Sakhalin, << SAK uh `leen,` >> is an island off the east coast of Russia and a center of oil and gas production. Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands form an administrative division of Russia. This division has a population of about 465,000. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is Sakhalin’s largest city.
Sakhalin is about 600 miles (970 kilometers) long and from 16 to 100 miles (26 to 160 kilometers) wide. It has an area of about 29,460 square miles (76,300 square kilometers). The central and southern parts of the island have mountains and thick forests. The northern part is a swampy plain with thinner forests. Sakhalin has long, severe winters, and typhoons are frequent in the summer and fall. The island also experiences frequent earthquakes.
Sakhalin and its coastal waters contain large reserves of oil and gas. The island also has many deposits of coal. Fuel production is Sakhalin’s leading industry. Fishing and fish processing also employ many people. Other economic activities include forestry, construction, and agriculture.
The Ainu were one of the earliest peoples to inhabit Sakhalin (see Ainu). Dutch navigators explored the island in the 1640’s. Japan began to settle Sakhalin in the late 1600’s. In the 1800’s, Russia began to colonize the island, and the two countries fought over the southern part of Sakhalin. In 1905, they agreed to divide Sakhalin. Russia took the northern half of the island, and Japan took the southern half. The Soviet Union, which had been formed in 1922 under Russia’s leadership, took over all of Sakhalin at the end of World War II (1939-1945). The island remained part of Russia after the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991.
