Native name: Чиринкотан 知林古丹島 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Astronaut photograph of Chirinkotan Island from the International Space Station | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sea of Okhotsk |
| Coordinates | 48°59′N153°29′E / 48.98°N 153.48°E /48.98; 153.48 |
| Archipelago | Kuril Islands |
| Area | 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 742 m (2434 ft) |
| Highest point | Masaochi Peak volcano (last eruption 2013 to 2014) |
| Administration | |
Russia | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Chirinkotan (Russian:Чиринкотан;Japanese 知林古丹島;Chirinkotan-tō) is an uninhabitedvolcanic island located in the centre of theKuril Islands chain in theSea of Okhotsk in the northwestPacific Ocean. Its name is derived from theAinu language for "mudslide".[citation needed] It is located 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) west ofEkarma, its nearest neighbor.
Chirinkotan is at the far end of a volcanic chain extending nearly 50 km west of the central part of the main Kuril Islands arc. The island is the top of a partially submergedstratovolcano rising approximately 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) from the floor of the Sea of Okhotsk, and is roughly circular with an area of 6 square kilometres (2.3 square miles).[1]The island's highest point ("Masaochi" in Ainu) is 742 metres (2,434 feet) high, and is still anactive volcano with majoreruptions recorded in 1760, 1884, 1900, 1979, 1986, 2004, and 2013. Reports of a 1955 eruption are unconfirmed. The caldera is approximately one kilometre (0.62 miles) wide, with a depth of 300 to 400 metres (980–1,310 feet), and is breached on its south-east side. The shores of the island are steep cliffs, making landing by small boat impossible.
Chirinkotan has had no permanent habitation. Claimed by theEmpire of Russia,sovereignty was passed to theEmpire of Japan per theTreaty of Saint Petersburg along with the rest of the Kuril Islands. The island was formerly administered as part of Shumushu 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.
In the spring and early summercrested,whiskered, andparakeet auklet nest on the island.[2]
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