Open left menu Sakhalin. Sakhalin on the map of Russia, Sakhalin region

Sakhalin is the largest island in Russia, resting among the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan.

There was confusion with the very name of the island. The Japanese called it Karafuto, reproducing in their own way the name given to the island by its indigenous population - the Ainu. But the toponym “Sakhalin” appeared as a result of a mistake by unlucky cartographers. Since the time of La Perouse's travels, it was believed that Sakhalin is a peninsula.

In the mid-19th century, the captain of the ship “Baikal” G. Nevelsky was able to circumnavigate Sakhalin. Naturally, it became necessary to make changes to the existing geographic Maps, which is what the cartographers did. They carefully sketched the shape of the island and indicated its coordinates. And then - either the cartographer was busy and delegated the job to a student, or he had glasses with smaller diopters than necessary, but what happened happened. Cartographers mistakenly took the autochthonous name of the Amur River - Sakhalyan Ulla, indicated in the previous map, for the name of the new island. So Sakhalin became Sakhalin. The name has stuck, and now even conservative Japanese are beginning to forget the former toponym “Karafuto”.

Interesting! By the way, Sakhalin has been discovered many times. The expeditions of Poyarkov, Kruzenshtern, Khvostov, Davydov and La Perouse went to him. All expeditions searched and found something of their own. La Perouse, for example, was looking for evidence of the existence of the legendary Tartaria. That’s why he called the strait he discovered Tartarsky. Subsequently, “Tartarsky” turned into “Tatarsky”. This can mislead an unprepared tourist, so it is worth clarifying that the Tatars have nothing to do with the history of the island.

Climate and weather on Sakhalin

The climate on Sakhalin is cool, determined by many geographical factors. The winter is snowy and long, imperceptibly turning into a not very hot summer - excellent conditions for skiers and valuable varieties of fish. There are a great many of both of them on Sakhalin.

When is the best time to go to Sakhalin

The tourism industry of Sakhalin is a rare indicator for our country that it is possible to work not exclusively on the use of natural gifts. There is a reason for this. The overwhelming majority of tourists on Sakhalin are Japanese, who are difficult to attract due to the simple Soviet conditions for recreation. The Japanese demand good cuisine and quality service. Therefore, comfortable hotels and a developed restaurant business have become the norm for Sakhalin. In addition, on Sakhalin, by attracting funds from Japanese investors, the following tourist infrastructure facilities have already been created and are still being created:

  1. Tourist complex "Hot Keys".
  2. Tourist base "Aquamarine".
  3. Historical Center under Japanese ancient temple"Karafuto jinja."
  4. A massive tourist complex “Sakhalin City Center” is under construction, capable of attracting tourists from all corners of the Earth in the future.

With all the variety of modern infrastructure facilities, the possibility of ecotourism, beloved by many, with elements of survival, remains.

Sakhalin, of course, is not a museum center, but it still provides tourists with the opportunity to see something unusual, namely the South Sakhalin Museum of Railway Equipment. Taking into account the fact that many adult boys and girls of all nationalities retain a reverent love for toys like “ Railway", the museum has no shortage of visitors.

Ecotourism and health tourism

For lovers of ecotourism and medicinal hot springs, Sakhalin Island is a real find. Both natural monuments and thermal waters are available in abundance here.

Natural attractions

  1. Seal Island is a protected area that can be visited as part of an excursion. The island has a world-famous fur seal rookery. In terms of the number of pinnipeds resting there, Tyuleniy Island has no analogues. Only the Commander Islands are comparable to it. A real paradise for zoologists, zoophotographers and ecotourists.
  2. Sakhalin amber deposits - Starodubsky and Vzmorsky beaches. Amber can be collected here like berries. By the way, Sakhalin amber is really berry, cherry in color.
  3. Nituy waterfall, which is of particular interest during the salmon spawning season.
  4. Stone idols of Cape Stukabis, carved from volcanic rocks by nature itself. Here, near the cape, is an ideal place for fishing, where successful fishermen caught hefty Amur whitefish. Depending on the season, you can watch Japanese cormorants nesting and thick-sided sea lions mating. Cape Stukabis is also highly valued by esotericists, Buddhists and hunters of the elusive Shambhala. They say that contemplating the statues and two cascading waterfalls immerses them in nirvana.
  5. Cape Lamanon is a real gift for ornithologists and amateur geologists. Rare Steller's sea eagles are found here, and volcanic mountains provide prospectors with samples of quartz and calcite.

How to get to the thermal springs

There are many of them on Sakhalin, and you can swim and heal in all of them.

Popular ones include:

Sinegorsk hot springs throwing out cubes of water with complex chemical composition and high arsenic content. This type of Sinegorsk water is rare in the world and treats serious disorders of cell metabolism and the consequences of radiation sickness. Sinegorsk is located 20 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk,

Balneological health centers They are treated with the mud of the Tatar (Tartar) Strait, namely the mouth of the Lechebnaya River and Lake Imenchivoe. The mud of these natural health resorts saves people with severe skin diseases and intractable skin ulcers. Mud procedures are carried out in:

  • Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sanatorium "Aralia" (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Komsomolskaya str. 371).
  • Sanatorium "Gornyak" (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Gornaya str. 1).
  • Sanatoriums "Chaika" and "Sakhalin". Located 20 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, near the Sinegorsk thermal springs.

Daginskie hot waters help with arthritis, arthrosis and other troubles that affect the musculoskeletal system of humans and swans. In any case, the swans chose the Daginskys thermal springs their habitat and do not complain about diseases.

Goryachye Klyuchi is a village with thermal springs of the same name. It's easy to get there. From Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Nogliki, and then 30 km following the signs to Klyuchi. The road is not of Japanese quality, it is dirt, but the Japanese drive on it. Probably, they sometimes want something exotic too. You can stay in the Keys themselves. Or you can go to Nogliki and go to Klyuchi for procedures. Most people do just that, because after a ten-minute procedure in hot waters there is absolutely nothing to do in the Keys except hang around the campground and play Bear Grylls. In Nogliki the conditions are much more comfortable. There is a small hotel. The cost of the room exceeds 2000 rubles per day. In the private sector it is a little cheaper - 1200 rubles per person per day.

The equipment for hot springs in the Keys itself varies. There are well-equipped ones, with clean sunbeds and neat walls. There are some neglected and wild ones. The best are considered to be those belonging to the Dagi cordon house. The cost of one procedure is 100 rubles. Wild springs are not equipped at all or very poorly equipped. Dilapidated walls, holes covered with cellophane and tape, slimy sun loungers and a leaking roof. But each type of source has its fans.

Sakhalin for skiers

International ratings ski resorts Sakhalin is not ignored. To the pride of the domestic tourism business, Sakhalin is far from being an outsider. Thanks to climatic conditions, the mountain snow cover of Sakhalin lasts up to 6 months a year, and thanks to Japanese investments, ski slopes and tourist centers are being equipped.

An interesting feature of Sakhalin ski tourism is the opportunity to combine business with pleasure. To put it exaggeratedly, after descending from the mountain, you can ride to a geothermal spring and take a healing bath.

The tourist complex "Mountain Air" is located in the center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on Victory Square, on the slope of Mount Bolshevik. The complex operates from early December to mid-May.

Important! To ski on the slopes of the complex, you must purchase either a weekly pass costing 8,000 rubles, or a one-day ski-pass costing 1,200 rubles. Riding is allowed from 9 am to 9 pm, day off is Monday.

In total, the complex has 14 downhill slopes, and good quality skis and snowboards are available for rental. On the territory there are funiculars, storage rooms, holiday houses, ski jumps, and a children's room.

The Mountain Air complex has hotels with different levels of amenities and services. The rating is headed by Imperial Palace. The name is a bit loud, but the hotel itself is quite good. “Mitos” and “Santa Risot” are approximately equal in rating to it. There are simpler and, accordingly, cheaper hotels, with names familiar to every post-Soviet person - “Rubin” and “Gagarin”. You can eat in several cafes on the territory of the complex and in hotel restaurants.

Food and nutrition

You can taste whatever your heart desires on Sakhalin. The island's food supply is stable and plentiful. Due to the large number of Japanese and Chinese tourists who have their own gastronomic preferences, there are many restaurants and cafes of Japanese and Chinese cuisines. Due to the geographical proximity of these countries, restaurant chefs have the opportunity to undergo internships in restaurants in Tokyo or Beijing, and the abundance of fish resources excludes the very concept of using any salted herring or mayonnaise when making sushi. Therefore, sushi in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is really sushi, and not rice squares according to the village vocational school recipe. The same can be said about dishes based on Chinese recipes.

Every South Sakhalin cafe offers Korean cuisine. It has become so firmly and long ago rooted in Sakhalin life that it represents a real culinary culture.

Interesting! A separate story about five-minute caviar, which has long become the calling card of Sakhalin. During the chum or pink salmon fishing season, the Sakhalin market explodes with an abundance of caviar. Having gutted pink salmon, Sakhalin residents wash the caviar, roll it out on gauze and dip it in a strong salt solution. Then, in the same gauze, the solution is allowed to drain from the caviar. Five minutes is ready. You can sit at the table and eat with spoons. Tasty and healthy. But in most cases it is expensive.

On Sakhalin it is a sin not to eat fish. Chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, smelt, sea cucumber, halibut, octopus - this is not a complete list of Sakhalin fish abundance.

By autumn, Sakhalin enters the season of crab fishing, and the markets are filled with huge crab claws hanging from the counters.

Scallops are another Sakhalin delicacy, which is obtained artisanally by wading through the shallow sea and feeling the scallops with your feet. To fully enjoy their taste, it is better to eat them immediately on the shore, throwing the scallops on the hot coals of the fire. The doors will immediately open, and inside there will be a piece of white and pink meat, which must be eaten piping hot.

Sakhalin for active tourists

Kurile Islands- an integral part of the Sakhalin region, and therefore trips to the Kuril Islands are among the services provided by travel agencies as part of a trip to Sakhalin. Helicopter travel over the Kuril Islands is one of the most expensive tours. The flight to Mount Spamberg, to an absolutely wild and secluded area near Lake Superior, is not inferior in cost.

A little cheaper is the possibility of group or individual hunting for bears, fur-bearing animals or deer.

K relatively inexpensive tours This could include mushroom and berry picking, fishing or diving.

The travel agency "Imperial Tour" organizes trips for travelers on all-terrain vehicles and cars to places far from popular tourist routes.

Provides leisure facilities for corporate clients tourist agency"Mighty." Tourists are guided by professional rangers who will accompany travelers on hikes around Hirano Island. Tourists will be taught how to catch pink salmon, cook five-minute caviar, make fire, bake pink salmon on coals and do many other exciting things in the spirit of the Discovery Channel. True, according to Russian custom, guests will not only not be allowed to starve, but will even be deprived of the slightest opportunity to lose weight. Throughout the trip, tourists will receive first-class fresh fish and seafood food. In between meals, travelers will be able to admire seal rookeries and flights of cormorants. Still, a wild holiday with survival in Russian is very satisfying and tasty.

Conclusion

Theoretical physicists and simply enthusiasts of this matter say that time travel is possible. Some refer to Tesla, some conduct experiments with speed and particles, however, successes and victorious reports have not yet been heard. Apparently, because of this, the favorite argument of temporary workers is moving into the past when traveling from west to east. It is enough to board a plane at the right time, for example, in St. Petersburg and fly to Sakhalin. After a few hours of flight, the tourist will find himself in yesterday. And returning back in the same way, he will end up in tomorrow. During the experiment, the time traveler can rest very well on numerous tourist centers Sakhalin, swim in hot springs, catch fish and wander around the railway museum.

Geographical characteristics of Sakhalin

It is washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan. It is separated from the mainland by the Tatar Strait, the width of which at its narrowest point (Nevelskoy Strait) is 7.3 km, in the south of the island. Hokkaido (Japan) is separated by the La Perouse Strait. It extends meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. The length is 948 km, with an average width of about 100 km, on the isthmuses Sakhalin narrows: on Okha to 6 km, on Poyask to 27 km. Area 76.4 thousand km2.

Photo of Sakhalin Island from space. Enlarged image

Geologically, Sakhalin is part of the Cenozoic folded region as part of the Pacific folded geosynclinal belt. In the structure of Sakhalig, two meridional anticlinoria are distinguished - East Sakhalin and West Sakhalin, separated by Central Sakhalin. In the core of the East Sakhalin anticlinorium, Paleozoic rocks are exposed, in the core of the West Sakhalin anticlinorium - Upper Cretaceous; The Central Sakhalin region is composed of Neogene deposits. Strong seismicity indicates ongoing mountain-building processes.

Climate of Sakhalin

Sakhalin, separated from the mainland by the Tatar Strait, stretches from north to south for almost 1000 km. Its central and, especially, southern parts are predominantly mountainous in nature. There are wide low-lying strips along the coast.

The main watershed of Sakhalin is the Western Sakhalin Range, dividing the river network into two groups, one of which belongs to the Okhotsk basin, the other to the Sea of ​​Japan, To the east of it, separated by a deep fault depression, is the short but higher Eastern Sakhalin Ridge, the highest highest point(peak, Nevelskogo, 2013 m) which is the highest for the entire island. The climate of Sakhalin is harsh. Winter here is long and cold, frosts reach -48°. The average monthly air temperature of the coldest month - January - in the north is -23°, in the south -8°. Summer is short and cool: The average monthly air temperature in the warmest month - July - does not exceed 15-17°.

Water resources of Sakhalin

The main rivers of Sakhalin are the Tym and Poronoy. They laid out their valleys in the central tectonic depression between the Western and Eastern ranges. The lengths of the rivers are about; 250 km, the catchment area is approximately 8000 km 2. Both rivers are distinguished by significant water content: their average annual flow exceeds 100 m 3 /sec, and modules reach 12-19 l/sec km 2. Other rivers of Sakhalin are short, mountainous watercourses, also characterized by high water content.

The regime of Sakhalin rivers is complex. The flood passes through them in three waves. In spring there is high water; from the melting of snow within the flat parts of the basins, at the beginning of summer there is a flood formed due to melting snow in the mountains, and, finally, in the middle of summer (July-August) there are floods caused by monsoon showers.

The coast of the island is replete with lakes, such as lagoons; they are shallow and separated from the sea by narrow spits; separate groups of lakes stretch along the coast for tens of kilometers. Most of them have communication and water exchange with the sea through narrow straits. Some lakes were separated from the sea and turned into fresh water bodies.

Russia Region Sakhalin region Population 520 thousand people

Sakhalin island

Sakhalin- an island off the east coast of Asia. It is part of the Sakhalin region, the largest island in the Russian Federation. It is washed by the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (at its narrowest part, the Nevelskoy Strait, is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from the Japanese island of Hokkaido - through the La Perouse Strait.

The island got its name from the Manchu name of the Amur River - “Sakhalyan-ulla”, which translated means “Black River” - this name, printed on the map, was mistakenly attributed to Sakhalin, and in subsequent editions of maps it was printed as the name of the island. The Japanese call Sakhalin Karafuto, this name goes back to the Ainu "kamuy- kara-puto-ya-mosir", which means "land of the god of the mouth".

In 1805, a Russian ship under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern explored most coast of Sakhalin and concluded that Sakhalin is a peninsula. In 1808, Japanese expeditions led by Matsuda Denjuro and Mamiya Rinzou proved that Sakhalin is an island. Most European cartographers were skeptical of the Japanese data. For a long time, on various maps Sakhalin was designated either an island or a peninsula. Only in 1849 did an expedition under the command of G.I. Nevelsky put a final point on this issue, passing on the military transport ship “Baikal” between Sakhalin and the mainland. This strait was subsequently named after Nevelsky.

Geography

The island extends meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. Length 948 km, width from 26 km (Poyasok isthmus) to 160 km (at the latitude of the village of Lesogorskoye), area 76.4 thousand km².

Map of Sakhalin Island 1885

Relief

The island's topography is composed of medium-high mountains, low mountains and low-lying plains. The southern and central parts of the island are characterized by mountainous terrain and consist of two meridionally oriented mountain systems - the Western Sakhalin Mountains (up to 1327 m in height - the city of Onor) and the East Sakhalin Mountains (up to 1609 m in height - the city of Lopatina), separated by the longitudinal Tym- Poronayskaya lowland. The north of the island (with the exception of the Schmidt Peninsula) is a gently rolling plain.

The shores of the island are slightly indented; large bays - Aniva and Terpeniya (widely open to the south) are located in the southern and middle parts of the island, respectively. IN coastline There are two large bays and four peninsulas.

The following 11 districts are distinguished in the relief of Sakhalin:

  1. Schmidt Peninsula (about 1.4 thousand km²) is a mountainous peninsula in the far north of the island with steep, sometimes steep banks and two meridional ridges - Western and Eastern; highest point - Three Brothers (623 m); connected to the North Sakhalin Plain by the Okha Isthmus, the width of which at its narrowest point is just over 6 km;
  2. The North Sakhalin Plain (about 28 thousand km²) is a gently hilly territory south of the Schmidt Peninsula with a widely branched river network, poorly defined watersheds and individual low mountain ranges, stretches from the Bay of Baikal in the north to the confluence of the Nysh and Tym rivers in the south, the highest point - Daakhuria town (601 m); The north-eastern coast of the island stands out as a sub-region, which is characterized by large lagoons (the largest are Piltun, Chaivo, Nyisky, Nabilsky, Lunsky bays), separated from the sea by narrow strips of alluvial spits, dunes, low sea terraces - it is in this sub-region and the main Sakhalin oil and gas fields are located on the adjacent shelf of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk;
  3. The Western Sakhalin Mountains stretch almost 630 km from the latitude of the village. Khoe (51º19" N) in the north to the Crillon Peninsula in the extreme south of the island; the average width of the mountains is 40-50 km, the largest (at the latitude of Cape Lamanon) is about 70 km; the axial part is formed by Kamysovy (north of the Poyasok isthmus) and South Kamyshovy ridges;
  4. The Tym-Poronayskaya lowland is located in the middle part of the island and is a hilly lowland stretching approximately 250 km in the meridional direction - from Terpeniya Bay in the south to the confluence of the Tym and Nysh rivers in the north; reaches its maximum width (up to 90 km) at the mouth of the Poronai River, and its minimum (6-8 km) in the valley of the Tym River; in the north it passes into the Nabil lowland; covered with a thick cover of Cenozoic sediments, composed of sedimentary deposits of the Quaternary period. sandstones, pebbles; the heavily swampy southern part of the lowland is called the Poronai “tundra”;
  5. The Susunai Lowland is located in the southern part of the island and stretches for about 100 km from Aniva Bay in the south to the Naiba River in the north; from the west the lowland is limited by the Western Sakhalin Mountains, from the east by the Susunaisky ridge and the Korsakov plateau; in the southern part the width of the lowland reaches 20 km, in the center - 6 km, in the north - 10 km; absolute heights in the north and south do not exceed 20 m above sea level, in the central part, on the watershed of the Susuya and Bolshaya Takaya river basins, reach 60 m; belongs to the type of internal lowlands and is a tectonic depression filled with a large thickness of Quaternary deposits; within the Susunai Lowland are the cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aniva, Dolinsk and about half the island’s population lives;
  6. The East Sakhalin Mountains are represented in the north by the Lopatinsky mountain cluster (the highest point is the city of Lopatin, 1609 m) with ridges radiating from it; two spurs in the opposite direction represent the Nabilsky ridge; in the south, the Nabilsky ridge passes into the Central Ridge, in the north, sharply descending, into the North Sakhalin Plain;
  7. lowland of the Terpeniya Peninsula - the smallest of the areas, occupies most of the Terpeniya Peninsula east of Terpeniya Bay;
  8. The Susunaisky ridge stretches from north to south for 70 km and has a width of 18-120 km; the highest points are Mount Pushkinskaya (1047 m) and Chekhov Peak (1045 m); composed of Paleozoic deposits, at the foot of the western macroslope of the ridge is the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
  9. The Korsakov plateau is bounded from the west by the Susunay lowland, from the north by the Susunay ridge, from the east by the Muravyovsky lowland, from the south by Aniva Bay, and has a slightly undulating surface formed by a system of flat-topped ridged ridges elongated in the northeast direction; at the southern end of the plateau on the shores of Aniva Bay is the city of Korsakov;
  10. The Muravyovskaya Lowland is located between the Aniva Bay in the south and the Mordvinova Bay in the north, and has a ridged topography with flat tops of the ridges; within the lowland there are many lakes, incl. the so-called “Warm Lakes”, where South Sakhalin residents like to go on vacation;
  11. The Tonino-Aniva ridge stretches from north to south, from Cape Svobodny to Cape Aniva, for almost 90 km, the highest point is Mount Kruzenshtern (670 m); composed of Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits.

View of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the high shore near the lighthouse in the Warm Lakes area

Climate

The climate of Sakhalin is cool, moderate monsoon ( average temperature January from −6ºС in the south to −24ºС in the north, August - from +19ºС to +10ºС, respectively), sea with long snowy winters and short cool summers.

The climate is influenced by the following factors:

  1. Geographical location between 46º and 54º N. latitude. determines the arrival of solar radiation from 410 kJ/year in the north to 450 kJ/year in the south.
  2. Position between the Eurasian continent and Pacific Ocean determines the monsoon climate. It is associated with the humid and cool, rather rainy Sakhalin summer.
  3. Mountainous terrain affects the direction and speed of the wind. A decrease in wind speed in intermountain basins (in particular, in the relatively large Tym-Poronai and Susunai lowlands) contributes to air cooling in winter and warming in summer; it is here that the greatest temperature contrasts are observed; at the same time, the mountains protect the named lowlands, as well as West Coast from exposure to cold air from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
  4. In summer, the contrast between the western and eastern coasts of the island is enhanced by the respectively warm Tsushima Current of the Sea of ​​Japan and the cold East Sakhalin Current of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
  5. The cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk affects the island's climate as a giant thermal accumulator, determining a long, cold spring and relatively warm autumn: snow in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sometimes lasts until mid-May, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's flower beds can bloom until early November. If we compare Sakhalin with similar (in terms of climatic indicators) territories of European Russia, then the seasons on the island succeed each other with a delay of about three weeks.

Air temperature and precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the 21st century (temperature: II.2001-IV.2009; precipitation: III.2005-IV.2009):

Options / Months I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII Year
Maximum air temperature, ºС 1,7 4,1 9,0 22,9 25,0 28,2 29,6 32,0 26,0 22,8 15,3 5,0 32,0
Average air temperature, ºС −11,6 −11,7 −4,6 1,8 7,4 12,3 15,5 17,3 13,4 6,6 −0,8 −9,0 3,2
Minimum air temperature, ºС −29,5 −30,5 −25,0 −14,5 −4,7 1,2 3,0 4,2 −2,1 −8,0 −16,5 −26,0 −30,5
Total precipitation, mm 49 66 62 54 71 38 37 104 88 96 77 79 792

The maximum temperature on Sakhalin (+39ºС) was observed in July 1977 in the village. Border on east coast(Nogliki district). The minimum temperature on Sakhalin (-50ºС) was recorded in January 1980 in the village. Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district). The recorded temperature minimum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is −36ºС (January 1961), maximum is +34.7ºС (August 1999).

The highest average annual precipitation (990 mm) falls in the city of Aniva, the least (476 mm) at the Kuegda weather station (Okha district). The average annual precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (according to long-term data) is 753 mm.

The earliest stable snow cover appears on Cape Elizaveta (Okha district) and in the village of Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district) - on average October 31, the latest - in the city of Korsakov (on average December 1). The average dates for the disappearance of snow cover are from April 22 (Kholmsk) to May 28 (Cape Elizabeth). In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, stable snow cover appears on average on November 22 and disappears on April 29.

The most powerful typhoon in the last 100 years (“Phyllis”) hit the island in August 1981. The maximum precipitation then fell on August 5-6, and in total from August 4 to 7, 322 mm of precipitation fell in the south of Sakhalin (about three monthly norms) .

Inland waters

The largest rivers of Sakhalin:

River Administrative district(s) Where does it flow Length, km Basin area, km² Average annual runoff volume, km³
Poronai Tymovsky, Smirnykhovsky, Poronaysky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 350 7990 2,49
Tym Tymovsky, Nogliki Nyisky Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 330 7850 1,68
Naiba Dolinsky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 119 1660 0,65
Lutoga Kholmsky, Anivsky Aniva Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 130 1530 1,00
Shaft Nogliki Chaivo Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 112 1440 0,73
Ainskaya Tomarinsky lake Ainsk 79 1330 ...
Nysh Nogliki Tym River (left tributary) 116 1260 ...
Uglegorka (Esutoru) Uglegorsky Sea of ​​Japan (Strait of Tartary) 102 1250 0,57
Langeri (Langry) Okhinsky Amur Estuary of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 130 1190 ...
Big Okhinsky Sakhalin Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 97 1160 ...
Rukutama (Vitnitsa) Poronaisky lake Nevskoe 120 1100 ...
Deer Poronaisky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 85 1080 ...
Lesogorka (Taimyr) Uglegorsky Sea of ​​Japan (Strait of Tartary) 72 1020 0,62
Nabil Nogliki Nabilsky Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 101 1010 ...
Malaya Tym Tymovsky Tym River (left tributary) 66 917 ...
Leonidovka Poronaisky Poronai River (right tributary) 95 850 0,39
Susuya Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Anivsky Aniva Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 83 823 0,08

There are 16,120 lakes on Sakhalin with total area about 1000 km². The areas of their greatest concentration are the north and southeast of the island. The two most large lakes Sakhalin - Nevskoe with a surface area of ​​178 km² (Poronaisky district, near the mouth of the Poronai River) and Tunaycha (174 km²) (Korsakovsky district, in the north of the Muravyovskaya lowland); both lakes belong to the lagoon type.

Natural resources

Sakhalin is characterized by a very high potential of natural resources. In addition to biological resources, the reserves of which Sakhalin ranks among the first in Russia, the island and its shelf have very large hydrocarbon reserves. In terms of the volume of explored reserves of gas condensate, the Sakhalin region ranks 4th in Russia, gas - 7th, coal - 12th and oil - 13th, while within the region the reserves of these minerals are almost entirely concentrated in Sakhalin and its shelf. Other natural resources of the island include timber, gold, and platinum.

Flora and fauna

Both the flora and fauna of the island are depleted both in comparison with the adjacent areas of the mainland and in comparison with the located south of the island Hokkaido.

Flora

As of the beginning of 2004, the island's flora includes 1,521 species of vascular plants, belonging to 575 genera from 132 families, with 7 families and 101 genera represented only by alien species. The total number of alien species on the island is 288, or 18.9% of the entire flora. According to the main systematic groups, the vascular plants of the Sakhalin flora are distributed as follows (excluding aliens): vascular spores - 79 species (including lycosperms - 14, horsetails - 8, pteridophytes - 57), gymnosperms - 9 species, angiosperms - 1146 species ( including monocotyledons - 383, dicotyledons - 763). The leading families of vascular plants in the flora of Sakhalin are sedges ( Cyperaceae) (121 species excluding aliens - 122 species including aliens), Asteraceae ( Asteraceae) (120 - 175), cereals ( Poaceae) (108 - 152), Rosaceae ( Rosaceae) (58 - 68), ranunculaceae ( Ranunculaceae) (54 - 57), heather ( Ericaceae) (39 - 39), cloves ( Caryophyllaceae) (38 - 54), buckwheat ( Polygonaceae) (37 - 57), orchids ( Orchidaceae) (35 - 35), cruciferous ( Brassicaceae) (33 - 53).

Fauna

Pink salmon go to spawn in an unnamed river flowing into Mordvinov Bay

"Red Book"

The fauna, flora and mycobiota of the island include many rare protected species of animals, plants and fungi. 12 species of mammals recorded on Sakhalin, 97 species of birds (including 50 nesting), seven species of fish, 20 species of invertebrates, 113 species of vascular plants, 13 species of bryophytes, seven species of algae, 14 species of fungi and 20 species of lichens (t i.e. 136 species of animals, 133 species of plants and 34 species of fungi - a total of 303 species) have protected status, i.e. are listed in the Red Book of the Sakhalin Region, while about a third of them are simultaneously included in the Red Book Russian Federation".

Among the "federal Red Book" flowering plants, the flora of Sakhalin includes Aralia cordate ( Aralia cordata), calypso bulbosa ( Calypso bulbosa), Glen's cardiocrinum ( Cardiocrinum glehnii), Japanese sedge ( Carex japonica) and lead gray ( C. livida), real lady's slippers ( Cypripedium calceolus) and grandiflora ( C. macranthum), Gray's bifolia ( Diphylleia grayi), leafless muzzle ( Epipogium aphyllum), Japanese kandyk ( Erythronium japonicum), tall pot-bellied ( Gastrodia elata), iris xiphoid ( Iris ensata), ailantholfolia nut ( Juglans ailanthifolia), Calopanax sevenloba ( Kalopanax septemlobum), tiger lily ( Lilium lancifolium), Tolmachev's honeysuckle ( Lonicera tolmatchevii), long-legged winged seed ( Macropodium pterospermum), miyakia wholeleaf ( Miyakea integrifolia) (Miyakia is the only endemic genus of vascular plants on Sakhalin), Nestflower capulaceae ( Neottianthe cucullata), peonies obovate ( Paeonia obovata) and mountain ( P. oreogeton), rough bluegrass ( Poa radula) and Wright's viburnum ( Viburnum wrightii), i.e. 23 species. In addition, eight more “federal Red Book” plants are found on the island: two species of gymnosperms - Sargent’s juniper ( Juniperus sargentii) and pointed yew ( Taxus cuspidata), three species of pteridophytes - asiatic grasshopper ( Isoеtes asiatica), leptorumora Mikel ( Leptorumohra miqueliana) and Wright's mecodium ( Mecodium wrightii), two species and one variety of mosses - Bryoxyphium japonica ( Bryoxiphium norvegicum var. japonicum), nekera northern ( Neckera borealis), and plagiothecium obtuse ( Plagiothecium obtusissimum).

Population

According to the results of the 2002 census, the population of the island was 527.1 thousand people, incl. 253.5 thousand men and 273.6 thousand women; about 85% of the population are Russians, the rest are Ukrainians, Koreans, Belarusians, Tatars, Chuvashs, Mordovians, several thousand people each are representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North - Nivkhs and Oroks. From 2002 to 2008 the population of Sakhalin continued to decline slowly (by about 1% per year): mortality still prevails over birth rate, and recruitment work force from the mainland and from countries neighboring Russia does not compensate for the departure of Sakhalin residents to the mainland. At the beginning of 2008, about 500 thousand people lived on the island.

The largest city on the island is regional center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (173.2 thousand people; 01/01/2007), others relatively big cities- Korsakov (35.1 thousand people), Kholmsk (32.3 thousand people), Okha (26.7 thousand people), Nevelsk (17.0 thousand people), Poronaysk (16.9 thousand people).

The population is distributed among the regions of the island as follows (results of the 2002 census, people):

Area Whole population %% of total Urban population Rural population
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and subordinate settlements 182142 34,6 177272 4870
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky 17509 3,3 14764 2746
Anivsky 15275 2,9 8098 7177
Dolinsky 28268 5,4 23532 4736
Korsakovsky 45347 8,6 39311 6036
Makarovsky 9802 1,9 7282 2520
Nevelsky 26873 5,1 25954 921
Nogliki 13594 2,6 11653 1941
Okhinsky 33533 6,4 30977 2556
Poronaisky 28859 5,5 27531 1508
Smirnykhovsky 15044 2,9 7551 7493
Tomarinsky 11669 2,2 9845 1824
Tymovsky 19109 3,6 8542 10567
Uglegorsky 30208 5,7 26406 3802
Kholmsky 49848 9,5 44874 4974
Sakhalin in general 527080 100 463410 63670

Story

Archaeological finds indicate that people appeared on Sakhalin in the Paleolithic, approximately 20-25 thousand years ago, when glaciation lowered the level of the World Ocean and restored land “bridges” between Sakhalin and the mainland, as well as Sakhalin and Hokkaido. (At the same time, along another land “bridge” between Asia and America, located on the site of the modern Bering Strait, Homo sapiens moved to the American continent). In the Neolithic (2-6 thousand years ago), Sakhalin was inhabited by the ancestors of modern Paleo-Asian peoples - the Nivkhs (in the north of the island) and the Ainu (in the south).

These same ethnic groups formed the main population of the island during the Middle Ages, with the Nivkh migrating between Sakhalin and the lower Amur, and the Ainu migrating between Sakhalin and Hokkaido. Their material culture was similar in many ways, and their livelihood came from fishing, hunting and gathering. At the end of the Middle Ages (in the 16th-17th centuries), Tungus-speaking peoples appeared on Sakhalin - Evenks (nomadic reindeer herders) and Oroks (Uilta), who, under the influence of the Evenks, also began to engage in reindeer herding.

According to the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) between Russia and Japan, Sakhalin was recognized as their joint undivided possession. According to the Treaty of St. Petersburg of 1875, Russia received ownership of the island of Sakhalin, in return transferring to Japan all the northern Kuril Islands. After defeat Russian Empire in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, Japan received South Sakhalin (the part of Sakhalin Island south of the 50th parallel). As a result of the victory over Japan during World War II, the Soviet Union(RSFSR) the entire territory of Sakhalin Island and all the Kuril Islands were included. To the territory or part of the territory of the island. Sakhalin currently has no claims from Japan or any other country.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was founded by Russians in 1882 under the name Vladimirovka. After the victory of the USSR and its allies in World War II, along with the entire island, it passed to the USSR.

Russia Region Sakhalin region Population 520 thousand people

Sakhalin island

Sakhalin- an island off the east coast of Asia. It is part of the Sakhalin region, the largest island in the Russian Federation. It is washed by the Seas of Okhotsk and Japan. It is separated from mainland Asia by the Tatar Strait (at its narrowest part, the Nevelskoy Strait, is 7.3 km wide and freezes in winter); from the Japanese island of Hokkaido - through the La Perouse Strait.

The island got its name from the Manchu name of the Amur River - “Sakhalyan-ulla”, which translated means “Black River” - this name, printed on the map, was mistakenly attributed to Sakhalin, and in subsequent editions of maps it was printed as the name of the island. The Japanese call Sakhalin Karafuto, this name goes back to the Ainu "kamuy- kara-puto-ya-mosir", which means "land of the god of the mouth".

In 1805, a Russian ship under the command of I.F. Kruzenshtern explored most of the coast of Sakhalin and concluded that Sakhalin was a peninsula. In 1808, Japanese expeditions led by Matsuda Denjuro and Mamiya Rinzou proved that Sakhalin is an island. Most European cartographers were skeptical of the Japanese data. For a long time, on various maps Sakhalin was designated either an island or a peninsula. Only in 1849 did an expedition under the command of G.I. Nevelsky put a final point on this issue, passing on the military transport ship “Baikal” between Sakhalin and the mainland. This strait was subsequently named after Nevelsky.

Geography

The island extends meridionally from Cape Crillon in the south to Cape Elizabeth in the north. Length 948 km, width from 26 km (Poyasok isthmus) to 160 km (at the latitude of the village of Lesogorskoye), area 76.4 thousand km².

Map of Sakhalin Island 1885

Relief

The island's topography is composed of medium-high mountains, low mountains and low-lying plains. The southern and central parts of the island are characterized by mountainous terrain and consist of two meridionally oriented mountain systems - the Western Sakhalin Mountains (up to 1327 m in height - the city of Onor) and the East Sakhalin Mountains (up to 1609 m in height - the city of Lopatina), separated by the longitudinal Tym- Poronayskaya lowland. The north of the island (with the exception of the Schmidt Peninsula) is a gently rolling plain.

The shores of the island are slightly indented; large bays - Aniva and Terpeniya (widely open to the south) are located in the southern and middle parts of the island, respectively. The coastline has two large bays and four peninsulas.

The following 11 districts are distinguished in the relief of Sakhalin:

  1. Schmidt Peninsula (about 1.4 thousand km²) is a mountainous peninsula in the far north of the island with steep, sometimes steep banks and two meridional ridges - Western and Eastern; highest point - Three Brothers (623 m); connected to the North Sakhalin Plain by the Okha Isthmus, the width of which at its narrowest point is just over 6 km;
  2. The North Sakhalin Plain (about 28 thousand km²) is a gently hilly territory south of the Schmidt Peninsula with a widely branched river network, poorly defined watersheds and individual low mountain ranges, stretches from the Bay of Baikal in the north to the confluence of the Nysh and Tym rivers in the south, the highest point - Daakhuria town (601 m); The north-eastern coast of the island stands out as a sub-region, which is characterized by large lagoons (the largest are Piltun, Chaivo, Nyisky, Nabilsky, Lunsky bays), separated from the sea by narrow strips of alluvial spits, dunes, low sea terraces - it is in this sub-region and the main Sakhalin oil and gas fields are located on the adjacent shelf of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk;
  3. The Western Sakhalin Mountains stretch almost 630 km from the latitude of the village. Khoe (51º19" N) in the north to the Crillon Peninsula in the extreme south of the island; the average width of the mountains is 40-50 km, the largest (at the latitude of Cape Lamanon) is about 70 km; the axial part is formed by Kamysovy (north of the Poyasok isthmus) and South Kamyshovy ridges;
  4. The Tym-Poronayskaya lowland is located in the middle part of the island and is a hilly lowland stretching approximately 250 km in the meridional direction - from Terpeniya Bay in the south to the confluence of the Tym and Nysh rivers in the north; reaches its maximum width (up to 90 km) at the mouth of the Poronai River, and its minimum (6-8 km) in the valley of the Tym River; in the north it passes into the Nabil lowland; covered with a thick cover of Cenozoic sediments, composed of sedimentary deposits of the Quaternary period. sandstones, pebbles; the heavily swampy southern part of the lowland is called the Poronai “tundra”;
  5. The Susunai Lowland is located in the southern part of the island and stretches for about 100 km from Aniva Bay in the south to the Naiba River in the north; from the west the lowland is limited by the Western Sakhalin Mountains, from the east by the Susunaisky ridge and the Korsakov plateau; in the southern part the width of the lowland reaches 20 km, in the center - 6 km, in the north - 10 km; absolute heights in the north and south do not exceed 20 m above sea level, in the central part, on the watershed of the Susuya and Bolshaya Takaya river basins, reach 60 m; belongs to the type of internal lowlands and is a tectonic depression filled with a large thickness of Quaternary deposits; within the Susunai Lowland are the cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Aniva, Dolinsk and about half the island’s population lives;
  6. The East Sakhalin Mountains are represented in the north by the Lopatinsky mountain cluster (the highest point is the city of Lopatin, 1609 m) with ridges radiating from it; two spurs in the opposite direction represent the Nabilsky ridge; in the south, the Nabilsky ridge passes into the Central Ridge, in the north, sharply descending, into the North Sakhalin Plain;
  7. lowland of the Terpeniya Peninsula - the smallest of the areas, occupies most of the Terpeniya Peninsula east of Terpeniya Bay;
  8. The Susunaisky ridge stretches from north to south for 70 km and has a width of 18-120 km; the highest points are Mount Pushkinskaya (1047 m) and Chekhov Peak (1045 m); composed of Paleozoic deposits, at the foot of the western macroslope of the ridge is the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
  9. The Korsakov plateau is bounded from the west by the Susunay lowland, from the north by the Susunay ridge, from the east by the Muravyovsky lowland, from the south by Aniva Bay, and has a slightly undulating surface formed by a system of flat-topped ridged ridges elongated in the northeast direction; at the southern end of the plateau on the shores of Aniva Bay is the city of Korsakov;
  10. The Muravyovskaya Lowland is located between the Aniva Bay in the south and the Mordvinova Bay in the north, and has a ridged topography with flat tops of the ridges; within the lowland there are many lakes, incl. the so-called “Warm Lakes”, where South Sakhalin residents like to go on vacation;
  11. The Tonino-Aniva ridge stretches from north to south, from Cape Svobodny to Cape Aniva, for almost 90 km, the highest point is Mount Kruzenshtern (670 m); composed of Cretaceous and Jurassic deposits.

View of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the high shore near the lighthouse in the Warm Lakes area

Climate

The climate of Sakhalin is cool, moderate monsoon (average January temperature from −6ºС in the south to −24ºС in the north, August - from +19ºС to +10ºС, respectively), maritime with long snowy winters and short cool summers.

The climate is influenced by the following factors:

  1. Geographical location between 46º and 54º N. latitude. determines the arrival of solar radiation from 410 kJ/year in the north to 450 kJ/year in the south.
  2. The position between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean determines the monsoon climate. It is associated with the humid and cool, rather rainy Sakhalin summer.
  3. Mountainous terrain affects the direction and speed of the wind. A decrease in wind speed in intermountain basins (in particular, in the relatively large Tym-Poronai and Susunai lowlands) contributes to air cooling in winter and warming in summer; it is here that the greatest temperature contrasts are observed; at the same time, the mountains protect the named lowlands, as well as the western coast, from the effects of the cold air of the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk.
  4. In summer, the contrast between the western and eastern coasts of the island is enhanced by the respectively warm Tsushima Current of the Sea of ​​Japan and the cold East Sakhalin Current of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.
  5. The cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk affects the island's climate as a giant thermal accumulator, determining a long, cold spring and relatively warm autumn: snow in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sometimes lasts until mid-May, and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk's flower beds can bloom until early November. If we compare Sakhalin with similar (in terms of climatic indicators) territories of European Russia, then the seasons on the island succeed each other with a delay of about three weeks.

Air temperature and precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in the 21st century (temperature: II.2001-IV.2009; precipitation: III.2005-IV.2009):

Options / Months I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII Year
Maximum air temperature, ºС 1,7 4,1 9,0 22,9 25,0 28,2 29,6 32,0 26,0 22,8 15,3 5,0 32,0
Average air temperature, ºС −11,6 −11,7 −4,6 1,8 7,4 12,3 15,5 17,3 13,4 6,6 −0,8 −9,0 3,2
Minimum air temperature, ºС −29,5 −30,5 −25,0 −14,5 −4,7 1,2 3,0 4,2 −2,1 −8,0 −16,5 −26,0 −30,5
Total precipitation, mm 49 66 62 54 71 38 37 104 88 96 77 79 792

The maximum temperature on Sakhalin (+39ºС) was observed in July 1977 in the village. Pogranichnoe on the east coast (Nogliki district). The minimum temperature on Sakhalin (-50ºС) was recorded in January 1980 in the village. Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district). The recorded temperature minimum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is −36ºС (January 1961), maximum is +34.7ºС (August 1999).

The highest average annual precipitation (990 mm) falls in the city of Aniva, the least (476 mm) at the Kuegda weather station (Okha district). The average annual precipitation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (according to long-term data) is 753 mm.

The earliest stable snow cover appears on Cape Elizaveta (Okha district) and in the village of Ado-Tymovo (Tymovsky district) - on average October 31, the latest - in the city of Korsakov (on average December 1). The average dates for the disappearance of snow cover are from April 22 (Kholmsk) to May 28 (Cape Elizabeth). In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, stable snow cover appears on average on November 22 and disappears on April 29.

The most powerful typhoon in the last 100 years (“Phyllis”) hit the island in August 1981. The maximum precipitation then fell on August 5-6, and in total from August 4 to 7, 322 mm of precipitation fell in the south of Sakhalin (about three monthly norms) .

Inland waters

The largest rivers of Sakhalin:

River Administrative district(s) Where does it flow Length, km Basin area, km² Average annual runoff volume, km³
Poronai Tymovsky, Smirnykhovsky, Poronaysky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 350 7990 2,49
Tym Tymovsky, Nogliki Nyisky Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 330 7850 1,68
Naiba Dolinsky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 119 1660 0,65
Lutoga Kholmsky, Anivsky Aniva Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 130 1530 1,00
Shaft Nogliki Chaivo Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 112 1440 0,73
Ainskaya Tomarinsky lake Ainsk 79 1330 ...
Nysh Nogliki Tym River (left tributary) 116 1260 ...
Uglegorka (Esutoru) Uglegorsky Sea of ​​Japan (Strait of Tartary) 102 1250 0,57
Langeri (Langry) Okhinsky Amur Estuary of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 130 1190 ...
Big Okhinsky Sakhalin Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 97 1160 ...
Rukutama (Vitnitsa) Poronaisky lake Nevskoe 120 1100 ...
Deer Poronaisky Terpeniya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 85 1080 ...
Lesogorka (Taimyr) Uglegorsky Sea of ​​Japan (Strait of Tartary) 72 1020 0,62
Nabil Nogliki Nabilsky Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk 101 1010 ...
Malaya Tym Tymovsky Tym River (left tributary) 66 917 ...
Leonidovka Poronaisky Poronai River (right tributary) 95 850 0,39
Susuya Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Anivsky Aniva Bay, Sea of ​​Okhotsk 83 823 0,08

There are 16,120 lakes on Sakhalin with a total area of ​​about 1,000 km². The areas of their greatest concentration are the north and southeast of the island. The two largest lakes of Sakhalin are Nevskoye with a mirror area of ​​178 km² (Poronaisky district, near the mouth of the Poronai River) and Tunaicha (174 km²) (Korsakovsky district, in the north of the Muravyovskaya lowland); both lakes belong to the lagoon type.

Natural resources

Sakhalin is characterized by a very high potential of natural resources. In addition to biological resources, the reserves of which Sakhalin ranks among the first in Russia, the island and its shelf have very large hydrocarbon reserves. In terms of the volume of explored reserves of gas condensate, the Sakhalin region ranks 4th in Russia, gas - 7th, coal - 12th and oil - 13th, while within the region the reserves of these minerals are almost entirely concentrated in Sakhalin and its shelf. Other natural resources of the island include timber, gold, and platinum.

Flora and fauna

Both the flora and fauna of the island are impoverished both in comparison with the adjacent areas of the mainland and in comparison with the island of Hokkaido located to the south.

Flora

As of the beginning of 2004, the island's flora includes 1,521 species of vascular plants, belonging to 575 genera from 132 families, with 7 families and 101 genera represented only by alien species. The total number of alien species on the island is 288, or 18.9% of the entire flora. According to the main systematic groups, the vascular plants of the Sakhalin flora are distributed as follows (excluding aliens): vascular spores - 79 species (including lycosperms - 14, horsetails - 8, pteridophytes - 57), gymnosperms - 9 species, angiosperms - 1146 species ( including monocotyledons - 383, dicotyledons - 763). The leading families of vascular plants in the flora of Sakhalin are sedges ( Cyperaceae) (121 species excluding aliens - 122 species including aliens), Asteraceae ( Asteraceae) (120 - 175), cereals ( Poaceae) (108 - 152), Rosaceae ( Rosaceae) (58 - 68), ranunculaceae ( Ranunculaceae) (54 - 57), heather ( Ericaceae) (39 - 39), cloves ( Caryophyllaceae) (38 - 54), buckwheat ( Polygonaceae) (37 - 57), orchids ( Orchidaceae) (35 - 35), cruciferous ( Brassicaceae) (33 - 53).

Fauna

Pink salmon go to spawn in an unnamed river flowing into Mordvinov Bay

"Red Book"

The fauna, flora and mycobiota of the island include many rare protected species of animals, plants and fungi. 12 species of mammals recorded on Sakhalin, 97 species of birds (including 50 nesting), seven species of fish, 20 species of invertebrates, 113 species of vascular plants, 13 species of bryophytes, seven species of algae, 14 species of fungi and 20 species of lichens (t i.e. 136 species of animals, 133 species of plants and 34 species of fungi - a total of 303 species) have protected status, i.e. are listed in the Red Book of the Sakhalin Region, while about a third of them are simultaneously included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

Among the "federal Red Book" flowering plants, the flora of Sakhalin includes Aralia cordate ( Aralia cordata), calypso bulbosa ( Calypso bulbosa), Glen's cardiocrinum ( Cardiocrinum glehnii), Japanese sedge ( Carex japonica) and lead gray ( C. livida), real lady's slippers ( Cypripedium calceolus) and grandiflora ( C. macranthum), Gray's bifolia ( Diphylleia grayi), leafless muzzle ( Epipogium aphyllum), Japanese kandyk ( Erythronium japonicum), tall pot-bellied ( Gastrodia elata), iris xiphoid ( Iris ensata), ailantholfolia nut ( Juglans ailanthifolia), Calopanax sevenloba ( Kalopanax septemlobum), tiger lily ( Lilium lancifolium), Tolmachev's honeysuckle ( Lonicera tolmatchevii), long-legged winged seed ( Macropodium pterospermum), miyakia wholeleaf ( Miyakea integrifolia) (Miyakia is the only endemic genus of vascular plants on Sakhalin), Nestflower capulaceae ( Neottianthe cucullata), peonies obovate ( Paeonia obovata) and mountain ( P. oreogeton), rough bluegrass ( Poa radula) and Wright's viburnum ( Viburnum wrightii), i.e. 23 species. In addition, eight more “federal Red Book” plants are found on the island: two species of gymnosperms - Sargent’s juniper ( Juniperus sargentii) and pointed yew ( Taxus cuspidata), three species of pteridophytes - asiatic grasshopper ( Isoеtes asiatica), leptorumora Mikel ( Leptorumohra miqueliana) and Wright's mecodium ( Mecodium wrightii), two species and one variety of mosses - Bryoxyphium japonica ( Bryoxiphium norvegicum var. japonicum), nekera northern ( Neckera borealis), and plagiothecium obtuse ( Plagiothecium obtusissimum).

Population

According to the results of the 2002 census, the population of the island was 527.1 thousand people, incl. 253.5 thousand men and 273.6 thousand women; about 85% of the population are Russians, the rest are Ukrainians, Koreans, Belarusians, Tatars, Chuvashs, Mordovians, several thousand people each are representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North - Nivkhs and Oroks. From 2002 to 2008 The population of Sakhalin continued to decline slowly (by about 1% per year): mortality still prevails over birth rates, and the attraction of labor from the mainland and from countries neighboring Russia does not compensate for the departure of Sakhalin residents to the mainland. At the beginning of 2008, about 500 thousand people lived on the island.

The largest city on the island is the regional center of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (173.2 thousand people; 01/01/2007), other relatively large cities are Korsakov (35.1 thousand people), Kholmsk (32.3 thousand people), Okha (26.7 thousand people), Nevelsk (17.0 thousand people), Poronaysk (16.9 thousand people).

The population is distributed among the regions of the island as follows (results of the 2002 census, people):

Area Whole population %% of total Urban population Rural population
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and subordinate settlements 182142 34,6 177272 4870
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky 17509 3,3 14764 2746
Anivsky 15275 2,9 8098 7177
Dolinsky 28268 5,4 23532 4736
Korsakovsky 45347 8,6 39311 6036
Makarovsky 9802 1,9 7282 2520
Nevelsky 26873 5,1 25954 921
Nogliki 13594 2,6 11653 1941
Okhinsky 33533 6,4 30977 2556
Poronaisky 28859 5,5 27531 1508
Smirnykhovsky 15044 2,9 7551 7493
Tomarinsky 11669 2,2 9845 1824
Tymovsky 19109 3,6 8542 10567
Uglegorsky 30208 5,7 26406 3802
Kholmsky 49848 9,5 44874 4974
Sakhalin in general 527080 100 463410 63670

Story

Archaeological finds indicate that people appeared on Sakhalin in the Paleolithic, approximately 20-25 thousand years ago, when glaciation lowered the level of the World Ocean and restored land “bridges” between Sakhalin and the mainland, as well as Sakhalin and Hokkaido. (At the same time, along another land “bridge” between Asia and America, located on the site of the modern Bering Strait, Homo sapiens moved to the American continent). In the Neolithic (2-6 thousand years ago), Sakhalin was inhabited by the ancestors of modern Paleo-Asian peoples - the Nivkhs (in the north of the island) and the Ainu (in the south).

These same ethnic groups formed the main population of the island during the Middle Ages, with the Nivkh migrating between Sakhalin and the lower Amur, and the Ainu migrating between Sakhalin and Hokkaido. Their material culture was similar in many ways, and their livelihood came from fishing, hunting and gathering. At the end of the Middle Ages (in the 16th-17th centuries), Tungus-speaking peoples appeared on Sakhalin - Evenks (nomadic reindeer herders) and Oroks (Uilta), who, under the influence of the Evenks, also began to engage in reindeer herding.

According to the Treaty of Shimoda (1855) between Russia and Japan, Sakhalin was recognized as their joint undivided possession. According to the Treaty of St. Petersburg of 1875, Russia received ownership of the island of Sakhalin, in return transferring to Japan all the northern Kuril Islands. After the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth, Japan received South Sakhalin (the part of Sakhalin Island south of the 50th parallel). As a result of the victory over Japan during World War II, the entire territory of Sakhalin Island and all the Kuril Islands were included in the Soviet Union (RSFSR). To the territory or part of the territory of the island. Sakhalin currently has no claims from Japan or any other country.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk was founded by Russians in 1882 under the name Vladimirovka. After the victory of the USSR and its allies in World War II, along with the entire island, it passed to the USSR.