Kunashir

Kunashir
Disputed island
Native name:
Map of Kunashir and the adjacent islands
Location of Kunashir Island
Kunashir
Kunashir
Interactive map of Kunashir
Other namesKunashiri
Geography
LocationSea of Okhotsk
Coordinates44°07′N 145°51′E / 44.117°N 145.850°E / 44.117; 145.850
ArchipelagoKuril Islands
Area1,490 km2 (580 sq mi)
Length123 km (76.4 mi)
Width4 km (2.5 mi) to 30 km (19 mi)
Highest elevation1,819 m (5968 ft)
Highest pointChacha
Administration
Federal subjectSakhalin Oblast
DistrictYuzhno-Kurilsky
Claimed by
PrefectureHokkaido
SubprefectureNemuro
Demographics
Population≈7,000 (2007)

Kunashir (Russian: Кунаши́р, romanizedKunashír) or Kunashiri (Japanese: 国後島, Hepburn: Kunashiri-tō) is the southernmost island of the Kuril Islands. The island has been under Russian administration since the end of World War II, when Soviet forces took possession of the Kurils. It is claimed by Japan as part of its "Northern Territories".