Tanfilyev Island
Disputed island in the Kurils
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tanfiliev (Russian: Танфильева, romanized: Tanfilyeva; Japanese: 水晶島, romanized: Suishō-tō) is an uninhabited island in the Habomai Islands, part of the Lesser Kuril Chain. It is administered by the Russian Federation as part of Yuzhno-Kurilsky District, Sakhalin Oblast. It is claimed by Japan, as part of Hokkaidō's Nemuro Subprefecture.[3] The island and its surrounding waters form part of the Malye Kurily zakaznik or Lesser Kurils State Nature Preserve.[4][5]
| Disputed island | |
|---|---|
2016 Copernicus (ESA) satellite image of Tanfiliev | |
  Location within Hokkaido | |
| Other names | Russian: Танфильева Japanese: 水晶島 |
| Geography | |
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 43°26′12″N 145°55′00″E |
| Archipelago | Habomai Islands, Lesser Kuril Chain, Kuril Islands |
| Area | 12.1 km2 (4.7 sq mi)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 16 m (52 ft)[2] |
| Administration | |
| Federal subject | Sakhalin Oblast |
| District | Yuzhno-Kurilsky |
| Claimed by | |
| Prefecture | Hokkaido |
| Subprefecture | Nemuro |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Geography
The southernmost island in the Lesser Kuriles, Tanfiliev lies some 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi) from Cape Nosappu at the eastern end of the Nemuro Peninsula.[6][2]: 463 Extending 8 by 6 kilometres (5.0 mi × 3.7 mi), the island covers an area of 12.1 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi).[7] Relatively low-lying, 16 metres (52 ft) at its highest point, the island has a number of short streams and lagoon lakes.[2]: 463 Along the coast, with its capes and bays, there are grassy meadows.[2]: 463 Tanfiliev lies within the "Lesser Kuril Ridge and Kunashir Island" Important Bird and Biodiversity Area,[8] the island's flora and fauna protected as part of the Lesser Kurils Zakaznik.[5][9]
History
The Japanese name for the island, Suishō, is of Ainu origin.[6] In the 1834 Tenpō gōchō or Village Registers of the Tenpō Era, Suishō is listed as a settlement of Nemoro.[6][10] Visited by Matsuura Takeshirō and written about in his diaries, in the early Meiji period the island formed part of the village of Goyōmai [ja], later merged into Habomai.[6][11] Before the Pacific War, most of the population were involved in the fishing industry; they were joined by migrant workers from the area of Niigata Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture each spring.[7] Konbu (kelp) was the most important product, and there was also canning of salmon, trout, crabs, and shrimp.[7] At the end of the war, the population stood at 986, in 154 households, along with 325 horses.[7] Currently, the Habomai Islands as a whole are uninhabited, other than the stationing of Russian guards.[11]
See also
Media related to Tanfiliev Island at Wikimedia Commons