Native name: Ушишир 宇志知島 | |
|---|---|
 NASA picture of Ushishir Island | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sea of Okhotsk |
| Coordinates | 47°31′N152°48′E / 47.52°N 152.80°E /47.52; 152.80 |
| Archipelago | Kuril Islands |
| Area | 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 401 m (1316 ft) |
| Highest point | Mikasayama |
| Administration | |
Russia | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
| Ethnic groups | Ainu (formerly) |
Ushishir (Russian:Ушишир;Japanese: 宇志知島;Ushishiru-tō;Ainu: ウシシㇼ, lit. "Land ofthe bay") is a collective name for two uninhabitedvolcanic islands and several reefs, all being parts of an eponymous partially submerged volcano, located in the centre of theKuril Islands chain in theSea of Okhotsk in the northwestPacific Ocean. Its name is derived from theAinu language for "hot spring".
Ushishir consists of two islets almost connected by a narrow spit of land with an area of 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi).[1]
These islets are the tops of a partially submerged volcano. The southern island,Yankicha (Russian:Янкича), consists of the summit caldera and has a maximum width of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles). The caldera has a diameter of 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mile), and is breached on the south, forming a sea-waterCrater Bay. The bay has an estimated depth of 30 metres (98 feet), and there is strong evidence of ongoingunderwater volcanic activity, as evidenced by frequent bubbles, altered water chemistry and the presence of bacteria mats. Two smalllava domes form small islands in the central lagoon, and numerousfumaroles and hot springs are along the southeast caldera shoreline. The island's highest point Mikasayama (御笠山) is 401 metres (1,316 feet) high, and is on the eastern shore.The northern islet (RyponkichaRussian:o. Рыпонкича) is the smaller of the two, and consists of a portion of the volcano's flank, with sheer cliffs rising up 131 metres (430 feet) from the sea. Ushishir is anactive volcano with the last knowneruption in 1884.
In the spring and summer some of the largest colonies ofcrested andwhiskered auklet in the Kuril Islands are found on the island;least auklet also nest here.[2]
Ushishir had no permanent habitation prior to European contact, but was visited in summer by theAinu tribes fromRasshua, who regarded the island as a sacred land, which they identified as the home of the thunder god. Remains of Ainu huts have been found on the northern slopes of Yankicha'sCrater Bay. Claimed by theEmpire of Russia,sovereignty over Ushishir was passed to theEmpire of Japan per theTreaty of Saint Petersburg along with the rest of the Kuril Islands. Approaches to the island are difficult due to frequent fogs, rapidocean currents and the presence of numerous small offshore rocks. The island was formerly administered as part of Shimushiro District ofNemuro Subprefecture ofHokkaidō. AfterWorld War II, the island came under the control of theSoviet Union, and is now administered as part of theSakhalin Oblast of theRussian Federation.
