracks of rocks, sea auk nests - auk, guillemot, hatchet, and old men.

The largest bird colonies are located on the islands of Ketoy, Onekotan, Sirinkotan, Buroton and Usisiru, as well as on satellite islands - Kotani (Bird) rocks, Kamome and others.
Land birds are also very diverse. Forest birds live here, similar to those that live in Primorye and Kamchatka. These include bullfinches, nutcrackers, woodpeckers, jays, grosbeaks, tits, pikas and oatmeal. A large number of northern taiga birds live on the islands, these are tap dancers, bee-holes, nutcrackers and black woodpeckers. The southern half of the ridge is inhabited by the Japanese long-tailed tit, blue flycatcher, Japanese quail and others. The most common bird species are barn swallows, wagtails and larks. On the northern and middle islands of the Kuril ridge (Onekotane, Araito, Paramusire, Shumushu, Shimushiru and Haramukotane), the tundra partridge nests on treeless mountain peaks, which has its own special local subspecies - Logopusmu-tuskurilensis. The birds of prey of the islands include the peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, buzzard, hawks, several species of owls, huge eagles feeding on carrion. In total, 170 bird species live on the Kuril Islands, most of which nest in the south.

Most of the land mammals are forest animals. The northern and southern islands are home to the brown bear. Almost all islands are home to foxes - only small islands do not have it. The fox's fur is very beautiful, especially the black-brown fur. Due to the special value of fox fur, the Japanese have built fox nurseries on many islands. The southern islands are inhabited by squirrels, otters, hares, sables, as well as a huge number of small rodents.

There are few reptiles in the Kuril Islands; they can be found only in the southern part of the ridge. Also in this part there are many insects, which are practically absent on the middle islands and a little more on the northern ones. The southern islands are home to many ants, beetles, cockroaches, bumblebees, ticks, mosquitoes, midges and flies.

Original plants of Sakhalin and Kuriles

Kuril bamboo Sasa kurilensis (Rupr.) Makino et Schibata

Dwarf cedar, "monkey trail" Pinus pumila (Pall.) Rgl.

The most prominent are powerful chickens. ooze of butterbur, bear's pipe, buckwheat and rosewort. Japanese butterbur Petasites japonicus (Siebold et Zucc.) Maxim.

Bear pipe, angelica bearish Angelica ursina (Rupr.) Maxim.

Highlander, Sakhalin buckwheat Polygonum sachalinense Fr. Schmidt

Highlander, Weirich buckwheat Polygonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt

Cannabis rootwort (with butterbur) Senecio cannabifolius Less.

In the spring, representatives of the aroid family of the Kamchatka calla arum were among the first to appear against the background of last year's withered foliage.

Symplocarpus renifolius Symplocarpus renifolius Schott

Anemone Raddeana Regel

Marigold Caltha fistulosa Schipcz.

Gray's bifolia Diphylleia grayi Fr. Schmidt is a rare relict plant with beautiful flowers, berry-like dark blue fruits, unusual outline leaves and an unusual chain-like rhizome, consisting of large rounded links - traces of annual shoots. Areal type - island

Gray's bifolia Diphylleia grayi Fr. Schmidt

Trillium camtschatcense Ker-Gawl. Solid carpets form the original Kamchatka trillium with a large triple flower and three broad-oval leaves gathered in a whorl. Numerous representatives of this genus are native to North America and are called "forest lilies".

Lily Glena Lilium glehnii Fr. Schmidt - Glen's giant lily reaches two meters in height. The strong aroma of large flowers is felt from a distance. Island type of distribution. Quite rarely comes across Japanese kandyk with a graceful delicate flower, reminiscent of a cyclamen. Insular area.

Japanese kandyk Erythronium japonicum Decne

Iturup, larch

Clintonia udskaya Clintonia udensis Trautv. et Mey. In the dark coniferous forest, one cannot fail to notice the beautiful Uud Clintonia with magnificent brushes of "porcelain" flowers. Its dark blue berry-like fruits are also decorative.

Krasnika, "klopovka", vaccinium outstanding Vaccinium praestans Lamb.B grows in mass on forest burned-out areas. It is the "highlight" of the Sakhalin berry "plantations", it has a wonderful, unique taste.

Oriental ostrich Matteuccia orientalis (Hook.) Trev. The tall eastern ostrich (island range) thrives on the slopes of streams.

Plagiogyria Matsumura Plagiogyria matsumurana Makino. Plagiogyria of Matsumura (Iturup, Urup, Japan) with shiny leathery leaves. She hides from the weather under the cover of bamboo, occupying its outskirts.

Japanese Chistus Osmunda japonica Thunb ...

Asiatic puree Osmunda asiatica (Fern.) Ohwi - Asiatic puree is common on Sakhalin.

Foot maidenhair Adianthum pedatum L. (on the right) together with Japanese chitus and Oriental ostrich. The maidenhair foot is distinguished by its decorativeness - an openwork graceful fern with delicate fan-shaped leaves.

Japanese leaflet Phyllitis japonica Kom. Japanese leaf fern is unusual in appearance, with not dissected linear leaves at all.

Medium coniogram Coniogramme intermedia Hieron - medium coniogram fern.

Short-fruited rhododendron Rhododendron brachicarpum D. Don The very rare short-fruited rhododendron, reaching a height of three meters, with spectacular large flowers on Iturup near the Atsonupuri volcano, is striking in its size. unique location- fir forest - among the overgrown lava flows that have created bizarre boulders, grottoes and canyons. There are also many rare orchids.

Kamchatka rhododendron Rhododendron camtschaticum Pall. Common in the highlands

Golden rhododendron Rhododendron aureum Georgi Common in the highlands

Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata Siebold - up to 5 m shrub with many large white inflorescences.

Pedunculate hydrangea Hydrangea petiolaris Siebold et Zucc is one of the most decorative lianas of the temperate zone. This woody climbing liana is attached by thin air roots-suckers to trees - hydrangeas - island-type distribution

Rus, sumac dubious, "mustard" Rhus ambigua Lav. ex Dipp

Rus, sumac dubious, "mustard" Rhus ambigua Lav. ex Dipp. Doubtful sumac - woody liana or erect shrub up to 2 meters in height, with trifoliate leaves, brownish in spring and red-purple in autumn. It differs from other local lianas in triple-dissected, rather than whole leaves. Occurs: on Sakhalin - southwest, very rare; in the Kuril Islands: Kunashir and Shikotan - often, Iturup - less often, Urup - rarely. In many cases it forms continuous thickets. Sumakh ("mustard") upon contact gives ulcers, accompanied by severe itching. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The consequences of contact do not appear immediately, so the person does not know which plant burned him. In some places, mainly on the Okhotsk coast of the southern islands, it completely covers the ground, stones, climbs rocks and trees. Hairy sumac is a small beautiful tree with feathery leaves that turn red in autumn, collected at the top in a large beautiful whorl. Very rare, on Kunashir and Iturup. Both species have an insular range.

Aralia tall Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. Aralia tall - a small thorny tree ("devil's tree").

The fruits of the spiky yew (mahogany) Taxus cuspidata Siebold et ZuccTis spiky, mahogany, (sometimes with a very powerful trunk), with beautiful soft dark green needles, red-brown bark and bright red fruits.

Magnolia obovate Magnolia obovata Thunb. Kunashir is a beautiful slender tree with luxurious fragrant flowers and leaves falling for the winter.

Large-flowered lady's slipper Cypripedium macranthon Sw.

Cremastra variabilis (Blume) Nakai and oreorchis sprawling Oreorchis patens

Spinous orchis Orchis aristata Fish. ex Lindl. meadow

Kokushnik mosquito Gymnadenia conopsea (L.) R. Br .. meadow

Black cohosh simple Cimicifuga simplex Wormsk.

Rubus arcticus L.

Siberian anemone Anemone sibirica L. On the coastal meadows of Urup, the Siberian anemone dominates.

Edelweiss bicolor Leontopodium discolor Beauverd - edelweiss bicolor, graceful plant with a creamy "flower" of felt (pubescent) bracts

Sleep-grass, Ayan lumbago Pulsatilla ajanensis Regel et Til- The stony and dry places on Sakhalin are decorated with sleep-grass or Ayan lumbago, and in the Kuril Islands it is replaced by the sleep-grass Tarao. Shaggy large buds, pressed to the ground, resemble fluffy chickens.

Sleep-grass, lumbago Tarao Pulsatilla taraoi (Makino) Takeda ex Zam. et Paegie

Saxifraga sherlerioides D. Don Saxifraga cherlerioides D. Don Sherleria-shaped saxifrage and Fortune's saxifrage look spectacular. Most known to the population (due to its medicinal properties) compact stonecrop pink or "golden root" (with yellow flowers), which led to its complete disappearance in the immediate vicinity. Self-medication often ended in hospitalization.

Fortune's saxifrage Saxifraga fortunei Hook. f.

Sedum pink, "golden root" Sedum rosea (L.) Scop.

Sedum multi-stemmed Sedum pluricaule (Maxim.) Kudo and St. John's wort Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott. The creeping sedum plant with pink flowers (in the buds in the photo) and pinkish-gray beautiful greenery stands out noticeably, next to it is a small and compact stone fern, St. Woodsia multi-row is well adapted to the rocks.

Woodsia polystyrene Woodsia polystichoides D. Eat.

Eagle-leaf stellaria Stellaria ruscifolia Pall. ex Schlecht- is a relative of the "woodlice" garden weed.

Penny cape Hedysarum hedysaroides (L.) Schinz et Thell.

Fan catchment Aquilegia flabellata Siebold et Zucc. Dew droplets collect in its leaves, gray from a wax coating, and blue-violet flowers reach 7 cm in diameter.

Manchurian apple-tree Malus mandshurica (Maxim.) Kom. with fragrant pinkish-white flowers on the rocks turned into a dwarf tree

Chinese carnation Dianthus chinensis L

Sakhalin groats Draba sachalinensis (Fr. Schmidt) Trautv.

Sakhalin smolivka Silene sachalinensis Fr. Schmidt. Endemic, found only on high cliffs northwestern coast of the Tatar Strait (Sakhalin).

Kuril daisy Leucanthemum kurilense (Tzvel.) Worosch

Schmidt's wormwood Artemisia schmidtiana Maxim - Schmidt's wormwood is limited to the island territory

Large-flowered cinquefoil Potentilla megalantha Takeda is common in the Kuril Islands and extremely rare in Sakhalin.

Kuril Edelweiss Leontopodiu m Kurilense Takeda It is located on two islands: Shikotan and Iturup. Kuril edelweiss is an intensely pubescent plant with a large "star" formed by white tomentose bracts. True flowers are yellow, very small and clustered in the center of the "star".

Foreign dicenter, "broken heart" Dicentra peregrina (J. Rudolph) Makino. Among the rocky scree on the volcanoes is the center ("broken heart").

Penstemon shrub Penstemon frutescens Lamb. Common for highlands

Campanula lasiocarpa Cham

Primula, cuneiform primrose Primula cuneifolia Ledeb. In summer, on the northern islands, the snowfields, which persist until next winter, melt a little along the edges, and spring flora always bloom there, including primrose or wedge-leaved primrose.

Cassiopeia lycopodioides Cassiope lycopodioides (Pall.) D. Don

Phyllodoce Aleutian Phyllodoce aleutica (Spreng.) Heller

Alpine aster Aster alpinus L.

Whole-leaved miyakea Miyakea integrifolia Miyabe et Tatew One of the rarest alpine species is the whole-leaved miyakea - an endemic species (or genus), narrowly localized even within Sakhalin. Grows on the tops of the East Sakhalin Mountains. The whole plant is intensely pubescent, the bluish-lilac flower is surrounded by a shaggy veil. It blooms very early.

Bamboo

dwarf cedar - outside and inside Pinus pumila (Pall.) Rgl.

Ribs of a whale in the vicinity of a whale plant (island Simushir)

Leaves of lysichiton in summer

Thickets of fern "ostrich feather" (Kunashir island)

Egorova Elena Markelovna

C http://www.kuriles1.ru/orig/default.htm plants of candidate of biological sciences - Yegorova Elena Markelovna

Sakhalin and the Kuriles - a meeting of the north and south

Adianthum pedatum L. - Foot adiantum
Anemone raddeana Regel - Anemone Radde, Anemone Radde
Anemone sibirica L. - Siberian anemone, Siberian anemone
Angelica ursina (Rupr.) Maxim. - Angelica bear, Bear pipe
Aquilegia flabellata Siebold et Zucc. - The catchment is fan-shaped
Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. - Aralia high
Artemisia schmidtiana Maxim. - Schmidt's wormwood
Aster alpinus L. - Alpine aster
Caltha fistulosa Schipcz. - Fisty marigold
Campanula lasiocarpa Cham. - Hairy bellflower
Cassiope lycopodioides (Pall.) D. Don - Cassiopeia lycopods
Cimicifuga simplex Wormsk. - Black cohosh simple
Clintonia udensis Trautv. et Mey. - Clintonia Udskaya
Coniogramme intermedia Hieron - Medium coniogram
Cremastra variabilis (Blume) Nakai - Variable Cremastra
Cypripedium macranthon Sw. - Large-flowered lady's slipper
Dianthus chinensis L. - Chinese carnation
Dicentra peregrina (J. Rudolph) Makino - Foreign center, "Broken heart"
Diphylleia grayi Fr. Schmidt - Gray's Two-leafed
Draba sachalinensis (Fr. Schmidt) Trautv. - Krupka Sakhalin
Dryopteris fragrans (L.) Schott - Stone St. John's wort
Erythronium japonicum Decne. - Japanese Kandyk
Gymnadenia conopsea (L.) R. Br. - Kokushnik mosquito
Hedysarum hedysaroides (L.) Schinz. et Thell. - Penny penny
Hydrangea paniculata Siebold - Panicle hydrangea
Hydrangea petiolaris Siebold et Zucc. - Pedunculate hydrangea
Leontopodium discolor Beauverd - Edelweiss bicolor
Leontopodium kurilense Takeda - Kuril edelweiss
Leucanthemum kurilense (Tzvel.) Worosch. - Kuril Nivyanik
Lilium glehnii Fr. Schmidt - Lily Glena
Lysichiton camtschatcense (L.) Schott - Kamchatka calla (lysichiton)
Magnolia obovata Thunb. - Magnolia obovate
Malus mandshurica (Maxim.) Kom. - Manchurian apple tree
Matteuccia orientalis (Hook.) Trev. - Oriental ostrich
Miyakea integrifolia Miyabe et Tatew. - Whole-leaved Miyakeya
Orchis aristata Fish. ex Lindl. - spinous orchis
Oreorchis patens (Lindl.) Lindl. - Sprawling oreorchis
Osmunda asiatica (Fern.) Ohwi - Asian Osmunda, Asian Chistous
Osmunda japonica Thunb. - Japanese Osmunda, Japanese Chistous
Penstemon frutescens Lamb. - Penstemon shrub
Petasites japonicus (Siebold et Zucc.) Maxim. - Japanese butterbur
Phyllitis japonica Kom. - Japanese leaflet
Phyllodoce aleutica (Spreng.) Heller - Phyllodoce Aleutian
Pinus pumila (Pall.) Rgl. - Dwarf cedar
Plagiogyria matsumurana Makino - Plagiogyria Matsumura
Polygonum sachalinense Fr. Schmidt - Highlander (buckwheat) Sakhalin
Polygonum weyrichii Fr. Schmidt - Highlander (buckwheat) Weirich
Potentilla megalantha Takeda - Cinquefoil
Primula cuneifolia Ledeb. - Wedge-leaved primrose, Wedge-leaved primrose
Prunus kurilensis (Miyabe) Miyabe - Kuril prunus, Kuril cherry (plum)
Prunus sargentii Rehd. - Prunus Sargent
Prunus ssiori Fr. Schmidt - Prunus siori
Pulsatilla ajanensis Regel et Til. - Ayan lumbago, Ayan dream-grass
Pulsatilla taraoi (Makino) Takeda ex Zam. et Paegie - Tarao Lumbago, Dream-grass Tarao
Rhododendron aureum Georgi - Golden Rhododendron
Rhododendron brachicarpum D. Don - Short-fruited rhododendron
Rhododendron camtschaticum Pall. - Kamchatka rhododendron
Rhus ambigua Lav. ex Dipp. - Rus (sumakh) dubious
Rhus trichocarpa Miq. - Rus (sumac) hairy
Rubus arcticus L. - Arctic princess (raspberry)
Sasa kurilensis (Rupr.) Makino et Schibata - Kuril bamboo
Saxifraga cherlerioides D. Don - Sherleriform saxifrage
Saxifraga fortunei Hook. f. - Fortune's Saxifrage
Sedum pluricaule (Maxim.) Kudo - sedum multistem
Sedum rosea (L.) Scop. - Sedum pink, Golden root
Senecio cannabifolius Less. - Cannabis rootwort
Silene sachalinensis Fr. Schmidt - Sakhalin Smolevka
Stellaria ruscifolia Pall. ex Schlecht. - Eagle-leaf stellate
Symplocarpus renifolius Schott - Papifolia symplocarpus
Taxus cuspidata Siebold et Zucc. - Pointed yew
Trillium camtschatcense Ker-Gawl. - Trillium Kamchatka
Vaccinium praestans Lamb. - Vaccinium outstanding, Krasnika
Viburnum furcatum Blume ex Maxim. - Viburnum forked
Woodsia polystichoides D. Eat. - Woodsia multi-row

The considerable length from north to south of Sakhalin - 943 km, Kuril - 1200 km contributed to the formation of various vegetation belts: from tundra in the north to almost subtropics in the south, with a corresponding composition of flora. Of no small importance is the location of the archipelago with the dominance of ocean fogs and unpredictable wind conditions and flora of neighboring territories: about. Hokkaido and mainland East Asia... That is why the overwhelming majority of rare plants have areas of the East Asian and North Pacific types.
The southern island of Kunashir with a length of 100 km stands out especially, where not far from the sea there are very valuable and rich in interesting plants areas of broad-leaved forest, which can be called a natural botanical garden. They are also rich in flora. Iturup (200 km long) and the southwest of Sakhalin. Fr. Shikotan (50 km long).
Deserted territories, extreme weather (frequent and heavy rains, fogs, daytime temperature contrasts, etc.), the absence of trails restrain the enthusiasm of the pioneer. The northern islands with many non-melting snowfields are especially not hospitable. There are no trees, a lot of Maksimovich's resinous alder, which you remember for a long time.
The main enemy of the traveler is the impassable walls of bamboo and dwarf cedar. Giant thickets of tall grasses in the south - these large perennial herbaceous plants on fertile soils reach three to four meters in height during the summer season.

In addition to the listed plants, it is easy to notice other interesting and decorative tree species in the forests. Such as the Sargent cherry (Prunus sargentii Rehd.) With gorgeous deep pink flowers (up to 4 cm in diameter!) Completely covering the branches. Pink cloud of blossoming tree produces unforgettable impression, recalling the charm of cherry blossom. The shrub cherry (plum) kurilian (Prunus kurilensis (Miyabe) Miyabe) is also beautiful, strewn with many smaller light pink flowers. The large slender beautiful tree of the Siori bird cherry (Prunus ssiori Fr. Schmidt) with unusually long clusters of flowers is also surprising. Spectacular viburnum forked (Viburnum furcatum Blume ex Maxim.) Decorated with bright inflorescences and fruits, decorative in early spring, thanks to rather peculiar leaves with an elegant pattern of depressed veins.

Orchids are well represented. Particularly impressive are the rather large bright purple flowers of the large-flowered Venus's slipper. On powerful specimens, there are up to 15 flowers. Original rare cremastra changeable with purple large flowers, collected in an almost one-sided dense raceme (island type of area). The graceful spreading hareorchis is more common.

Plants of rocks and talus are especially distinguished. In conditions of struggle for existence in rocky plants, the leaf apparatus is significantly reduced and the number of flowers increases. Special life forms have developed: miniature plants with a mass of relatively large flowers, often covering the leaves. The stone surround is a gorgeous backdrop to highlight the beauty of the plant.

The inaccessible highlands are inhabited by peculiar plants. Special plant species have taken root on the tops of mountains and volcanoes. In conditions of low temperatures, specific humidification (constant humidity of the air and substrate with powerful drainage) and lighting (frequent fogs), the dominance of strong winds, compact plants densely pressed to the ground (or slag) were formed.

The main "owners" of the highlands are bamboo (in the south) and dwarf cedar (everywhere). The height of the bamboo plant is determined by the level of snow cover. When climbing after a bamboo, forest or open woodland, you find yourself in the belt of dwarf cedar.

flora of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin is unique. The islands are small in size and therefore particularly fragile and vulnerable. Their remoteness and low population partly ensure their safety. Unfortunately, wild plants are retreating further and further from settlements... And they are replaced by weeds ...

Terrestrial vegetation is scarce in the north of the ridge and somewhat richer in the south. Small-leaved forests and tall grasses dominate. Coniferous-deciduous and coniferous forests are less widespread. The flora of the Kuril Islands includes about a thousand plant species. The youthfulness of the surface and intense volcanism are associated with the low distribution of endemic and relict forms of plants and the uniqueness of the soils.

The soils have several humus horizons covered by volcanic ash. Their fertility depends on the composition of the ashes. On ashes with an abundance of phosphorus and lime, soils are more fertile than on ashes made of glassy acid particles. The soils of the Kuril Islands belong to the types of mountain-tundra, mountain-meadow, sod, silt-peat. Podzolic soils are not widespread.

On the northern islands, along with thickets of dwarf cedar and shrub alder, meadows and heath groves are widespread; above 550-1000 m there are mountain tundras, mainly shrub-lichen. They are characterized by heather, saxifrage, etc. In the middle part of the Kuril arc, from Rasshua Island to Iturup, the lower parts of the mountain slopes are surrounded by sparse birch forests of stone (elm-leaved) birch (Betula ulmifolia) and wet meadows. Birch forests often have an undergrowth of alder (Alnaster maximowiczii). Above are the belts of shrubs and heaths. In the north of this segment of the Kuril arc, heaths form the lowest belt (up to 100 m), descending into the damp and cooled foot of the slopes due to climatic inversion, and above them stone birch forests begin.

On the southern islands - Iturup, Kunashir - and the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge, the vegetation is more lush and varied. There are dense thickets of Kuril bamboo (Sasa kurilensis) and large umbellates. On the slopes of the mountains protected from the influence of the cold current, as well as on the plains and hills of the extreme south of the Kuril Range, coniferous-broad-leaved and broad-leaved forests with oaks, maple, elm, velvet, etc. grow. from Picea ajanensis, P. glehnii and Abies sachalinensis) with an admixture of deciduous trees, rising to 500-600 m.On Iturup and Shikotan there are also light forests of Kuril larch (Larix kurilensis). Above the coniferous forests are stone birch groves, and often at once thickets of dwarf cedar and shrub alder. Forests of the southern islands - the high humidity of the air depressingly affects the trees.

The islands are surrounded by boundless fields of seaweed, which make it difficult for ships to approach the coast.
http://www.www.ecosystema.ru/rusgeo/6_3_2_6.html

Why do the Japanese claim the Kuril Islands? I will try to retell it as briefly as possible.

The beginning of the conflict is rooted in the distant past, when there were no Russians or Japanese on the islands yet. In the Kuril Islands then

lived the Ainu - an indigenous people, today represented in Russia by only a hundred people.

When the Cossacks just began to develop the Far Eastern territories, they, for the most part, were concerned only with trade with

Ainu, therefore, for a long time no one dealt with the status of the lands. The Japanese, on the other hand, began to try to settle in these lands -

fortunately, they were close to the islands. In 1855, the Simod Treaty on Trade and Borders between Russia and

Japan. This document first determined the border of the possessions of the two countries in the Kuril Islands - it passed between the Iturup islands and

By that time, Japan had just emerged from two hundred years of self-isolation and began to behave quite aggressively. it

resulted in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which ended in a humiliating defeat for us. Russian empire

lost control not only over the Kuriles, but also over southern Sakhalin. Then, during World War II, the USSR spent

a landing operation against Japanese troops in order to capture the Kuril Islands. She was successful, and on February 2, 1946

year, in these territories, the Yuzhno-Sakhalin region was formed as part of Khabarovsk Territory RSFSR.

Thus, de facto, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands passed to the Union. But it was not legally fixed that

subsequently turned into a long conflict and confrontation - Japan sees the situation in its own way, the USSR and subsequently Russia

otherwise. However, the de facto disputed islands are still ours. Russians live there, our laws apply, etc.

And now I propose to see what the city of Kurilsk looks like on the disputed island of Iturup ...

2. Kurilsk (1500 people) is divided into two parts - the upper city and the lower one. Behind them is the village of Kitovoe. Kurilsk

by and large it has one street, to the right and left of which houses are randomly stumbled upon:

3. The lower town is partly located on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, partly inside the island:

4. The first thing that catches your eye is the "tsunami hazardous zone" signs:

5. The sign shows where to run in case of a cataclysm. Curiously, however, there was never a tsunami on the island, even when it shook

Fukushima:

6. The second thing that catches your eye is a huge number of parks decorated with pebble stones. Collected them on the beach under

the name Rattlesnake (due to the sound of pebbles during the waves). True, today all the stones from it have gone to architectural

statues, so they go to another part of the island for new material:

7. The whole city is owned by the company Gidrostroy, which despite the name is engaged in ... fish. She owns almost everything

what is in the city, and its head is a fan of all kinds of sculptures and compositions:

9. The park is made in a very original and futuristic way, you do not expect to see this in the center of Kurilsk:

10. In Kitovoy, everything is also very nice: observation deck framed in the form of a boat:

11. There is no embankment, but there is an open-air gazebo with benches and a table bolted to the floor:

12. The coolest entertainment in Kurilsk is baths. They are made in hot springs and cost mere pennies (200

rubles per hour). Each bath is separated from the others, in the center there is a faucet from which hot water is drawn for you. Order

it is necessary in advance:

13. The water is not only hot, but also contains all kinds of minerals and compounds. You won't lie in it especially for a long time:

14. There are also strange things in Kurilsk, for example, a paid toilet for 30 rubles. Moreover, a controller sits in it and sells tickets.

I wonder how much the city makes from this business?

A road is made next to the toilet. It should be noted that the asphalt came to the island five years ago, before that there was not a single road:

15. Panorama of the lower city:

16. There are three hotels in the city, I lived in this one:

17. But there is also an expensive hotel designed, as the locals told me, "for generals and FSB officers." In the understanding of residents

In the Kuril Islands, only employees with rank can be wealthy people. Notice how originally done

flowerbed in the form of a lightning:

18. There is a fountain in front of the hotel, and fish are being bred in the lake:

19. There are a lot of playgrounds in Kurilsk:

20. There are puddles in the courtyards, the rains here practically never stop:

21. Private sector:

22. And this shed is the building of the tax office. It's very unusual to see this, considering what kind of offices they are building for themselves in the rest of Russia:

23. Barber shop with bars on the windows:

24. Funeral services are combined with a photo studio and a copy center:

26. The city center consists of some shops - grocery, household, general and others:

27. Central street. On the sides of the storm, now they are being actively cleaned. In general, a lot of city residents are employed in the field

improvement:

28. They plant trees, make walking paths:

29. Upper city center, residential courtyard:

30. Kindergarten building:

32. And this, so to speak, is a sleeping area (3 minutes from the center):

33. The paths between the houses are either concreted or tiled:

34. There are three houses built with violations - you can clearly see how the building sits down:

35. How such a house was rented out and accepted is incomprehensible:

36. Several new piers have been built in the port. Now any ships can enter here:

37. The tent in which he passed international forum Iturup. They say that Dmitry Medvedev was a special guest:

38. Finally, the Kuril airport is the only airport built from scratch after the USSR. It is called "Clear" and it reads

some irony - it happens that passengers wait two weeks for the weather to fly off the island.