Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula
полуостров Камчатка
The Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East
Kamchatka Peninsula
Geography
LocationFar East
Coordinates57°N 160°E / 57°N 160°E / 57; 160
Adjacent to
Sea of Okhotsk
Pacific Ocean
Area270,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi)
Length1,250 km (777 mi)
Highest elevation4,750 m (15580 ft)
Highest pointKlyuchevskaya Sopka
Administration
 Russia
Federal subjectKamchatka Krai
Capital cityPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Demographics
Population289,033 (2023 estimate)
Pop. density0.62/km2 (1.61/sq mi)

The Kamchatka Peninsula (Russian: полуо́стров Камча́тка, romanizedpoluóstrov Kamchátka, pronounced [pəlʊˈostrəf kɐmˈt͡ɕætkə], Ainu: Cupka) is a 1,250-kilometre-long (777 mi) peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about 270,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi). The Sea of Okhotsk bounds the peninsula's western coastline, immediately offshore of the peninsula and below the Bering Sea runs the 9,600-metre-deep (31,496 ft) Kuril–Kamchatka Trench. Its eastern coastline is the Bering Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean.

The Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, and Karaginsky Island constitute Kamchatka Krai of the Russian Federation. The majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic Russians, with about 13,000 being Koryaks (2014). More than half of the population lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (179,526 in 2010) and nearby Yelizovo (38,980). The Kamchatka Peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that form part of the Ring of Fire.