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Kuril Islands
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Map of eastern Asia and surrounding regions with the Kuril Islands labeled in orange off the eastern coast of Russia, between Russia and Japan. The map highlights the location of the Kuril Islands in the northwest Pacific Ocean. An inset in the upper right shows a zoomed-out view of the highlighted area within the larger continent. Kraternaya Bay Kuril Islands Aerial view of Kingston, Jamaica, showing a mix of mid-rise buildings, houses, and abundant green trees throughout the city.
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Map of eastern Asia and surrounding regions with the Kuril Islands labeled in orange off the eastern coast of Russia, between Russia and Japan. The map highlights the location of the Kuril Islands in the northwest Pacific Ocean. An inset in the upper right shows a zoomed-out view of the highlighted area within the larger continent.
Locator map of Kuril Islands

Kuril Islands

islands, Russia
Also known as: Chishima-rettō, Kurilskiye Ostrova
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Kuril Islands, archipelago in Sakhalin oblast (province), far-eastern Russia. The archipelago extends for 750 miles (1,200 km) from the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) to the northeastern corner of Hokkaido island (Japan) and separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The 56 islands cover 6,000 square miles (15,600 square km). The chain is part of the Ring of Fire, a belt of geologic instability circling the Pacific, and contains at least...

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