If your path lies on the Kuril Islands, Iturup Island, of course, should be part of your trip. After all, this is a very beautiful and original place. No wonder many consider it a real pearl of the Kuriles. We offer today to find out what the island of Iturup is, find out where it is located, what is the climate here and what are the features of flora and fauna. We will also figure out how you can get to this most interesting place.
Iturup Island: photo, description
Iturup is the largest island of the Great Kuril archipelago, which is part of the Kuril Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. Iturup belongs to the Russian Federation, but Japan has been claiming its rights to it for a long time. The authorities of this country consider it as the prefecture of Hokkaido. As for the name of the island, it is believed that it comes from the word "etorop", which can be translated from the Ainu language as "jellyfish".
Geography and map of Iturup Island
As already mentioned, this island is located in the Pacific Ocean. On the northern side, it is washed by the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. Iturup Island on the map of Russia can be found in the southeast of our large country. The map clearly shows how close Iturup is to Japan.
The length of the island from northeast to southwest is 200 kilometers, and its width in different parts varies from seven to twenty-seven kilometers. The area of Iturup is 3200 square kilometers. The island consists of mountain ranges and volcanic massifs. There are about twenty volcanoes here, nine of which are active (Kudryavy, Lesser Brother, Chirip, Bohdan Khmelnitsky and others). In addition, such a seemingly small island of Iturup boasts many picturesque waterfalls, including the highest waterfall in Russia - Ilya Muromets (141 meters). In addition, there are lakes, as well as hot and mineral springs.
Flora
Iturup Island is rich not only in volcanoes, waterfalls and geysers, but also in a number of representatives of the plant world. So, most of its territory is covered with coniferous forests, consisting of small-seeded spruces and Sakhalin firs. In the central region of the island, you can see the Kuril larch. In the southern part of Iturup, broad-leaved species also grow: thin-curly oak, calopanax, maple. Also on the island are very developed thickets of bamboo - Kuril saz, which makesmountain slopes and forests are almost impassable.
Climate
Iturup Island has a temperate maritime climate. Summer here is humid and rather cool. The warmest month is August, when the average daily temperature reaches +14 degrees Celsius. Therefore, when going to Iturup, be sure to bring warm clothes even in summer. As for winter, it is much milder here than on the continent, and is characterized by frequent snowfalls followed by thaws. The average temperature in the coldest month, February, is -3 degrees Celsius.
Inhabitants of the island and settlements
Today, about six and a half thousand people live on Iturup. In the central region of the island on the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, there is the only city and administrative center here - Kurilsk. Its population is about 1800 people. The rest of the islanders live in the rural settlements of Kitovoe, Reidovo, Rybaki, Goryachiye Klyuchi and a number of others.
Mineral resources
On Iturup Island in 1992, the world's only economically viable rhenium deposit was discovered. It is located on the Kudryavy volcano. According to scientists, about twenty tons of rhenium are ejected from the depths of the volcano to the surface every year. Interestingly, the world production of this metal per year does not exceed forty tons. One kilogram of rhenium costs about 10 thousand US dollars. This metal is strategically valuable, as it is used by enterprises of the military-industrial complex(primarily in the aerospace area). In addition to rhenium, the Iturup subsoil is rich in bismuth, indium, germanium, gold, silver, and selenium. There is also a large deposit of native sulfur.
How to get to Iturup
Air communication of the island is carried out through the Burevestnik airfield located here, which belongs to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Passenger and cargo sea communication is carried out with the help of two motor ships: Polaris and Igor Farkhutdinov.
I would like to note that if you decide to visit the Iturup Island, then most likely you will have to go by plane. Canadian Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft fly here. For example, a ticket from the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will cost you four and a half thousand rubles. Travel time is about an hour. Moreover, keep in mind that the plane does not always depart on schedule. This is due to the variability of weather conditions on Iturup. It even happens that people who want to get to the island wait two or even three days for flying weather.
Arriving at Burevestnik, you will most likely be very surprised. After all, the luggage here (without tags) will be unloaded from the plane directly to the ground, where each passenger must pick up their things. As for the airfield itself, it is located about 60 kilometers from Kurilsk. Moreover, you will drive 50 kilometers along a dirt road, and another 10 along the shore of Kasatka Bay (which can only be done at low tide). This is due to the fact that the airfield was built by the Japanese. It was from here that their fighters were heading forbombing of Pearl Harbor. A new airport is under construction not far from Kurilsk.
