Sakhalin on the map of Russia, Sakhalin region. Where is the island, climate

Russia Region Sakhalin Region Population 520 K people

Sakhalin island

Sakhalin- an island off the east coast of Asia. Part of the Sakhalin Region, largest island as part of the Russian Federation. It is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (in the narrowest part, the Nevelskoy Strait, is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from the Japanese island of Hokkaido - by the La Perouse Strait.

The island got its name from the Manchu name of the Amur River - "Sakhalyan-ulla", which means "Black River" - this name, printed on the map, was mistakenly attributed to Sakhalin, and in further editions of maps it was printed as the name of the island. The Japanese call Sakhalin Karafuto, this name goes back to the Ainu "kamuy- kara-puto-ya-mosir ", which means" the land of the god of the mouth ".

In 1805, a Russian ship under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern explored most of the Sakhalin coastline and concluded that Sakhalin was a peninsula. In 1808, Japanese expeditions led by Matsuda Denzuro and Mamiya Rinzo proved that Sakhalin was an island. Most European cartographers were skeptical about the Japanese data. For a long time, on different maps, Sakhalin was designated either an island or a peninsula. Only in 1849 did the expedition under the command of G. I. Nevelskoy put an end to this issue, passing on the military transport ship "Baikal" between Sakhalin and the mainland. This strait was later named after Nevelskoy.

Geography

The island stretches meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. The length is 948 km, the width is from 26 km (Poyasok Isthmus) to 160 km (at the latitude of the village of Lesogorskoe), the area is 76.4 thousand km².

Sakhalin Island Map 1885

Relief

The relief of the island is composed of medium-high mountains, low mountains and low-lying plains. The southern and central parts of the island are characterized by mountainous relief and consist of two meridionally oriented mountain systems - the West Sakhalin (up to 1327 m in height - Mount Onor) and East Sakhalin mountains (up to 1609 m in height - in the city of Lopatin), separated by the longitudinal Tym- Poronaiskaya lowland. The north of the island (with the exception of the Schmidt Peninsula) is a gentle, hilly plain.

The shores of the island are weakly indented; large bays - Aniva and Terpeniya (wide open to the south) are located in the southern and middle parts of the island, respectively. V coastline there are two large bays and four peninsulas.

The following 11 regions are distinguished in the relief of Sakhalin:

The Schmidt Peninsula (about 1.4 thousand km ²) is a mountainous peninsula in the extreme north of the island with steep, sometimes steep shores and two meridional ridges - Western and Eastern; the highest point is Tri Brata (623 m); connected with the North Sakhalin plain by the Okha isthmus, the width of which at its narrowest point is just over 6 km;
The North Sakhalin Plain (about 28 thousand km ²) is a gently hilly area south of the Schmidt Peninsula with a widely ramified river network, weakly expressed watersheds and separate low mountain ranges, stretching from Baikal Bay in the north to the confluence of the Nysh and Tymisha rivers in the south point - Daakhuria (601 m); The northeastern coast of the island stands out as a sub-area, which is characterized by large lagoons (the largest are Piltun, Chayvo, Nyisky, Nabilsky, Lunsky bays), separated from the sea by narrow strips of alluvial spits, dunes, low sea terraces - in this sub-area and on the adjacent shelf Sea of Okhotsk the main Sakhalin oil and gas fields are located;
The West Sakhalin Mountains stretch almost 630 km from the latitude with. Hoe (51º19 "N) in the north to the Krillon Peninsula in the extreme south of the island; the average width of the mountains is 40-50 km, the largest (at the latitude of Cape Lamanon) is about 70 km; the axial part is formed by Kamyshovy (north of the Poyasok Isthmus) and South Kamyshovy Ridges;
The Tym-Poronayskaya lowland is located in the middle part of the island and is a hilly-ridged lowland stretching for about 250 km in the meridional direction - from the Terpeniya Bay in the south to the confluence of the Tym and Nysh rivers in the north; the maximum width (up to 90 km) reaches at the mouth of the Poronai River, the minimum (6-8 km) - in the valley of the Tym River; in the north it passes into the Nabil lowland; covered with a thick cover of Cenozoic sediments, composed of sedimentary deposits of the Quaternary period. sandstones, pebbles; very swampy southern part the lowland is called the Poronayskaya "tundra";
The Susunai Lowland is located in the southern part of the island and stretches for about 100 km from Aniva Bay in the south to the Naiba River in the north; from the west, the lowland is bounded by the West Sakhalin Mountains, from the east - by the Susunai Range and the Korsakov Plateau; in the southern part, the width of the lowland reaches 20 km, in the center - 6 km, in the north - 10 km; absolute heights in the north and south do not exceed 20 m above sea level, in the central part, at the watershed of the basins of the rivers Susuya and Bolshaya Takoy, they reach 60 m; refers to the type of internal lowlands and is a tectonic depression filled with a large layer of Quaternary deposits; within the limits of the Susunayskaya lowland are the cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aniva, Dolinsk and about half of the island's population lives;
The East Sakhalin Mountains are represented in the north by the Lopatinsky mountain cluster (the highest point is the city of Lopatina, 1609 m) with ridges radiating outward from it; two spurs in the opposite direction represent the Nabil ridge; in the south, the Nabilsky ridge passes into the Central ridge, in the north, sharply declining, into the North Sakhalin plain;
the lowland of the Terpeniya Peninsula - the smallest of the regions, occupies a large part of the Terpeniya Peninsula to the east of the Terpeniya Bay;
The Susunai Range stretches from north to south for 70 km and has a width of 18-120 km; the highest points are Mount Pushkinskaya (1047 m) and Chekhov Peak (1045 m); it is composed of Paleozoic deposits, at the foot of the western macroslope of the ridge is the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
The Korsakov Plateau is bounded in the west by the Susunai Lowland, in the north by the Susunai Range, in the east by the Muravyov Lowland, and in the south by the Aniva Bay, has a slightly wavy surface formed by a system of flat-topped ridge ridges elongated in the northeastern direction; the town of Korsakov is located on the southern tip of the plateau on the shores of Aniva Bay;
Muravyov lowland is located between Aniva bays in the south and Mordvinov bays in the north, has a ridged relief with flat tops of ridges; there are many lakes within the lowland, incl. the so-called "Warm Lakes", where the people of South Sakhalin like to go on vacation;
Tonino-Anivsky ridge stretches from north to south, from Cape Svobodny to Cape Aniva, almost 90 km, the highest point is Mount Kruzenshtern (670 m); composed of Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits.

View of the Sea of Okhotsk from high bank by the lighthouse in the Warm Lakes region

Climate

Sakhalin's climate is cool, moderately monsoon (the average January temperature is from -6 ° C in the south to -24 ° C in the north, in August - from + 19 ° C to + 10 ° C, respectively), marine with long snowy winters and short cool summers.

The following factors influence the climate:

The geographical location is between 46º and 54º N. conditions the arrival solar radiation from 410 kJ / year in the north to 450 kJ / year in the south.
The position between the Eurasian mainland and By the Pacific Ocean determines the monsoon climate. It is associated with a humid and cool, rather rainy Sakhalin summer.
The mountainous terrain affects the direction and speed of the wind. A decrease in wind speed in intermontane basins (in particular, in the relatively large Tym-Poronayskaya and Susunayskaya lowlands) contributes to cooling the air in winter and warming up in summer, it is here that the greatest temperature contrasts are observed; while the mountains protect the named lowlands, and also West Coast from the effects of the cold air of the Sea of Okhotsk.
In summer, the contrast between the western and eastern coasts of the island is enhanced by the correspondingly warm Tsushima Current in the Sea of Japan and the cold East Sakhalin Current in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The cold Sea of Okhotsk affects the island's climate as a giant thermal accumulator, determining a long cold spring and a relatively warm autumn: snow in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sometimes lasts until mid-May, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk flower beds can bloom until early November. If we compare Sakhalin with similar (in terms of climatic indicators) territories of European Russia, then the seasons on the island replace each other with a delay of about three weeks.

Air temperature and precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the XXI century (temperature: II.2001-IV.2009; precipitation: III.2005-IV.2009):

Parameters / Months	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	Vii	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Year
Maximum air temperature, ºС	1,7	4,1	9,0	22,9	25,0	28,2	29,6	32,0	26,0	22,8	15,3	5,0	32,0
Average air temperature, ºС	−11,6	−11,7	−4,6	1,8	7,4	12,3	15,5	17,3	13,4	6,6	−0,8	−9,0	3,2
Minimum air temperature, ºС	−29,5	−30,5	−25,0	−14,5	−4,7	1,2	3,0	4,2	−2,1	−8,0	−16,5	−26,0	−30,5
Amount of precipitation, mm	49	66	62	54	71	38	37	104	88	96	77	79	792

The maximum temperature on Sakhalin (+ 39 ° C) was noted in July 1977 in the village. Border on east coast(Nogliki district). The minimum temperature on Sakhalin (-50 ° C) was recorded in January 1980 in the village. Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district). The registered temperature minimum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is -36 ° C (January 1961), the maximum is + 34.7 ° C (August 1999).

The greatest average annual amount precipitation (990 mm) falls in the city of Aniva, the least (476 mm) - at the Kuegda meteorological station (Okha region). The average annual precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (according to long-term data) is 753 mm.

The earliest stable snow cover appears on Cape Elizaveta (Okhinsky District) and in the village of Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky District) - on average on October 31, the latest - in Korsakov (on average on December 1). The average dates for the melting of the snow cover are from April 22 (Kholmsk) to May 28 (Cape Elizabeth). In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, stable snow cover appears on average on November 22 and disappears on April 29.

The most powerful typhoon in the last 100 years ("Phyllis") hit the island in August 1981. The maximum precipitation then fell on August 5-6, and only from August 4 to 7, 322 mm of precipitation fell in the south of Sakhalin (about three monthly norms) ...

Inland waters

The largest rivers of Sakhalin:

River	Administrative district (s)	Where does	Length, km	Pool area, km²	Average annual runoff, km³
Burrow	Tymovskiy, Smirnykhovskiy, Poronayskiy	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	350	7990	2,49
The darkness	Tymovsky, Nogliksky	Nyisky Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	330	7850	1,68
Naiba	Dolinsky	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	119	1660	0,65
Lutoga	Kholmsky, Anivsky	Aniva Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	130	1530	1,00
Shaft	Nogliki	Chayvo Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	112	1440	0,73
Ainsky	Tomarinsky	lake Ainskoe	79	1330	...
Nysh	Nogliki	Tym river (left tributary)	116	1260	...
Uglegorka (Esutu)	Uglegorsk	Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait)	102	1250	0,57
Langeri (Langres)	Okhinsky	Amur estuary of the Sea of Okhotsk	130	1190	...
Big	Okhinsky	Sakhalin Gulf of the Sea of Okhotsk	97	1160	...
Rukutama (Vitnitsa)	Poronaisky	lake Nevskoe	120	1100	...
Reindeer	Poronaisky	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	85	1080	...
Lesogorka (Taimyr)	Uglegorsk	Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait)	72	1020	0,62
Nabil	Nogliki	Nabilsky Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk	101	1010	...
Malaya Tym	Tymovsky	Tym river (left tributary)	66	917	...
Leonidovka	Poronaisky	Poronai river (right tributary)	95	850	0,39
Susuya	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Anivsky	Aniva Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	83	823	0,08

There are 16120 lakes on Sakhalin with a total area of about 1000 km². The areas of their greatest concentration are the north and southeast of the island. The two largest lakes of Sakhalin are Nevskoye with a mirror area of 178 km² (Poronaysky district, near the mouth of the Poronai River) and Tunaicha (174 km²) (Korsakovsky district, in the north of the Muravyov lowland); both lakes belong to the lagoon type.

Natural resources

Sakhalin is characterized by a very high potential natural resources. In addition to biological resources, the reserves of which Sakhalin is one of the first in Russia, the island and its shelf have very large hydrocarbon reserves. In terms of the volume of explored reserves of gas condensate, the Sakhalin Region ranks 4th in Russia, gas - 7th, coal - 12th and oil - 13th, while within the region, the reserves of these minerals are almost entirely concentrated on Sakhalin and its shelf. Other natural resources of the island are timber, gold, platinum.

Flora and fauna

Both the flora and fauna of the island are depleted both in comparison with the adjacent areas of the mainland, and in comparison with the located south of the island Hokkaido.

Flora

As of the beginning of 2004, the flora of the island includes 1521 species of vascular plants, belonging to 575 genera from 132 families, and 7 families and 101 genera are represented only by alien species. The total number of alien species on the island is 288, or 18.9% of the total flora. According to the main taxonomic groups, vascular plants of the Sakhalin flora are distributed as follows (excluding invasive ones): vascular spore plants - 79 species (including lycopods - 14, horsetails - 8, ferns - 57), gymnosperms - 9 species, angiosperms - 1146 species ( including monocots - 383, dicots - 763). The leading families of vascular plants in the flora of Sakhalin are sedges ( Cyperaceae) (121 species excluding alien species - 122 species including alien species), Compositae ( Asteraceae) (120 - 175), cereals ( Poaceae) (108 - 152), rosaceous ( Rosaceae) (58 - 68), buttercup ( Ranunculaceae) (54 - 57), heather ( Ericaceae) (39 - 39), clove ( Caryophyllaceae) (38 - 54), buckwheat ( Polygonaceae) (37 - 57), orchid ( Orchidaceae) (35 - 35), cruciferous ( Brassicaceae) (33 - 53).

Fauna

Pink salmon goes to spawn in an unnamed river flowing into Mordvinov Bay

"Red Book"

The island's fauna, flora and mycobiota include many rare protected species of animals, plants and fungi. 12 species of mammals registered on Sakhalin, 97 species of birds (including 50 nesting ones), seven species of fish, 20 species of invertebrates, 113 species of vascular plants, 13 species of bryophytes, seven species of algae, 14 species of fungi and 20 species of lichens (t i.e. 136 species of animals, 133 species of plants and 34 species of mushrooms - a total of 303 species) have the status of protected, i.e. are included in the "Red Book of the Sakhalin Region", while about a third of them are simultaneously included in the "Red Book Russian Federation".

Of the "federal Red Book" flowering plants, the flora of Sakhalin includes heart-shaped aralia ( Aralia cordata), calypso bulbous ( Calypso bulbosa), Glen's cardiocrinum ( Cardiocrinum glehnii), Japanese sedge ( Carex japonica) and lead gray ( C. livida), lady's shoes are real ( Cypripedium calceolus) and large-flowered ( C. macranthum), two-leaved Gray ( Diphylleia grayi), capless cap ( Epipogium aphyllum), Japanese kandyk ( Erythronium japonicum), paunch high ( Gastrodia elata), xiphoid iris ( Iris ensata), ailantholus nut ( Juglans ailanthifolia), seven-bladed calopanax ( Kalopanax septemlobum), tiger lily ( Lilium lancifolium), Tolmachev's honeysuckle ( Lonicera tolmatchevii), long-legged winged ( Macropodium pterospermum), whole-leaved miyakia ( Miyakea integrifolia) (miyakia is the only endemic genus of vascular plants on Sakhalin), nest flower nest ( Neottianthe cucullata), peonies obovate ( Paeonia obovata) and mountain ( P. oreogeton), bluegrass rough ( Poa radula) and Viburnum Wright ( Viburnum wrightii), i.e. 23 kinds. In addition, there are eight more "federal Red Book" plants on the island: two types of gymnosperms - Sargent's juniper ( Juniperus sargentii) and pointed yew ( Taxus cuspidata), three species of ferns - Asian half-hair ( Isoёtes asiatica), Mikel's leperumor ( Leptorumohra miqueliana) and Wright's mecodium ( Mecodium wrightii), two species and one species of mosses - Japanese brioxify ( Bryoxiphium norvegicum var. japonicum), north necker ( Neckera borealis), and the dumbest plagiotetium ( Plagiothecium obtusissimum).

Population

According to the results of the 2002 census, the population of the island was 527.1 thousand people, incl. 253.5 thousand men and 273.6 thousand women; about 85% of the population are Russians, the rest are Ukrainians, Koreans, Belarusians, Tatars, Chuvashs, Mordovians, several thousand people each, representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North - Nivkhs and Oroks. 2002 to 2008 Sakhalin's population continued to decline slowly (by about 1% per year): mortality still prevails over births, and the attraction of labor from the mainland and from neighboring countries to Russia does not compensate for the departure of Sakhalin residents to the mainland. At the beginning of 2008, about 500 thousand people lived on the island.

The largest city on the island - regional center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (173.2 thousand people; 01.01.2007), others are relatively big cities- Korsakov (35.1 thousand people), Kholmsk (32.3 thousand people), Okha (26.7 thousand people), Nevelsk (17.0 thousand people), Poronaysk (16.9 thousand people).

According to the districts of the island, the population is distributed as follows (results of the 2002 census, people):

District	Whole population	%% of the total	Urban population	Rural population
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and subordinate settlements	182142	34,6	177272	4870
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky	17509	3,3	14764	2746
Anivsky	15275	2,9	8098	7177
Dolinsky	28268	5,4	23532	4736
Korsakovsky	45347	8,6	39311	6036
Makarovsky	9802	1,9	7282	2520
Nevelsky	26873	5,1	25954	921
Nogliki	13594	2,6	11653	1941
Okhinsky	33533	6,4	30977	2556
Poronaisky	28859	5,5	27531	1508
Smirnykhovsky	15044	2,9	7551	7493
Tomarinsky	11669	2,2	9845	1824
Tymovsky	19109	3,6	8542	10567
Uglegorsk	30208	5,7	26406	3802
Kholmsky	49848	9,5	44874	4974
Sakhalin as a whole	527080	100	463410	63670

Story

Archaeological finds indicate that people appeared on Sakhalin in the Paleolithic, about 20-25 thousand years ago, when the sea level dropped as a result of glaciation and land "bridges" were restored between Sakhalin and the mainland, as well as Sakhalin and Hokkaido. (At the same time, along another land "bridge" between Asia and America, located on the site of the modern Bering Strait, Homo sapiens moved to the American continent). In the Neolithic (2-6 thousand years ago) Sakhalin was inhabited by the ancestors of modern Paleo-Asian peoples - the Nivkhs (in the north of the island) and the Ainu (in the south).

The same ethnic groups constituted the main population of the island in the Middle Ages, with the Nivkhs migrating between Sakhalin and the lower Amur, and the Ainu between Sakhalin and Hokkaido. Their material culture was in many ways similar, and their livelihoods were provided by fishing, hunting and gathering. At the end of the Middle Ages (in the XVI-XVII centuries), Tungus-speaking peoples appeared on Sakhalin - the Evenks (nomadic reindeer herders) and the Oroks (Uilta), who, under the influence of the Evenks, also began to engage in reindeer husbandry.

According to the Shimoda Treaty (1855) between Russia and Japan, Sakhalin was recognized as their joint indivisible possession. According to the St. Petersburg Treaty of 1875, Russia received the Sakhalin Island as property, in return transferring all the northern Kuril Islands to Japan. After defeat Russian Empire in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Japan received South Sakhalin (part of Sakhalin Island south of the 50th parallel). As a result of the victory over Japan during World War II, the Soviet Union(RSFSR) included the entire territory of Sakhalin Island and all Kurile Islands... On the territory or part of the territory of about. Sakhalin in current time there are no claims either from Japan or any other country.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was founded by the Russians in 1882 under the name Vladimirovka. After the victory of the USSR and its allies in World War II, together with the entire island, it passed to the USSR.

Sakhalin is an elongated island located in the Pacific Ocean. In the Russian Far East (between 45 ° 50 'and 54 ° 24' north latitude). Together with the Kuril Islands, it forms the Sakhalin region, the capital of which is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

The island is 948 km long from north to south, with an average width of several tens of kilometers. The island covers 76,400 square kilometers, making it the 23rd largest spicy island in the world.

Sakhalin Island is within walking distance from the Asian continent, from which it is separated by the Tatar Strait; in the northern part, the distance to the continent narrows to about 7 km. In the south, it is separated from the Japanese Hokkaido by the La Perouse Strait. North point the islands are Cape Elizabeth and Cape Crillon is the southernmost point.

The territory of the island is mostly mountainous, with the exception of the northern part, where the northern lowlands begin. The central and southern mountains are mainly elongated in the meridional direction, the largest of which is the Western chain. In the Eastern chain, Mount Lopatina (1609 m) is the highest point of the island. There are no major rivers on the island.

Climate

There is enough on Sakhalin Island low temperature, for its latitude, this is due to cold sea currents that bring cold to the shores of Sakhalin, the western shores of Sakhalin are most prone to cold.

The island has very cold winters, with January temperatures ranging between -18 ° C and -25 ° C in the north and between -6 ° C and -12 ° C in the south. The rise in temperature occurs very slowly, due to the proximity of cold seas, so spring comes late, about three weeks later than on the mainland. The hottest month of the year is usually August, when the average temperature is between 11 ° C and 16 ° C in the north and between 16 ° C and 20 ° C in the south.

Population

At the beginning of the 20th century, about 32,000 Russians (of whom 22,150 were deported) lived on the island along with several thousand natives. Currently, Sakhalin has 673,000 inhabitants, of which 83% are Russians. The 400,000 Japanese who lived in the southern part of the island were forced to take refuge in Japan after World War II. The capital Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, which has almost 200,000 inhabitants, is home to a small number of Koreans who were brought here during World War II to work in coal mines.

Popular science film about the nature of Fr. Sakhalin, ecology and life of indigenous peoples

Sakhalin makes an indelible impression on the traveler. It is enough to look at the photos of these places, you fall in love with this amazing land in absentia, the local landscapes are so beautiful. There are sights that are historical heritage, but the main wealth of the Sakhalin region is its natural monuments.

The regional museums of the region display expositions reflecting the life of the indigenous peoples. In addition, here you can see exhibitions dedicated to the modern culture of the countries of the East, walk around Chekhov's places. Of course, interesting is the museum of railway equipment in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, which, by right, is considered one of the most visited attractions in the region.

The museum is interesting, first of all, for its unique technology, as well as for the narrow-gauge railway, which has no analogues in the whole world: its track gauge is 1067 mm, and it is fully operational. So part of the museum's collection is located right below open air... Here you can see a variety of carriages, mini-steam locomotives of the 30s of the XX century, and other old equipment.

Interesting are also such island rarities as the old branch of the railway line, located between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kholmsk, or the narrow-gauge railway Nogliki-Okha, which operates to this day in the north of Sakhalin, and other monuments of the heritage of the Karafuto governorate, as well as lighthouses with a century-old history, an unusual tunnel in the form of a broken line at Cape Jonkier, not far from Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, laid in solid rocky ground by convicts, parking ancient man and much more.

However, the greatest interest is caused not by man, but by nature itself. A place that any tourist wants to see is a tiny piece of land in the Sea of Okhotsk east of Sakhalin, which is marked on all maps of the world as Tyuleniy Island. There is a unique rookery of fur seals, you can see such an accumulation of these sea animals only here and near the Commander Islands in the USA. And although no ship has the right to approach the protected area closer than 30 miles, and aircraft are prohibited from flying over this place, you can get here on an excursion.

The sights of Sakhalin include its thermal springs: Lesogorskie (near the village of Lesogorsk, along the Lesogorka river), Lunskie (on the Lunsky Bay, in the isthmus region), Daginskie (in the village of Goryachy Klyuchi, half a kilometer from the Nogliki-Okha highway).

In the Krasnogorsk region you can see a grove of relict yews, not far from the village of Vakhrusheva, admire the amazingly beautiful waterfall of the Nituy River, marvel at huge stone statues similar to idols from Easter Island on Cape Stukabis or rock arches of Cape Velikan, and not far from the villages of Staradubskoe and Vzmor Sakhalin amber of the color of thick tea with a cherry tint, which is not inferior in quality to the Baltic amber.

Of course, these are not all the wonders of Sakhalin, which these lands are so generously endowed with. You just can't tell everything. Perhaps the last thing I would like to mention is salmon spawning, which is also one of the main natural attractions of the Sakhalin Region. Anyone who has never seen how stubbornly this sea fish goes to spawning grounds, jumping over rapids and overcoming waterfalls flowing into the ocean of streams, it will be extremely interesting to observe this amazing natural phenomenon.

mountain Sister Sakhalin Island

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT SAKHALIN

Sakhalin is the largest island in Russia, washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, separated from the mainland by the narrow Tatar Strait and the Nevelskoy Strait, and from the island of Hokkaido by the La Perouse Strait.

Until the 19th century, the status of Sakhalin was not defined. For the first time it was secured to Russia by the St. Petersburg Treaty of 1875, according to which the island of Sakhalin was transferred to Russia, and the northern Kuril Islands became the property of Japan.

Immediately after the conclusion of this treaty, tsarist Russia identified Sakhalin as a place of exile and hard labor for criminals. After the end of the Russo-Japanese War and the signing of the Portsmouth Treaty, Japan received South Sakhalin However, in 1920, the Japanese occupation of Northern Sakhalin began, which lasted until 1925. After the end of World War II, the entire territory of Sakhalin Island was incorporated into the USSR.

Sakhalin attracts tourists primarily with its unique nature. Mount Vaida (900 meters above sea level) and Vaidia cave - unique natural complex... In the cave, you can admire the bizarre stalactites and stalagmites and other wonders.

In addition to its healing properties, Daginsky thermal springs are also a unique natural monument. This is a very unusual sight - the ponds outgoing by the ferry, in which wild swans swim, surrounded by pristine nature.

Sakhalin is famous for its mineral springs and curative mud. Near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk there is a unique mineral spring Sinegorsk, carbonic bicarbonate-chloride sodium water with a high arsenic content. This rare type of natural mineral water is used in the treatment of diseases with impaired cellular metabolism and radiation sickness. Procedures with carbonic-arsenic waters and for the treatment of hematopoietic organs are used.

On the shores of the Tatar Strait there are balneological health resorts using sea silt sulphide mud. This mud is used to treat slow healing ulcers and other skin diseases of various origins.

The Daginsky thermal springs of Sakhalin treat such severe diseases of the musculoskeletal system as arthrosis, arthritis, polyarthritis, neuritis, sciatica, osteochondrosis, as well as most skin diseases.

On the eastern outskirts of the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk there is a modern, well-equipped ski base"Mountain air". About 10 kilometers ski slopes of different categories of difficulty are laid along the slopes of Mount Bolshevik. A modern snow park has been built for snowboarders, equipped with jumps and rails, and a special chute has been arranged for tubing lovers. The slopes are equipped with a drag lift and a gondola-chair lift.

Burunnaya Bay Sakhalin Island

GEOGRAPHY OF SAKHALIN ISLAND, WHERE IT IS, HOW TO GET THERE

Sakhalin (Japanese 樺太， Chinese 库页 / 庫頁) is an island off the east coast of Asia. It is part of the Sakhalin Region. The largest island in Russia. It is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (in the narrowest part - the Nevelskoy Strait - it is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from Japanese island Hokkaido - La Perouse Strait.

The Japanese call Sakhalin Karafuto, this name goes back to the Ainu "kamui-kara-puto-ya-mosir", which means "land of the god of the mouth." In 1805, a Russian ship under the command of I.F.Kruzenshtern explored most of the Sakhalin coastline and concluded that Sakhalin was a peninsula. In 1808, Japanese expeditions led by Matsuda Denzuro and Mamiya Rinzo proved that Sakhalin was an island. Most European cartographers were skeptical about the Japanese data. For a long time, on different maps, Sakhalin was designated either an island or a peninsula. Only in 1849 did the expedition under the command of G. I. Nevelskoy put an end to this issue, passing on the military transport ship "Baikal" between Sakhalin and the mainland. This strait was later named after Nevelskoy.

Tikhaya Bay Sakhalin Island

TOURISM IN SAKHALIN

Sakhalin Oblast Tourism

The tourist potential of the Sakhalin Region is huge, although not fully exploited. The island of Sakhalin and the Kuriles itself is a treasury of the Far Eastern nature. And the focus on tourism, which is being made today by local authorities and business representatives, will bring it to one of the leading positions in the economy of the islands.

The area is primarily of interest to Japanese tourists, which is due to the presence of natural and historical resources. As for the infrastructure, it is poorly developed. Nevertheless, at the beginning of 2011, 57 travel companies operated in the region, of which 34 were tour operators and 23 travel agents.

Sakhalin Region is an attractive territory for the development of ecotourism. True, most travel companies are still focused on outbound tourism. 90% of those entering are Japanese citizens who require a high level of comfort from accommodation, transport, information services, which is not inferior to the Japanese. Therefore, today many hotels in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk strive to provide services High Quality, in terms of safety, sanitation and comfort. Many restaurants operating in hotels offer a menu, including oriental cuisine, and even a separate Japanese one.

In addition, with the assistance of the regional administration, a number of measures were carried out at the expense of investors, the purpose of which is to support and develop the tourism industry. As part of the work to preserve the monuments of Japanese culture, an action was carried out to improve the territory of the former treasury of the Karafuto jinja temple.

Sakhalin Energy, together with the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Sakhalin Region, implemented a project to arrange an ecological route to Chekhov Peak. The construction of a tourist complex in the village. Hot Springs of the Nogliki District. Landscaping of the territory of the tourist base "Aquamarine" (the village of Lesnoye, Korsakovsky district) was carried out. Construction issue is being discussed tourist complex on the territory of Lesogorsk thermal mineral springs. A catalog of investment proposals in the field of tourism has been formed, including a proposal for the development of beach areas in the Sakhalin region.

And finally, a megaproject is underway in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to create the Sakhalin City Center, which will globally change the focus in tourism, because investors expect that upon completion of the project Sakhalin will become a tourist mecca, and inbound tourism will generate income.

natural rock arch at Cape Kuznetsov

Today in the Sakhalin region one of the best ski resorts in the region. For this type of recreation, the Sakhalin winter provides excellent opportunities. In the south of the island, abundant snow cover lasts an unusually long time (up to 6 months), not only in medium-high mountain peaks but also in the valleys - which perfectly matches the standards of Olympic winter outdoor sports. If desired, skiers can extend the season for another couple of months on the slopes of the highest Sakhalin mountain, Lopatina, which is located in the middle of the island.

A wide variety of recreational routes with visits to thermal springs in different parts of the region, where you can take advantage of unique healing mineral waters and muds that meet a wide range of medical needs, ranging from gastrotherapy, neuropathology, to severe skin diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Some travel companies are already ready to provide the most interesting entertainment and sports programs. This is water tourism, with rowing on kayaks, rafting and catamarans, sea travel on yachts, and autotourism, and the most interesting hiking trails along Sakhalin and the Kuriles, and helicopter trips to completely inaccessible corners of the Sakhalin region.

Well, and exotic. Unique geological natural monuments, an abundance and variety of seafood, races on relict reindeer sleds and supermodern snowmobiles, bear hunting, professional fishing, all kinds of water activities, visiting rookeries of sea animals and much more.

Sea of Okhotsk

ROUTES IN SAKHALIN

Sakhalin Island Routes

Sakhalin land is beautiful and amazing, there are so many interesting things here that you can fall in love with it in absentia. It is difficult to tell about everything, but it is easy to imagine how difficult the choice of a tourist is, because you want to see as much as possible. And this despite the fact that the tourism sector is not fully developed here, especially the Kuril Islands, which are part of the Sakhalin Region. The routes are very different, from quite budgetary ones to striking in their cost and scope of ideas, like trips by helicopter to the Southern Kuriles or along Sakhalin, for example, to the lake "Upper" of the Spamberg Mountain, which has no connection with the outside world.

Quite expensive tours include bear hunting and deer hunting. However, most are classified as ecological tourism, which includes fishing, berry picking, diving, boat trips on the lakes.

LLC "Imperial Tour" is ready to take you to the Dolinka River on an all-terrain vehicle, to Lake Ainskoye on a GAZ-66 car, to assist in trips to the Kura River and Lake Ptichye.

Travel company LLC "Moguchi" offers routes for corporate recreation, in particular, delivery to the hard-to-reach Sakhalin peninsula - Cape Krillon. The rocky islands of Hirano, the seal rookery, visiting historical sites(Cape Kanabeyev, Hochemina trail, old Japanese bridges, grottoes), numerous waterfalls and weeping rocks. The huntsman-guide will demonstrate how commercial fishing for pink salmon goes, then he will show how to cook five-minute red caviar in field conditions, Sakhalin-style fish soup, pink salmon baked in burdocks. I must say that seafood and fish will constantly be present on your table, regardless of the direction of the path that you choose.

The company organizes trips to the north of Sakhalin, to its Okha region, where you can hunt bears, fur-bearing animals and feathered game, go fishing and just watch local birds and animals. From here you will certainly bring unique photographs.

Row interesting routes offers "Intour-Sakhalin". The 50th Parallel program is a trip to the Japanese places of the island. The route starts in Korsakov, then tourists visit lakes Tunaicha and Chastichivoe, Poronaysk, the former border between the USSR and Japan, the so-called 50th Parallel, settlements Pobedino, Smirnykh, the city of Kholmsk.

The company organizes the route Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Tikhaya Bay, with a stop in Vzmorye and a visit to a Japanese temple. The Intur-Sakhalin arsenal has many one-day programs: a tour to the Mogutan mud volcano in the village of Pugachevo and a geological monument in the vicinity of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, nicknamed the "frog" for its shape; excursion around the territory of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin ski resort; Boat trip to Cape Vindis and Cape Kuznetsov, on the slopes of the sea terraces of which countless cormorants, gulls, guillemots nest, and where you can see sea lions and seals all year round. In the form of one-day routes, you can also get acquainted with other sights of Sakhalin (Moneron Island, Cape Velikan, Cape Krillon).

In winter, for those wishing to rest in Nekrasovka (Nogliki district of Sakhalin) with sleigh rides in a dog sled through Cape Tatyana to Moskalev and back.

In summer, a 6-day route to the Susunai Valley is good for recreation (Lake Tunaicha, fishing on the Komissarovka River, in the vicinity of the village of Pervaya Pad and on Teplye Lakes, as well as a visit to Cape Svobodny on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk). Sakhalin island

In the south of the island, Intur-Sakhalin offers to climb the Bolshevik mountain by cable-gondola, climb Chekhov's peak, relax on Lake Tunaicha and the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and go to Starodubskoye to get acquainted with the place where amber is collected, which the sea throws on the shore after the storm.

The route "Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk - Nogliki" includes a visit to the village of Goryachy Klyuchi, near which healing hot springs are located. The concert of the Nivkhinka folklore ensemble adds an exotic touch to the trip.

Recreational routes include a trip to Sinegorsk, which is famous for its mineral springs and the sanatorium "Sinegorskie mineral water". Water from these springs is also used in medical institutions in Dolinsk.

There are routes for outdoor enthusiasts. One of them is the conquest of Mount Lopatin (1609 m).

As part of a 9-day tour, the tourist company "Mishka Tour" offers a walking tour to an extraordinary beautiful monument nature - the Zhdanko ridge. Accompanied by qualified guides and certified rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, you can go on a speleological tour to the caves of Mount Vaida or climb the 20-meter Khomutovsky rocks, climb Peak Smely, take an ice-climbing course on the unusually beautiful icefalls of the Zhdanko Ridge. Each participant of the excursion receives special equipment, undergoes mandatory instructions and learns to work with a rope, at heights and in caves. The head of the route always has means for scaring away animals (hand flares), radio stations, a satellite phone, a first aid kit, and rescue equipment.

An extreme tour in the Dolinsky district involves a rope crossing over a roaring threshold mountain river and a deep canyon. You will have the opportunity to walk around the area and see places of unique beauty.

Also, with experienced travel agency instructors, you can dive in the area of Cape Juno or in a sea lion rookery in the Nevelsk area to observe the life of these animals under water, explore the seabed near the village of Prigorodnoye (Snorkeling), see gray whales from the Piltun Cape lighthouse, challenge Sakhalin lakes, having mastered kayaking.

For fans of extreme sports, a one-day rafting along the upper reaches of the Krasnoarmeyka River, with the passage of the Bykovsky Rapid, one of the most difficult and most beautiful in the south of Sakhalin. Another extreme route is a 3-day rafting on catamarans along Lutoga. Each participant of the excursion is provided with quality equipment. At other times and in a different way, you can come to the upper reaches of the Lyutoga to watch salmon spawning.

In addition, "Mishka Tour" provides one-day boat trips along hard-to-reach capes and bays off the western coast of the Tonino-Aniva Peninsula, along the ancient volcanoes of the Zhdanko ridge, a trip to Cape Burunny, to Cape Kuznetsov.

The Ostrov travel agency specializes in fishing and hunting tours. It offers its clients routes to the bays of Nyisky and Nabil, to the rivers Dagi, Tym, Lyutoga, Poronai, rafting on the Evay river with fishing in Chayvo Bay, hunting in the central and southern parts of the island.

With the travel agency LLC "Island travel" Sivuch "you can see the most beautiful waterfalls of the island. Visit the shore of the waterfalls at Cape Bird, admire the Uyunovsky and Aikhor waterfalls, as well as the waterfall on Olkhovatka, go to the Imperial Lake.

Island Noticeable, Tikhaya Bay

SAKHALIN ISLAND RELIEF

The shores of the island are weakly indented; large bays - Aniva and Terpeniya (wide open to the south) are located in the southern and middle parts of the island, respectively. The coastline has two large bays and four peninsulas.

The following 11 regions are distinguished in the relief of Sakhalin:

The Schmidt Peninsula (about 1.4 thousand km ²) is a mountainous peninsula in the extreme north of the island with steep, sometimes steep shores and two meridional ridges - Western and Eastern; the highest point is Tri Brata (623 m); connected with the North Sakhalin plain by the Okha isthmus, the width of which at its narrowest point is just over 6 km;

The North Sakhalin Plain (about 28 thousand km ²) is a gently hilly area south of the Schmidt Peninsula with a widely ramified river network, weakly expressed watersheds and separate low mountain ranges, stretching from Baikal Bay in the north to the confluence of the Nysh and Tymisha rivers in the south point - Daakhuria (601 m); The northeastern coast of the island stands out as a sub-area, which is characterized by large lagoons (the largest are Piltun, Chayvo, Nyisky, Nabilsky, Lunsky bays), separated from the sea by narrow strips of alluvial spits, dunes, low sea terraces - in this sub-area and the main Sakhalin oil and gas fields are located on the adjacent shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk;

The West Sakhalin Mountains stretch almost 630 km from the latitude with. Hoe (51º19 "N) in the north to the Krillon Peninsula in the extreme south of the island; the average width of the mountains is 40-50 km, the largest (at the latitude of Cape Lamanon) is about 70 km; the axial part is formed by Kamyshovy (north of the Poyasok Isthmus) and South Kamyshovy Ridges;

The Tym-Poronayskaya lowland is located in the middle part of the island and is a hilly-ridged lowland stretching for about 250 km in the meridional direction - from the Terpeniya Bay in the south to the confluence of the Tym and Nysh rivers in the north; the maximum width (up to 90 km) reaches at the mouth of the Poronai River, the minimum (6-8 km) - in the valley of the Tym River; in the north it passes into the Nabil lowland; covered with a thick cover of Cenozoic sediments, composed of sedimentary deposits of the Quaternary period: sandstones, pebbles; the highly swampy southern part of the lowland is called the Poronayskaya "tundra";

The Susunai Lowland is located in the southern part of the island and stretches for about 100 km from Aniva Bay in the south to the Naiba River in the north; from the west, the lowland is bounded by the West Sakhalin Mountains, from the east - by the Susunai Range and the Korsakov Plateau; in the southern part, the width of the lowland reaches 20 km, in the center - 6 km, in the north - 10 km; absolute heights in the north and south do not exceed 20 m above sea level, in the central part, at the watershed of the basins of the Susuya and Bolshoi Takay rivers, they reach 60 m; refers to the type of internal lowlands and is a tectonic depression filled with a large layer of Quaternary deposits; within the limits of the Susunayskaya lowland are the cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aniva, Dolinsk and about half of the island's population lives;

The East Sakhalin Mountains are represented in the north by the Lopatinsky mountain cluster (the highest point is the city of Lopatina, 1609 m) with ridges radiating outward from it; two spurs in the opposite direction represent the Nabil ridge; in the south, the Nabilsky ridge passes into the Central ridge, in the north, sharply declining, into the North Sakhalin plain;

Lowland of the Terpeniya Peninsula - the smallest of the regions, occupies a large part of the Terpeniya Peninsula to the east of the Terpeniya Bay;

The Susunai Range stretches from north to south for 70 km and has a width of 18-120 km; the highest points are Mount Pushkinskaya (1047 m) and Chekhov Peak (1045 m); it is composed of Paleozoic deposits, at the foot of the western macroslope of the ridge is the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;

The Korsakov plateau is bounded in the west by the Susunai lowland, in the north by the Susunai ridge, in the east by the Muravyov lowland, in the south by the Aniva Bay, has a slightly wavy surface formed by a system of flat-topped ridge ridges elongated in the northeastern direction; the town of Korsakov is located on the southern tip of the plateau on the shores of Aniva Bay;

Muravyov lowland (in the picture) is located between Aniva bays in the south and Mordvinov bays in the north, has a ridged relief with flat tops of ridges; within the lowland there are many lakes, including the so-called "Warm Lakes", where the people of South Sakhalin like to go on vacation;

Tonino-Anivsky ridge stretches from north to south, from Cape Svobodny to Cape Aniva, almost 90 km, the highest point is Mount Kruzenshtern (670 m); composed of Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits.

Cape Giant, Sakhalin

ATTRACTIONS OF SAKHALIN ISLAND

Bird lake

Beautiful and amazing lake in the south of Sakhalin island

Devil's bridge on Sakhalin

A unique structure on Sakhalin, located in this moment in a semi-disassembled state.

Bird waterfall

The largest waterfall on the island is Kunashir, which attracts a large number of tourists every year.

Volcano Golovnin

An active volcano on Kunashir Island with two amazing lakes at the bottom of the crater

Cape and Lighthouse Aniva

Cape in the southeast of Sakhalin Island with the lighthouse of the same name

White cliffs of Sakhalin

Amazing white rocks on the shores of the Okhotsk sea

Lake Tunaicha

One of the most favorite vacation spots for Sakhalin residents

Aikhor Sakhalin waterfall

Tyatya volcano

Huge active volcano located on Kunashir Island, Kuril Islands.

Iturup Island

South island Kuril ridge, a real treasure of natural attractions and a great place to relax in nature.

Cape Column

A unique rock formation on the Kunashir island.

Sakhalin hot springs

A unique source of healing water in the north of Sakhalin.

Cape Crillon

Cape Crillon is the most South point Sakhalin Islands

Ilya-Muromets waterfall

One of the largest and beautiful waterfalls Russia.

Tatar Strait Sakhalin

SAKHALIN CLIMATE

Sakhalin's climate is moderate monsoon (average January temperature is from -6 ° C in the south to -24 ° C in the north, August - from + 19 ° C to + 10 ° C, respectively), marine with long cold snowy winters and average warm summer. Average annual temperature in the north of the island (according to long-term data) it is about −1.5 ° C, in the south - + 2.2 ° C.

The following factors influence the climate:

The geographical location is between 46º and 54º N. determines the arrival of solar radiation from 410 kJ / year in the north to 450 kJ / year in the south.

In winter, the weather is largely determined by the Siberian anticyclone: at this time, northern and northwestern winds prevail, severe frosts can stand, especially in the central part of the island with a moderately continental microclimate. At the same time, winter cyclones can come from the south (which are practically absent in the mainland regions of the Russian Of the Far East), determining strong and frequent storms. So, in the winter of 1970, a series of snowy cyclones hit the region, accompanied by numerous avalanches. The wind reached a hurricane force (individual gusts - up to 50 m / sec), snow cover in the southern part of Sakhalin exceeded the norm by 3-4 times, reaching 6-8 m in some places.Burans paralyzed the work of all types of transport, seaports, industrial enterprises ...

The position between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean determines the monsoon nature of the climate. It is associated with a humid and warm, rather rainy Sakhalin summer. Summer starts in June and ends in September.

The mountainous terrain affects the direction and speed of the wind. A decrease in wind speed in intermontane basins (in particular, in the relatively large Tym-Poronayskaya and Susunayskaya lowlands) contributes to cooling the air in winter and warming up in summer, it is here that the greatest temperature contrasts are observed; at the same time, the mountains protect the named lowlands, as well as the western coast from the effects of the cold air of the Sea of Okhotsk.

In summer, the contrast between the western and eastern coasts of the island is enhanced by the correspondingly warm Tsushima Current. Sea of Japan, which reaches the southwestern tip of Sakhalin, and the cold East Sakhalin Current of the Sea of Okhotsk, which runs along the eastern coast from north to south.

The cold Sea of Okhotsk affects the climate of the island as a giant thermal accumulator, determining a prolonged cold spring and a relatively warm autumn: snow in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sometimes lasts until mid-May (and in 1963 heavy snowfall was noted on June 1), while the flower beds in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk can bloom until early November. If we compare Sakhalin with similar (in terms of climatic indicators) territories of European Russia, then the seasons on the island replace each other with a delay of about three weeks. For the same reason, the warmest month of the year in Sakhalin is August, and the coldest is February. The average September temperature is almost always higher than the average June.

city of Nevelsk

Air temperature

The maximum temperature on Sakhalin (+ 39 ° C) was noted in July 1977 in the village. Pogranichnoe on the east coast (Nogliki district). The minimum temperature on Sakhalin (-50 ° C) was recorded in January 1980 in the village. Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district). The registered temperature minimum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is -36 ° C (January 1961), the maximum is + 34.7 ° C (August 1999).

The highest average annual precipitation (990 mm) falls in the city of Aniva, the lowest (476 mm) - at the Kuegda meteorological station (Okha region). The average annual precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (according to long-term data) is 753 mm.

Frequent cyclones are often accompanied by floods. The latter took place in the southern part of the island already in 2009. Both in June and July 2009 in the south of Sakhalin there were three monthly precipitation norms, on July 15-16, the amount of precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk reached 107 mm, that is, almost two monthly norm. Many rivers overflowed their banks, twice due to the destruction of the railway line, traffic on the Sakhalin railway, connecting the south and north of the island, was stopped.

The most powerful typhoon in the last 100 years "Phyllis", moving from the Pacific Ocean to the northwest, hit the island in August 1981. The maximum precipitation then fell on August 5-6, and from August 4 to August 7, 322 fell in the south of Sakhalin mm of precipitation (about three monthly norms). The typhoon was accompanied by catastrophic floods. The water in some rivers rose 6.5 m, landslides and mudflows were observed. The situation was aggravated by stormy southeast winds causing a surge sea water on the coasts of Aniva and Terpeniya bays. The flood caused human casualties, more than two thousand families were left homeless. The Anivsky, Smirnykhovsky and Poronaysky districts were especially affected.

Typhoon Georgia hit the south of Sakhalin on September 18-19, 1970. In a matter of hours, the monthly norm of precipitation fell, the water on the rivers rose by 5 m, crops were flooded, a large number of livestock died, roads and railways were washed out. The hurricane wind led to massive destruction of power lines. There were human casualties.

2002 turned out to be fruitful for powerful typhoons: from July 11 to 15, typhoon "Chataan" and the tropical depression "Nerri" caused very heavy rains in the south of Sakhalin, mudflows, landslides. Roads were washed out, houses were flooded. On September 2, Typhoon Rusa again brought heavy downpours to the south of the island. The water in the rivers rose by 2.5-4.5 m. 449 houses were flooded, 9 bridges were destroyed. In the Nevelsk region, 80 mudflows came down. Finally, on October 2-3, Typhoon Higos, moving from the Japanese islands, crossed the southern part of Sakhalin and caused very heavy rains and storm winds. As a result of numerous accidents on power lines, there was no electricity in twenty settlements, roads were washed out. A ship sank in the Gulf of Patience. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a strong wind knocked down more than a thousand trees, several people were injured from their fall.

Aniva Bay

NATURAL RESOURCES

Sakhalin is characterized by a very high potential of natural resources. In addition to biological resources, the reserves of which Sakhalin is one of the first in Russia, there are very large reserves of hydrocarbons and coal on the island and its shelf. In terms of the volume of explored reserves of gas condensate, the Sakhalin Region ranks 4th in Russia, gas - 7th, coal - 12th (in the figure) and oil - 13th place, while within the region the reserves of these minerals are practically are entirely concentrated on Sakhalin and its shelf. Other natural resources of the island include wood, gold, mercury, platinum, germanium, chromium, talc, and zeolites.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Both the flora and fauna of the island are depleted both in comparison with the adjacent areas of the mainland, and in comparison with the island of Hokkaido located to the south.

The history of the floristic study of Sakhalin, probably begun by Fyodor Bogdanovich Schmidt in 1859, goes back more than 150 years.

As of the beginning of 2004, the flora of the island includes 1521 species of vascular plants, belonging to 575 genera from 132 families, and 7 families and 101 genera are represented only by alien species. The total number of alien species on the island is 288, or 18.9% of the total flora. According to the main taxonomic groups, the vascular plants of the Sakhalin flora are distributed as follows (excluding the invasive ones): vascular spore plants - 79 species (including lycopods - 14, horsetails - 8, ferns - 57), gymnosperms - 9 species, angiosperms - 1146 species (including including monocots - 383, dicots - 763). The leading families of vascular plants in the flora of Sakhalin are sedges (Cyperaceae) (121 species excluding invasive ones - 122 species including invasive ones), Asteraceae (120-175), Poaceae (108-152), Rosaceae (58 - 68), buttercup (Ranunculaceae) (54 - 57), heather (Ericaceae) (39 - 39), clove (Caryophyllaceae) (38 - 54), buckwheat (Polygonaceae) (37 - 57), orchid (Orchidaceae) (35 - 35), cruciferous (Brassicaceae) (33 - 53).

By life forms, the vascular plants of Sakhalin are distributed as follows: trees - 44 species, lianas - 9, shrubs - 82, shrubs - 54, semi-shrubs and semi-shrubs - 4, perennial grasses - 961, annual and biennial grasses - 79 (all figures are given without taking into account alien species).

The main forest-forming species of the coniferous forests of Sakhalin are Gmelin larch (Larix gmelinii) and fine-scaled larch (Larix leptolepis) introduced from Japan, ayan spruce (Picea ajanensis) and Glen spruce (Picea glehnii), Sakhalin pine fir (Abieslvest sympathy), introduced sachalinensis ). The predominant deciduous species are stone birch (Betula ermanii) and white (Betula alba), downy alder (Alnus hirsuta), aspen (Populus tremula), sweet poplar (Populus suaveolens), dew willow (Salix rorida), goats (Salix caprea) and heart-leaved (Salix cardiophylla), chozenia (Chosenia arbutifolia), Japanese elm (Ulmus japonica) and lobed elm (Ulmus laciniata), yellow maple (Acer ukurunduense).

There are 44 species of mammals on the island, the most well known of which are bear, sable, otter, American mink, reindeer, wolverine, musk deer, represented here by a special Sakhalin subspecies, raccoon dog, sea lion and others. About half of the Sakhalin theriofauna species are rodents.

There are 378 bird species recorded on Sakhalin; 201 of them (53.1%) nest on the island. The largest number of species (352) was recorded in the southern part of the island, 320 species were recorded in the central part, and 282 species in the northern part. Most nesting birds (88 species) are passerines; in addition, the avifauna has a high proportion of charadriiformes (33 nesting species), lamellar-billed (22 nesting species), owls and diurnal birds of prey (11 nesting species each).

seal rookery

RED BOOK

The island's fauna, flora and mycobiota include many rare protected species of animals, plants and fungi. 18 species of mammals registered on Sakhalin, 97 species of birds (including 50 nesting ones), seven species of fish, 20 species of invertebrates, 113 species of vascular plants, 13 species of bryophytes, seven species of algae, 14 species of fungi and 20 species of lichens (i.e. 136 species of animals, 133 species of plants and 34 species of mushrooms - 303 species in total) have the status of protected, that is, they are listed in the Red Book of the Sakhalin Region, while about a third of them are simultaneously included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Of the "federal Red Book" flowering plants, the flora of Sakhalin includes heart-shaped aralia (Aralia cordata), bulbous calypso (Calypso bulbosa), Glen's cardiocrinum (Cardiocrinum glehnii), Japanese sedge (Carex japonica) and gray-leaved turtle (Carex livida), venus Cypripedium calceolus) and large-flowered (Cypripedium macranthum), Grey's bifolia (Diphylleia grayi), leafless epiphyl (Epipogium aphyllum), Japanese kandyk (Erythronium japonicum), tall potbelly (Gastrodia elata), Iris enslifanthia) ), calopanax seven-lobed (Kalopanax septemlobum), tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium), Tolmachev's honeysuckle (Lonicera tolmatchevii), long-legged winged seedling (Macropodium pterospermum), whole-leafed leaf mugs of Rhodewort folia - Miyakea single leaf vascular plant (Miyakea) (Neottianthe cucullata), obovate peonies (Paeonia obovata) and mountain peonies (Paeonia or eogeton), rough bluegrass (Poa radula) and Wright's viburnum (Viburnum wrightii), that is, 23 species. In addition, there are eight more "federal Red Book" plants on the island: two types of gymnosperms - Sargent's juniper (Juniperus sargentii) and pointed yew (Taxus cuspidata), three species of ferns - Asiatic half-ear (Isoëtes asiatica), Mikel's leptorumor (Leptorumoh) Wright's mecodium (Mecodium wrightii), two species and one variety of mosses - Japanese bryoxiphium (Bryoxiphium norvegicum var.japonicum), northern necker (Neckera borealis), and the dumbest plagiotecium (Plagiothecium obtusissimum).

POPULATION

Sakhalin is the largest island in terms of population in the Russian Federation. As of January 1, 2010, the population of Sakhalin and the Kuriles was 510.9 thousand people, the population of Sakhalin Island is about 493 thousand people.

According to the 2002 census, 527,268 people lived on the island, including 253,304 men and 273,964 women. About 84% of the population are ethnic Russians, the rest are Koreans (5.6%), Ukrainians (4.0%), Tatars (1.2%), Belarusians (1.0%), Mordovians (0.5%), less than 1% of the population are representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North - the Nivkhs (0.5%) and the Oroks (0.06%). 2002 to 2009 Sakhalin's population continued to decline slowly (by about 1% per year): mortality still prevails over births, and the number of migrants arriving on the island from the mainland and from neighboring countries (China, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan ), lower than the number of Sakhalin residents leaving the island.

The largest city in Sakhalin is the regional center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (190,227 people), other relatively large cities are Korsakov (33,148 people), Kholmsk (29,563 people), Okha (21,830 people), Poronaysk (15,476 people) .), Dolinsk (11,885 people), Nevelsk (10,965 people).

HISTORY OF SAKHALIN

Archaeological finds indicate that people could appear on Sakhalin in the early Paleolithic era, about 250-300 thousand years ago. During the Pleistocene epoch, as a result of periodic glaciations, the level of the World Ocean dropped several times and land "bridges" appeared between Sakhalin and the mainland, as well as Sakhalin, Hokkaido and Kunashir. During the late Pleistocene, Homo sapiens penetrated Sakhalin: sites of modern humans, 20-12 thousand years old, were found in the southern and middle parts of the island, then along another land "bridge" between Asia and America, located on the site of the modern Bering Strait , Homo sapiens moved to the American continent). In the Neolithic (10-2.5 thousand years ago), the entire territory of Sakhalin Island was inhabited. Fishing and hunting for sea animals formed the basis of the material culture of people of that time, who led a sedentary lifestyle along the sea coast.

The ancestors of the modern Paleo-Asian peoples - the Nivkhs (in the north of the island) and the Ainu (in the south) - appeared on the island during the Middle Ages. At the same time, the Nivkhs migrated between Sakhalin and the lower Amur, and the Ainu - between Sakhalin and Hokkaido. Their material culture was in many ways similar, and their livelihood was supplied by fishing, hunting and gathering. At the end of the Middle Ages (in the 16th-17th centuries), Tungus-speaking peoples migrated to Sakhalin from the mainland - the Evenks (nomadic reindeer herders) and the Oroks (Uilta), who, under the influence of the Evenks, also began to engage in reindeer husbandry.

Cape Kuznetsov

How Sakhalin was discovered

At the end of the 16th century, as a result of Yermak's campaign for the Urals, vast lands were annexed to the Moscow state, stretching along the Tura, Tobol and Irtysh rivers. The Russians established themselves in these lands. The stories that reached them about the unprecedented riches of Siberia, about the innumerable abundance of precious fur-bearing animals, attracted service people - Cossacks and brave industrialists farther to the east. Moving in small detachments along the rivers and portages, crossing the virgin Siberian taiga, fighting the warlike local peoples, overcoming inhuman difficulties, cold and hardships, the Cossacks and industrialists for several decades traveled a long way from the Ob to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. They discovered new lands, produced whenever possible detailed descriptions and by right of discovery they attached them to Russia. The names of Dezhnev, Khabarov, Atlasov, Poyarkov and many other explorers have become glorious milestones in the history of our country.

In July 1643, the Cossack foreman Poyarkov with a small detachment left Yakutsk to discover and explore new lands. He climbed with his detachment upstream of the Aldan River, crossed the dividing ridge and went out to the Zeya River, along which he descended to the Amur. In the next year, 1644, Poyarkov reached the mouth of the Amur and went to sea. In the summer of 1646, Poyarkov returned to Yakutsk and brought back the first descriptions of the Amur, Shantar Islands and Sakhalin.

In subsequent years, the Russians visited Sakhalin more than once. In 1742, Lieutenant Shelting, a member of Vitus Bering's expedition, sailed along the eastern coast of Sakhalin on a double-dinghy "Nadezhda" and entered the strait, later called the La Perouse Strait, in honor of the famous French navigator, who in 1787 aboard the frigates "Bussol" and "Astrolabe" visited Sakhalin. La Pérouse gave French names to several points on the island, including the Douai River, as well as the Bay de Castries that he discovered on the mainland.

In 1805, the coast of Sakhalin was surveyed by the first Russian round the world expedition Kruzenshtern. The next year, 1806, Russian officers Khvostov and Davydov visited southern Sakhalin and raised the Russian flag there.

However, for a long time, the geography of the lower reaches of the Amur and Sakhalin Island remained unclear. Navigators who visited Sakhalin or passed near it believed that Sakhalin was a peninsula connected by an isthmus to the mainland. This conclusion was made by both La Perouse and Kruzenshtern and the commander of the Russian brig "Konstantin" - Gavrilov, sent in 1846 to study the mouth of the Amur and Sakhalin. Only in 1849, the research of Captain GI Nevelskoy on the transport "Baikal" proved that Sakhalin is an island.

[As it turned out later, the Japanese scientist Mamia-Rinzo as early as 1808 established that Sakhalin is an island, but the data on his travel, published in Japanese, were not known to Europeans.]

The narrow part of the strait separating Sakhalin from the mainland now bears the name of Captain Nevelskoy.

The origin of the name of Sakhalin Island

In the 18th century, maps published in Western Europe, off the coast of the Pacific Ocean, north of China, depicted the huge country of Tartary. The French navigator La Perouse was also convinced of the existence of this mysterious Tartary. Having reached the strait separating Sakhalin from the mainland on his ships, La Perouse, without hesitation for a long time, called it Tatarsky. As a result of this misunderstanding, the strait still bears an accidental and unfounded name.

The Tatar Strait is the name given to the entire body of water that separates the island from the mainland. The narrowest part of the strait is named after Nevelskoy. The part of the strait lying in the north merges closely with the Amur estuary. Therefore, many, speaking about the Amur estuary, mean the northern part of the strait.

The name of the island itself is no less coincidental. The Amur River was called "Sakhalyan-ulla" in Mongolian. On one of the maps of "Tataria", published in western Europe and depicting Sakhalin as a peninsula, an inscription was made at the site of the mouth of the Amur: "Sachalien anga-hata", which in Mongolian means "rocks of the black river". After Captain Nevelsky established that Sakhalin is an island, the map compilers attributed this inscription to the new island, which has since become known as Sakhalin.

The Japanese call Sakhalia Karafuto or Kabafuto, which means "birch island".

The first steps in the development of the island

After the discovery of Nevelskoye, work on the study and development of Sakhalin was carried out quite intensively.

In 1852, midshipman Boshnyak was sent to Sakhalin, who was supposed to check the information about the presence of deposits there. coal... Boshnyak drove along the western bank to Douai, crossed the island and went to his east coast at the mouth of the Tymi river. Boshnyak's research has confirmed the information about the wealth of Sakhalin coal.

The next year, in 1853, a military unit with artillery was landed in the southern part of the island and the Russian flag was again raised over the island. On the south bank The Korsakovsky military post was created on the island, and the Ilyinsky post on the western coast.

In the same year, Rimsky-Korsakov on the Vostok schooner made a detailed survey of the western shores of the island and identified places suitable for anchorage of sea vessels.

Soon, small mining of coal began at the so-called "Chikhachevsky quarries" in Douai.

In 1854, 1855 and 1856 the island was researched by the zoologist L.I.Shrenk. He made several long and very difficult trips around the island, covered the physical geography of Sakhalin in some detail, described its indigenous population, vegetation and animal world.

The island was visited by the members of a large expedition of the Russian Geographical Society F.B. Schmidt, P.P. Glen, Lieutenant Rashkov, topographer Shebunin and Dr. Brylkin. As a result of their work, a map of Sakhalin was compiled.

In 1867-1868, the geological exploration of the island was carried out by the mining engineer Lopatin.

As a result of all these studies, the fossil, plant and fish wealth of Sakhalin was more and more fully identified and the large strategic importance the island, which is a natural outpost of the Russian state in the Far East and covers Russia's exits to the Pacific Ocean.

Sakhalin was inhabited by the Ainu, Tungus, Gilyaks and Orochons. They were engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer herding. By the time the Russians first visited the island, the indigenous people of Sakhalin were completely independent from any state.

Until the end of the 18th century, the Japanese did not settle on Sakhalin. They came to the island only for the fishing season. Then, after the appearance of the Russian Cossacks and industrialists, the Japanese began little by little to seize the island into their own hands. In 1787, the Japanese built two small villages on the island. In subsequent years, they spread throughout the southern half of the island. The uninvited aliens exploited the Ainu, actually turned them into their serfs, forced the Ainu to perform the most difficult and exhausting work for free.

It took quite a long time until the tsarist government finally realized how important Sakhalin was for Russia and sent the first military post there (in 1853). By this time, uninvited guests had already settled on the island. The appearance of the Russian guard not only did not weaken the resettlement of the Japanese there, but, on the contrary, strengthened the Japanese expansion. Russian troops could not prevent the penetration of the Japanese. Soon, Japan laid claim to the island. According to the Shimoda Treaty of 1854, Japan achieved joint possession of this island with Russia.

The seizure of Sakhalin by the Japanese clearly threatened the Russian Far Eastern possessions and the exits from the Amur. In addition, the Japanese predatory destroyed the natural resources of Sakhalin. Japan readily agreed to give up its alleged "rights" to Sakhalin on the condition that Russia hand over the Kuril Islands to it in "exchange". In 1875, this deal took place. Sakhalin completely passed into the possession of Russia, and Japan, as a result of this extremely profitable deal for it, acquired the Kuril Islands, relying on which it could control Russia's exits to the Pacific Ocean.

However, Japan has not abandoned the exploitation of Sakhalin's natural resources. The short-sighted tsarist government allowed the Japanese to keep fisheries in southern Sakhalin. V late XIX For a century, Japan annually produced 40-45 thousand tons of fish in Sakhalin. The catch of fish by the Russians did not exceed 13-15 thousand tons in those years.

Having “bought off” the Japanese at a high price, the tsarist government began to colonize the island and develop its natural resources, showing no more ingenuity in this matter than in “trading” the islands.

Sakhalin hard labor

The tsarist government found a kind of application for Sakhalin - hard labor was created on a distant island. Harsh natural conditions Sakhalin, in combination with the hard labor regime, was a heavy punishment for the convicts. It was decided to use the labor of convicts in the development of coal, logging, etc. The flight of prisoners from the island, separated from the mainland by the stormy Tatar Strait, according to the organizers of the hard labor, was impossible.

Convicts who had served their term of imprisonment were supposed to be placed in a forced permanent settlement here, on the island, so that they would be engaged mainly in agriculture.

In 1869, the first batch of convicts, consisting of 800 people, was delivered to Sakhalin. From that time on, the dark pages of the history of Sakhalin began. Convicts arrived one after another. Hundreds, thousands of people. In the beginning, only men. Then women appeared: after some convicts their wives and children voluntarily went to exile to Sakhalin.

Chained in hand and foot shackles, and sometimes chained to a wheelbarrow, the convicts worked mainly in coal mines, in the areas adjacent to Aleksandrovsk.

The inept organization of mining, the lack of any tools, except for a pick and a shovel, and the hard labor regime did not contribute to the development of coal industry... The amount of coal mined was small. The coal was not sorted and went to the consumer along with the coal. Coal was carried out of the mines on a stretcher or in sacks, which caused it to be crushed. All this sharply reduced the quality of coal and made it difficult to sell it.

The severe convict regime and the arbitrariness of the administration led to a mass exodus of convicts. Some fugitives managed to cross the Tatar Strait and return to European Russia. But many remained within the island. To get their food, they robbed the settlers who had already served their sentences.

The life of the settlers was not much different from the life of the convicts.

The organization of the settlements was also affected by the complete arbitrariness of the tsarist administration. A convict who had served his sentence was given an ax, a hoe, a shovel, two pounds of rope, one saw for five people and indicated the place where he was to settle. Places for settlement were chosen without any plan, without taking into account the surrounding conditions. It also happened that settlements were built in places completely unsuitable for agriculture, damp, flooded with water, etc. At the cost of tremendous effort, literally bloody labor, the settler built himself a hut and created some kind of economy. But this did not bring him any relief. He eked out a miserable existence. Besides civil rights exiled settlers did not have and lived on the basis of a special charter. At the first opportunity, the exiled settlers abandoned their huts and "household" and fled to the mainland.

Despite the mass exodus of convicts and exiled settlers, the population of Sakhalin continuously increased due to new parties of convicts sent here. By 1904, there were about 40 thousand prisoners, exiled settlers and free residents on Sakhalin.

The exploration of Sakhalin did not stop even during the hard labor. Meteorological stations were established in the village of Aleksandrovskoye and the village of Rykovskoye. A lot of work was done to study the seas washing the shores of Sakhalin, to study its bowels, soils, vegetation and animals.

First Japanese intervention. Elimination of hard labor. Capture by the Japanese of South Sakhalin

In 1904, Japan treacherously attacked Russia. The Japanese invaded Sakhalin. Having landed on the island, from where the Russian administration had already evacuated, the Japanese began to manage in their own way. They shot most of the convicts held in prisons, established new rules for the exiled settlers. They soon felt that life under the Japanese was even worse than hard labor and rushed to the mainland in masses. The number of Russians on the island dropped from 40 to 5-6 thousand.

After the end of the war, which was unsuccessful for Russia, Japan imposed the Portsmouth Treaty on Russia, according to which the southern half of Sakhalin went to Japan. The border between the parts of Sakhalin that remained in Russia and the parts of Sakhalin captured by Japan passed along the fiftieth parallel. Along the border, across the island, a giant clearing was cut in the taiga and border pillars were installed.

With the capture of the southern half of Sakhalin, Japan closed the island ring, with which it surrounded the Russian possessions off the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Russia was left with only the northern half of the island. By the time the war ended [Russian-Japanese - approx. mine] there are almost no convicts left on it. Some of them were killed by the Japanese, some fled. The tsarist government did not try to resume hard labor here. And it was hardly possible with such close proximity to the Japanese.

Japanese colonization of southern Sakhalin.

After the partition of Sakhalin under the Portsmouth Treaty, the Japanese began to intensively populate the southern part of the island. On southern Sakhalin were built seaports, moorings, roads. It is characteristic that the settlement of southern Sakhalin was carried out mainly at the expense of reservists trained in military affairs. Along with strategic construction, the Japanese organized fisheries and forestry, vigorously engaged in reindeer husbandry and fur trade. The population of the Japanese part of the island in 1906 was 12 thousand people, in 1912 - 42 thousand, in 1923 - 140 thousand and in 1939 - over 300 thousand.

The Russian government, for its part, also took measures to populate Northern Sakhalin. But these measures were as little successful as in the days of the Sakhalin penal servitude. Sakhalin has won a sad reputation for itself. Stories about the horrors of Sakhalin life were passed from mouth to mouth. The tragedy of the Sakhalin penal servitude was intertwined in these stories with the tragedy of the Russo-Japanese war. Of course, there was a grain of fiction in the stories, nature was portrayed in them as exaggeratedly harsh. But it is quite understandable that there were few who wanted to go to a distant island, standing "at the end of the world". And those who decided to go there had to sip a lot of grief.

Relocating to Sakhalin was far from easy. The government did not bother to build a port on the island, or even a convenient berth for sea vessels. The steamer, anchored a few kilometers from the coast, disembarked passengers, with all their belongings, into boats, which, along the stormy waves of the strait, delivered the settlers to the deserted coast.

The gloomy Sakhalin taiga greeted the settlers unfriendly. A peasant who moved from the central, steppe regions of Russia to the taiga Sakhalin, found himself in unusual conditions. In order to plow the site, it was first necessary to uproot the taiga, and this required a lot of work. The timing and methods of cultivating the land, the timing of sowing and harvesting have not been studied by anyone. The settlers had to get to know them on their own, difficult experience.

Information about living conditions on Sakhalin, received from the first settlers, did not at all contribute to the influx of a new population. Therefore, until the establishment of Soviet power, population growth on Sakhalin was extremely weak. During the period from 1908 to 1917, the Russian population of the island increased by only 1600-1800 people. The tsarist government did not understand very well that Northern Sakhalin, with its harsh climatic conditions and its enormous natural resources, required not agricultural, but above all carefully thought out and prepared industrial colonization. As before, as in the days of hard labor, the tsarist government cared little about the development of the island's economy and even less about creating normal living conditions for the settlers.

As a result, Northern Sakhalin, until the establishment of Soviet power, remained a poorly populated outskirts, with a poorly developed economy and off-road characteristic of the outskirts.

The agriculture of the island did not develop. Its production was not enough even for the small population of the island. Peasants usually combined farming with local trades - hunting for fur animals and fishing. The coal and timber industries developed slowly due to the lack of a port and berths. The question of the construction of the Sakhalin port has not moved beyond numerous projects. Fisheries were significant, but in terms of technical equipment and profitability they were far inferior to those of Japan.

Nevertheless, as a result of the colonization carried out by the tsarist government, a fairly large number of permanent settlements usually not crowded. Roads were also laid, albeit very primitive, allowing wheel communication between settlements and the coast of the island. Little by little, the population began to get used to the nature of the island. On the basis of experience, the necessary skills and rules of farming have been developed. The times of hard labor were gradually forgotten, further and further they went into the depths of the past.

Work on the study of the island continued. New information about the natural resources of Sakhalin has appeared in the scientific literature. An instrumental survey of the coast and some interior parts of Northern Sakhalin was carried out, and maps were compiled. Oil exploration began at a number of points. In the Okha region, oil was discovered by the Russians back in the eighties of the last century.

The expedition of the Geological Committee, in which the mining engineer P.I.Polevoy and geologist N.N. Tikhonovich took part, in 1908-1910 studied geological structure and mineral resources of the island. Representatives of the resettlement administration studied the soils, climate and vegetation of the island, and identified areas suitable for settlement.

Russian merchants and industrialists showed great interest in the development of Sakhalin's natural resources. With the assistance of the government, the economy of Northern Sakhalin could develop rapidly. But the tsarist administration not only did not provide this assistance, on the contrary, it created conditions under which all attempts of the population and entrepreneurs to promote the development of Sakhalin industry remained in vain.

For tsarist Russia, the backwardness of Sakhalin was no exception. Kola Peninsula, possessing fabulous wealth, located relatively close to St. Petersburg, was just as empty and deserted. The banks of the Pechora River, rich in minerals, and many other outskirts of Russia at that time were also deserted.

As a result of the victory over Japan during World War II, the entire territory of Sakhalin Island (as well as all the Kuril Islands) was included in the Soviet Union (RSFSR).

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was founded as part of the Russian Empire in 1882 under the name Vladimirovka. After the victory of the USSR and its allies in World War II, together with the entire island, it passed to the USSR.

Zhdanko ridge, west of Sakhalin

Transport

The public railway network covers most of the island (the farthest communication is from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to the village of Nogliki), there is also a sea ferry railway crossing to the mainland. Sakhalin Railway interesting in that it has an unusual track of 1067 mm for Russia, inherited from Japan. In the USSR, specially for Sakhalin, diesel locomotives TG16 and TG22 were designed and built in series. Since 2004, work has been underway to change the track to the 1520 mm gauge standard for Russia. They are planned to be completed, according to various forecasts, by 2016-2020.

Non-public railways (departmental narrow-gauge) carry out transportation in areas where there are no public railways. Most of them have been dismantled, leaving the operating narrow-gauge railway in the Uglegorsk region.

Highways connect almost all settlements of the region. The quality of the roads is poor, there is only asphalt in the southern part.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is connected by air with Moscow, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, with cities and villages of the Sakhalin region (Okha, Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Burevestnik (on Iturup Island)), and also with Japan (Tokyo, Sapporo, Hakodate), South Korea(Seoul) and China (Harbin, and more recently, Beijing). It is interesting that from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (the regional center) there is no direct connection with the regional center Severo-Kurilsk, and you have to get there in a roundabout way - through Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS:

Team Wandering.

Lutskiy S. L. Sakhalin Island

Sakhalin - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Petukhov A.V., Kordyukov A.V., Baranchuk-Chervonny L.N. Atlas of vascular plants in the vicinity of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk // In the book: Introduction. (ISBN 978-5-904209-05-6) - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Akon, 2010 .-- P. 9

Barkalov V. Yu., Taran A. A. List of species of vascular plants of Sakhalin Island // In the book: Plant and Animal World of Sakhalin Island (Materials of the International Sakhalin Project). Part 1. (ISBN 5-8044-0467-9) - Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2004 .-- S. 39-66.

http://www.photosight.ru/photos/5591256/

http://sakhalin.shamora.info/Rest-in-Sakhalin-region/WIKI-Sakhalin-region/Attractions-Sakhalin-region/

Nechaev V.A.A review of the bird fauna (Aves) of the Sakhalin region // In the book: The flora and fauna of Sakhalin Island (Materials of the International Sakhalin project). Part 2. (ISBN 5-8044-0507-1) - Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 2005. - pp. 246-327.

The Red Book of the Sakhalin Region: Plants. - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Sakhalin. book publishing house, 2005 .-- 348 p.

Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities as of January 1, 2013. - M .: Federal State Statistics Service Rosstat, 2013 .-- 528 p. (Table 33. Population of urban districts, municipal districts, urban and rural settlements, urban settlements, rural settlements).

Occupation of Northern Sakhalin and Japanese concessions

Wikipedia website.

Aleksandrov S. M. Sakhalin Island. - M .: Nauka, 1973 .-- 183 p.

Vasilevsky A.A.Kamenny Age of Sakhalin Island. - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk: Sakhalin Book Publishing House, 2008. - 411 p.

Isachenko A.G., Shlyapnikov A.A. Sakhalin // Nature of the World: Landscapes. - M .: Mysl, 1989 .-- 504 p.

Southern part of the Far East. - Moscow: Nauka, 1969 .-- 422 p.

http://ilp-p.narod.ru/sakhalin/ostrov/ostrov1.htm

Russia Region Sakhalin Region Population 520 K people

Sakhalin island

Sakhalin- an island off the east coast of Asia. It is part of the Sakhalin Region, the largest island in the Russian Federation. It is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (in the narrowest part, the Nevelskoy Strait, is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from the Japanese island of Hokkaido - by the La Perouse Strait.

Geography

Sakhalin Island Map 1885

Relief

The following 11 regions are distinguished in the relief of Sakhalin:

The Schmidt Peninsula (about 1.4 thousand km ²) is a mountainous peninsula in the extreme north of the island with steep, sometimes steep shores and two meridional ridges - Western and Eastern; the highest point is Tri Brata (623 m); connected with the North Sakhalin plain by the Okha isthmus, the width of which at its narrowest point is just over 6 km;
The North Sakhalin Plain (about 28 thousand km ²) is a gently hilly area south of the Schmidt Peninsula with a widely ramified river network, weakly expressed watersheds and separate low mountain ranges, stretching from Baikal Bay in the north to the confluence of the Nysh and Tymisha rivers in the south point - Daakhuria (601 m); The northeastern coast of the island stands out as a sub-area, which is characterized by large lagoons (the largest are Piltun, Chayvo, Nyisky, Nabilsky, Lunsky bays), separated from the sea by narrow strips of alluvial spits, dunes, low sea terraces - in this sub-area and the main Sakhalin oil and gas fields are located on the adjacent shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk;
The West Sakhalin Mountains stretch almost 630 km from the latitude with. Hoe (51º19 "N) in the north to the Krillon Peninsula in the extreme south of the island; the average width of the mountains is 40-50 km, the largest (at the latitude of Cape Lamanon) is about 70 km; the axial part is formed by Kamyshovy (north of the Poyasok Isthmus) and South Kamyshovy Ridges;
The Tym-Poronayskaya lowland is located in the middle part of the island and is a hilly-ridged lowland stretching for about 250 km in the meridional direction - from the Terpeniya Bay in the south to the confluence of the Tym and Nysh rivers in the north; the maximum width (up to 90 km) reaches at the mouth of the Poronai River, the minimum (6-8 km) - in the valley of the Tym River; in the north it passes into the Nabil lowland; covered with a thick cover of Cenozoic sediments, composed of sedimentary deposits of the Quaternary period. sandstones, pebbles; the highly swampy southern part of the lowland is called the Poronayskaya "tundra";
The Susunai Lowland is located in the southern part of the island and stretches for about 100 km from Aniva Bay in the south to the Naiba River in the north; from the west, the lowland is bounded by the West Sakhalin Mountains, from the east - by the Susunai Range and the Korsakov Plateau; in the southern part, the width of the lowland reaches 20 km, in the center - 6 km, in the north - 10 km; absolute heights in the north and south do not exceed 20 m above sea level, in the central part, at the watershed of the basins of the Susuya and Bolshoi Takay rivers, they reach 60 m; refers to the type of internal lowlands and is a tectonic depression filled with a large layer of Quaternary deposits; within the limits of the Susunayskaya lowland are the cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aniva, Dolinsk and about half of the island's population lives;
The East Sakhalin Mountains are represented in the north by the Lopatinsky mountain cluster (the highest point is the city of Lopatina, 1609 m) with ridges radiating outward from it; two spurs in the opposite direction represent the Nabil ridge; in the south, the Nabilsky ridge passes into the Central ridge, in the north, sharply declining, into the North Sakhalin plain;
the lowland of the Terpeniya Peninsula - the smallest of the regions, occupies a large part of the Terpeniya Peninsula to the east of the Terpeniya Bay;
The Susunai Range stretches from north to south for 70 km and has a width of 18-120 km; the highest points are Mount Pushkinskaya (1047 m) and Chekhov Peak (1045 m); it is composed of Paleozoic deposits, at the foot of the western macroslope of the ridge is the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
The Korsakov Plateau is bounded in the west by the Susunai Lowland, in the north by the Susunai Range, in the east by the Muravyov Lowland, and in the south by the Aniva Bay, has a slightly wavy surface formed by a system of flat-topped ridge ridges elongated in the northeastern direction; the town of Korsakov is located on the southern tip of the plateau on the shores of Aniva Bay;
Muravyov lowland is located between Aniva bays in the south and Mordvinov bays in the north, has a ridged relief with flat tops of ridges; there are many lakes within the lowland, incl. the so-called "Warm Lakes", where the people of South Sakhalin like to go on vacation;
Tonino-Anivsky ridge stretches from north to south, from Cape Svobodny to Cape Aniva, almost 90 km, the highest point is Mount Kruzenshtern (670 m); composed of Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits.

View of the Sea of Okhotsk from the high coast near the lighthouse in the Tyoplye Lakes region

Climate

The following factors influence the climate:

The geographical location is between 46º and 54º N. determines the arrival of solar radiation from 410 kJ / year in the north to 450 kJ / year in the south.
The position between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean determines the monsoon nature of the climate. It is associated with a humid and cool, rather rainy Sakhalin summer.
The mountainous terrain affects the direction and speed of the wind. A decrease in wind speed in intermontane basins (in particular, in the relatively large Tym-Poronayskaya and Susunayskaya lowlands) contributes to cooling the air in winter and warming up in summer, it is here that the greatest temperature contrasts are observed; at the same time, the mountains protect the named lowlands, as well as the western coast from the effects of the cold air of the Sea of Okhotsk.
In summer, the contrast between the western and eastern coasts of the island is enhanced by the correspondingly warm Tsushima Current in the Sea of Japan and the cold East Sakhalin Current in the Sea of Okhotsk.
The cold Sea of Okhotsk affects the island's climate as a giant thermal accumulator, determining a long cold spring and a relatively warm autumn: snow in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sometimes lasts until mid-May, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk flower beds can bloom until early November. If we compare Sakhalin with similar (in terms of climatic indicators) territories of European Russia, then the seasons on the island replace each other with a delay of about three weeks.

Air temperature and precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the XXI century (temperature: II.2001-IV.2009; precipitation: III.2005-IV.2009):

Parameters / Months	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	Vii	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Year
Maximum air temperature, ºС	1,7	4,1	9,0	22,9	25,0	28,2	29,6	32,0	26,0	22,8	15,3	5,0	32,0
Average air temperature, ºС	−11,6	−11,7	−4,6	1,8	7,4	12,3	15,5	17,3	13,4	6,6	−0,8	−9,0	3,2
Minimum air temperature, ºС	−29,5	−30,5	−25,0	−14,5	−4,7	1,2	3,0	4,2	−2,1	−8,0	−16,5	−26,0	−30,5
Amount of precipitation, mm	49	66	62	54	71	38	37	104	88	96	77	79	792

Inland waters

The largest rivers of Sakhalin:

River	Administrative district (s)	Where does	Length, km	Pool area, km²	Average annual runoff, km³
Burrow	Tymovskiy, Smirnykhovskiy, Poronayskiy	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	350	7990	2,49
The darkness	Tymovsky, Nogliksky	Nyisky Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	330	7850	1,68
Naiba	Dolinsky	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	119	1660	0,65
Lutoga	Kholmsky, Anivsky	Aniva Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	130	1530	1,00
Shaft	Nogliki	Chayvo Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	112	1440	0,73
Ainsky	Tomarinsky	lake Ainskoe	79	1330	...
Nysh	Nogliki	Tym river (left tributary)	116	1260	...
Uglegorka (Esutu)	Uglegorsk	Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait)	102	1250	0,57
Langeri (Langres)	Okhinsky	Amur estuary of the Sea of Okhotsk	130	1190	...
Big	Okhinsky	Sakhalin Gulf of the Sea of Okhotsk	97	1160	...
Rukutama (Vitnitsa)	Poronaisky	lake Nevskoe	120	1100	...
Reindeer	Poronaisky	Gulf of Patience, Sea of Okhotsk	85	1080	...
Lesogorka (Taimyr)	Uglegorsk	Sea of Japan (Tatar Strait)	72	1020	0,62
Nabil	Nogliki	Nabilsky Bay of the Sea of Okhotsk	101	1010	...
Malaya Tym	Tymovsky	Tym river (left tributary)	66	917	...
Leonidovka	Poronaisky	Poronai river (right tributary)	95	850	0,39
Susuya	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Anivsky	Aniva Bay, Sea of Okhotsk	83	823	0,08

Natural resources

Sakhalin is characterized by a very high potential of natural resources. In addition to biological resources, the reserves of which Sakhalin is one of the first in Russia, the island and its shelf have very large hydrocarbon reserves. In terms of the volume of explored reserves of gas condensate, the Sakhalin Region ranks 4th in Russia, gas - 7th, coal - 12th and oil - 13th, while within the region, the reserves of these minerals are almost entirely concentrated on Sakhalin and its shelf. Other natural resources of the island are timber, gold, platinum.

Flora and fauna

Both the flora and fauna of the island are depleted both in comparison with the adjacent areas of the mainland, and in comparison with the island of Hokkaido located to the south.

Flora

Fauna

Pink salmon goes to spawn in an unnamed river flowing into Mordvinov Bay

"Red Book"

The island's fauna, flora and mycobiota include many rare protected species of animals, plants and fungi. 12 species of mammals registered on Sakhalin, 97 species of birds (including 50 nesting ones), seven species of fish, 20 species of invertebrates, 113 species of vascular plants, 13 species of bryophytes, seven species of algae, 14 species of fungi and 20 species of lichens (t i.e. 136 species of animals, 133 species of plants and 34 species of mushrooms - a total of 303 species) have the status of protected, i.e. are listed in the "Red Book of the Sakhalin Region", while about a third of them are simultaneously included in the "Red Book of the Russian Federation".

Population

The largest city on the island is the regional center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (173.2 thousand people; 01.01.2007), other relatively large cities - Korsakov (35.1 thousand people), Kholmsk (32.3 thousand people), Okha (26.7 thousand people), Nevelsk (17.0 thousand people), Poronaysk (16.9 thousand people).

According to the districts of the island, the population is distributed as follows (results of the 2002 census, people):

District	Whole population	%% of the total	Urban population	Rural population
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and subordinate settlements	182142	34,6	177272	4870
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky	17509	3,3	14764	2746
Anivsky	15275	2,9	8098	7177
Dolinsky	28268	5,4	23532	4736
Korsakovsky	45347	8,6	39311	6036
Makarovsky	9802	1,9	7282	2520
Nevelsky	26873	5,1	25954	921
Nogliki	13594	2,6	11653	1941
Okhinsky	33533	6,4	30977	2556
Poronaisky	28859	5,5	27531	1508
Smirnykhovsky	15044	2,9	7551	7493
Tomarinsky	11669	2,2	9845	1824
Tymovsky	19109	3,6	8542	10567
Uglegorsk	30208	5,7	26406	3802
Kholmsky	49848	9,5	44874	4974
Sakhalin as a whole	527080	100	463410	63670

Story

According to the Shimoda Treaty (1855) between Russia and Japan, Sakhalin was recognized as their joint indivisible possession. According to the St. Petersburg Treaty of 1875, Russia received the Sakhalin Island as property, in return transferring all the northern Kuril Islands to Japan. After the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Japan received South Sakhalin (part of Sakhalin Island south of the 50th parallel). As a result of the victory over Japan during the Second World War, the entire territory of Sakhalin Island and all the Kuril Islands were included in the Soviet Union (RSFSR). On the territory or part of the territory of about. Sakhalin currently has no claims either from Japan or any other country.

Geographical characteristics of Sakhalin

Washed by the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is separated from the mainland by the Tatar Strait, the width of which at its narrowest point (the Nevelskoy Strait) is 7.3 km, in the south of the island. Hokkaido (Japan) is separated by the La Perouse Strait. Stretched meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. The length is 948 km, with an average width of about 100 km, on the isthmuses of Sakhalin it narrows: on Okhinskoye up to 6 km, on Poyask up to 27 km. The area is 76.4 thousand km 2.

A snapshot of Sakhalin Island from space. Enlarged image

Geologically, Sakhalin is a part of the Cenozoic folded region within the Pacific folded geosynclinal belt. In the structure of Sakhalig, there are two meridional anticlinoria - East Sakhalin and West Sakhalin, separated by Central Sakhalin. Paleozoic rocks are exposed in the core of the East Sakhalin anticlinorium, Upper Cretaceous rocks in the core of the West Sakhalin anticlinorium; The Central Sakhalin is composed of Neogene sediments. Strong seismicity indicates continuing mountain-building processes.

Sakhalin climate

Sakhalin, separated from the mainland by the Tatar Strait, stretches from north to south for almost 1000 km. Its central and, especially, its southern parts are predominantly mountainous. There are wide lowland strips along the coast.

The main watershed of Sakhalin is the Western Sakhalin ridge, dividing the river network into two groups, one of which belongs to the Okhotsk basin, the other to the Sea of Japan basin.To the east of it, separated by a deep fault depression, there is a short but higher Eastern Sakhalin ridge. highest point(peak, Nevelskoy, 2013 m) which is the highest for the entire island. Sakhalin's climate is harsh. Winter is long and cold here, frosts reach -48 °. The average monthly air temperature of the coldest month - January - in the north is -23 °, in the south -8 °. Summer is short and cool: The average monthly air temperature of the warmest month - July - does not exceed 15-17 °.

Sakhalin water resources

The main rivers of Sakhalin are Tym and Porona. They carved their valleys in the central tectonic depression between the Western and Eastern ridges. The length of the rivers is about; 250 km, the catchment area is approximately equal to 8000 km 2. Both rivers are distinguished by significant water content: their average annual discharge exceeds 100 m 3 / s, and modules reach 12-19 l / s km 2. Other rivers of Sakhalin are short, mountainous watercourses, characterized by: also high water content.

The regime of the Sakhalin rivers is complex. The flood passes on them in three waves. There is high water in the spring; from the melting of snow within the flat parts of the basins, at the beginning of summer there is a flood, formed due to melting, snow in the mountains, and, finally, in the middle of summer (July-August) there are floods caused by monsoon showers.

The coast of the island is replete with lakes such as lagoons; they are shallow and separated from the sea by narrow spits; individual groups of lakes stretch along the coast for tens of kilometers. Most of them have communication and water exchange with the sea through narrow straits. Some lakes were cut off from the sea and turned into fresh water bodies.