What volcano is located on the island of Paramushir. Paramushir

Hiking tour on Paramushir island

Mikhail, RA1ALA will be active from Paramushir Island, Kuril Islands (IOTA AS-025) July 10 - 19, 2016 as RA1ALA/0.
It will operate on the bands 40, 20, 15, 10m.
QSL via home callsign direct.

Kuril volcano country

Is it possible to see with your own eyes boiling springs on volcanic slopes and hot lakes in volcanic craters? Or is this just from the realm of fantasy? Not at all, master nature created an extraordinary miracle, giving earthlings a unique corner where there are 23 volcanoes, and as many as six of them are active. This amazing place is located in the north of the Kuril Islands. We are talking about the island of Paramushir, the area of ​​which slightly exceeds the 2,000 mark square kilometers. The second largest landmass among the Kuril Islands is washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the northwest and the Pacific waves in the southeast. Paramushir is a paradoxical combination of beauty sea ​​air and wonderful nature on the one hand and a constant feeling of anxiety and fear due to the threat of earthquakes or tsunamis on the other.

This island territory stretches only about 120 kilometers in length, but the width of the island is very small - 30 km. Paramushir has the status of the most mountainous island of the Kuril Islands. The name “Land of Volcanoes” suits the island like no other!

Chikurachiki, Paramushir Island, Kuril Islands. Photo by Mayuki.

Facts from the island's distant past

Paramushir has long been considered the property of the Russian Empire. According to archaeological scientists, natives lived on its territory, whom the first explorers called “shaggy Kurilians” (their beards and mustaches were very surprising). The islanders themselves called themselves “Ainu” (noble man).

Since 1875, the island, among 18 others, was transferred to Japan. In accordance with the Treaty of St. Petersburg, Russia received the right to own Sakhalin. The result of the active development of the island by its new owners was the founding of the city of Kashibawara, which received the status of the main port of the island.

Since 1945, the island again passes to Russia (as a result of the battle of the Soviet airborne troops with the Japanese, the city of Kashiwabara was occupied by the Red Army on August 23). Its name was changed only in 1946 to Severo-Kurilsk.

This island territory is considered the most sparsely populated. The population indicator does not go beyond 3,000 people. Moreover, they all live in the only city on the island - Severo-Kurilsk.

The year 1952 went down in the history of the island as the blackest date, which brought a huge tragedy to the entire city of Severo-Kurilsk. An earthquake originating in the Pacific Ocean caused a huge tsunami, the height of which reached 18 meters. More than 18 thousand human lives were carried away by the monstrous force of the water. The city was completely washed away, and the life of the island was divided into periods before and after.

The location of the new Severo-Kurilsk is completely unsafe, because the port city is in the path of the mud flows of the Ebeko volcano, and it still cannot sleep (the most active volcano in the Kuril Islands).

Cedar elfin wood, Paramushir island, Kuril Islands. Photo by Kirill Voloshin.

Paramushir: a world of amazing shocks

At first glance, the island is associated with harsh living conditions. What is so remarkable about this island territory?

The purity and freshness of the sea air brings incredible ease of breathing.
The uniqueness of the Kuril tan does not wash away until the new season brings the opportunity to sunbathe.
The abundance of flowering fields of irises and fireweed does not at all fit with the severity of the climate, but simply amazes the imagination.
The taste of lingonberries, princelings, blueberries and shiksha, which you can enjoy here, cannot be forgotten.
The largest river on the island, Tuharka, which is only 20 kilometers long, serves as a special spawning ground for pink salmon, sockeye salmon and coho salmon (the taste qualities of these representatives of the salmon family are rightfully considered unsurpassed).
The island territory is the special home of the brown bear (more than 100 individuals), fire fox, ermine and a particularly rare animal - the Paramushir shrew.
The presence of mineral springs brings certain benefits to human health.
The city of Severo-Kurilsk has a sea pier and a place for landing and departure of helicopters.

Paramushir Island, Kuril Islands. Photo by Antario Formalgaunti.

The highlight of Paramushir Island

Those wishing to visit Paramushir do not count on special recreational opportunities. After all, in a single settlement (Severo-Kurilsk) there is only one hotel, one restaurant, one hospital and one museum. But here you have the opportunity to see real wonders of nature! Imagine what it’s like to climb the slopes of the active Ebeko volcano, look back and see the azure surface of the coastal waters from above. What does it mean to come up and look at least for a moment into the crater and see at the bottom a hot lake from which steam emanates? The appearance of snow on the crater walls located above the shores of the lake is completely beyond interpretation. Fans of extreme sensations can go down to the lake and swim in it.

Unforgettable impressions will remain at the sight of the Rusalka fumarole, from the opening of which a stream of gas with a temperature of 100°C bursts out. The fantastic opportunity to hear the roar of a steam boiler created by nature will not leave any tourist indifferent. The desire to come closer cannot be restrained! The sight of a rising column of stones and dust to a height of several hundred meters is simply breathtaking.

The idea of ​​traveling around the islands of the Kuril chain, which unexpectedly matured in a couple of bright minds, was successfully implemented. In 20 days, more than 2,200 km were covered by boat and trodden on foot across the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Pacific Ocean and eleven largest islands: Paramushir, Onekotan, Kharimkotan, Matua, Rasshua, Ushishir, Simushir, Urup, Iturup, Shikotan and Kunashir, ascents were made to some iconic volcanoes of the islands: Ebeko, Krenitsyn, Zavaritsky, Atsonupuri, Tyatyu and Mendeleev.

Today’s post, as you might guess, is about climbing the Ebeko volcano on Paramushir - the northernmost island of the Kuril ridge that we visited. Since, even though we climbed it, we didn’t see the volcano itself due to the famous Kuril weather (although from the photos it is very beautiful), the story will go about general issues of the trip, as well as about Japanese territorial claims to southern part Smoked.

About the trip: the means of transportation was the motor ship Athena - a small 20-seater ship with everything necessary for tourists like us on board: a washer, a dryer, a bunk and a heater in each cabin. Plus, Svetlana is a wonderful cook; the tables in the wardroom were always full of bowls with various dishes, including caught seafood. The ship is quite comfortable for such trips: in my unprofessional opinion, it holds the waves well, which, along with the technical navigation performed by the crew of the ship, caused the least possible problems for our land organisms. The only downside is the huge rental price for a 20-seater vessel, which makes such trips on it completely impossible without the sponsorship of Gazprom or the presence of a millionaire on board. We were lucky)

Vilyuchinsky volcano from the sea:

About the route: we set sail from the cozy bay of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and, having passed the entire Kuril ridge, finished the route on the shore of Sakhalin Island near the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Landing off the shore was always carried out on inflatable motorboats: the ship anchored one to two kilometers from the shore, reconnaissance was sent for a convenient landing and the height of the run-up wave, and then people disembarked. For bureaucratic reasons, this was the case even in the ports of Severo-Kurilsk, Kurilsk, Yuzhno-Kurilsk and Sakhalin, since registering a vessel at the port is an extremely dreary and unpleasant operation. In principle, disembarking from boats did not create any special problems, except that sometimes it was flooded with water and we had to disembark in waterproof clothing and boots. I didn’t have boots and I rode in slippers, changing my shoes every time on the shore.

Mutnovsky volcano from the sea:

About the weather: There are no options here - we are incredibly lucky given the realities of the Kuril climate, which I will also try to talk about in detail. The only typhoon during the three weeks of travel caught us already under the cover of Urup Island and did not cause serious problems, although it rocked for a couple of hours in the Frieza Strait. Here, a special thank you to the crew, who calculated the maximum possible departure time and warned us so that we could return from our walk on time. The rest of the time, both in the Pacific Ocean and in the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk, there was almost calm: although the waves looked huge, Athena was so much smaller than them that she simply swayed smoothly up and down.

ABOUT walking routes : every day, with the exception of three or four, we walked an average of 15 km (the longest route - to the Krenitsyn volcano - was 28 km). Several exits, such as the Atsonupuri volcano, were quite difficult physically and technically, one might even say dangerous. Fortunately, there were almost no injuries (a stone on my foot doesn’t count))). What helped a lot here was that it was always possible to divide the group into moose and crabs: the moose rushed as far as they could, the crabs ran as far as they could. In general, continuous muscle and joint pain became a constant companion for all members of our team without exception, but the people kept up their spirits and no problems arose.

Old Japanese sulfur factory:

Now let's move smoothly to the Russian-Japanese territorial issue. Now I won’t be clever and quote Wikipedia, but will simply tell my point of view, which was formed under the influence of everything that I knew about this before and learned on this trip.

Firstly, as is known, at all times international relations have been based on the rule of the strong: whoever is stronger dictates the terms. The conclusion of agreements only documented this fact. When one of the parties weakened and the status quo was violated, the treaties naturally lost force under various pretexts (such as non-compliance with human rights or possession of chemical weapons). Therefore, an attempt to dig out from the heap of Russian-Japanese treaties the grounds for ownership/non-ownership of the islands is simply a good diplomatic practice of avoiding an answer that no one really needs.

Secondly, no matter how beautiful and interesting the Kuril Islands are for tourists, they are so unsuitable for permanent residence of people. Understand correctly, I am not comparing with life in Spain, Italy or some Thailand and the Bahamas, I am comparing with the European part of Russia. Nightmarish climate (even in the southern Kuril Islands), which can be compared with the regions of the far north and Chukotka, isolation from civilization (including due to climatic conditions it is extremely difficult and expensive to establish any kind of regular communication with the mainland), the lack of any work other than fishing and government positions, as well as the economic inexpediency of developing any economic activity there are the main reasons for the small unpopulation of the islands. It is appropriate to recall here that even from northern Japanese Hokkaido, which is both further south and much larger than any of the Kuril Islands, people are flocking to the south primarily because of the intolerable climate and the resulting comparative underdevelopment of the territory.

Thirdly, in historical retrospect, the indigenous population of the islands, including all Japanese ones, were the Ainu (in their language “kuru” meant “man”, hence their second name “Kurilians”, and then the name of the archipelago). Proto-Japanese (“Puyo”) tribes, from the 1st millennium BC. e. individual tribes who moved to the Japanese archipelago from the Korean Peninsula began to displace and assimilate the Ainu only in the Middle Ages, completing assimilation already in the 20th century. Nowadays there is not a single ethnic Ainu in the world: do not listen to the Japanese and Wikipedia on this matter.

The Ainu (Japanese: アイヌ ainu?, lit.: “man”, “real person”) are the people, the oldest population of the Japanese islands. The origin of the Ainu remains unclear at this time. Europeans who encountered the Ainu in the 17th century were amazed by their appearance. Unlike the usual appearance of people of the Mongoloid race with dark skin, a Mongolian crease, sparse facial hair, the Ainu had unusually thick hair covering their heads, wore huge beards and mustaches (holding them with special chopsticks while eating), and Australoid facial features in their in some ways they were similar to European ones. Despite living in a temperate climate, in the summer the Ainu wore only loincloths, like the inhabitants of equatorial countries.So far, it is known for certain that in terms of basic anthropological indicators the Ainu are very different from the Japanese, Koreans, Nivkhs, Itelmens, Polynesians, Indonesians, Australian aborigines and, in general, all populations Far East and the Pacific Ocean, and become close only with the people of the Jomon era, who are the direct ancestors of the historical Ainu.The Ainu appeared on the Japanese Islands around 13 thousand years BC. e. and created the Neolithic Jomon culture. It is not known for certain where the Ainu came to the Japanese islands, but it is known that in the Jomon era the Ainu inhabited all the Japanese islands - from Ryukyu to Hokkaido, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and the southern third of Kamchatka - as evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations and toponymic data , for example: Tsushima - tuima - “distant”, Fuji - huqi - “grandmother” - kamui of the hearth, Tsukuba - tu ku pa - “head of two bows” / “two-bow mountain”, Yamatai - Ya ma ta i - “place where the sea cuts the land"

Ebeko fumarole field:

Fourthly, Russians and Japanese appeared on the islands almost simultaneously: the Russians were previously in the northern ones, the Japanese in the southern ones. The first information about the islands was obtained by the Japanese during an expedition to Hokkaido and Sakhalin in 1635. In 1644, following the results of the expeditions of 1635-1637. The first Japanese map of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands was compiled in Hokkaido. Then, in 1643, the islands were explored by the Dutch led by Martin Friese. This expedition amounted to more than detailed maps and described the lands. The Russians first entered the Kuril land in 1711. In August 1711, a detachment of Kamchatka Cossacks under the leadership of Danila Antsiferov and Ivan Kozyrevsky landed on the northernmost island of Shumshu, defeating a detachment of local Ainu here, and then on the second island of the ridge - Paramushir, where local residents, who outnumbered the Cossacks, refused citizenship and did not pay yasak. In the summer of 1713, a detachment of fifty-five Cossacks and industrialists again went to Shumshu and Paramushir, this time the Ainu recognized the power of Russia, and two hostages were taken from among them. During the expedition, an Iturup Ain named Shinatai was captured, and from him I.P. Kozyrevsky received detailed information about most of the Kuril Islands and the island of Hokkaido. In 1719, Peter I sent an expedition to Kamchatka under the leadership of Ivan Evreinov and Fyodor Luzhin, which reached the island of Simushir in the south. The Siberian nobleman I. Antipin achieved great success with the Irkutsk townsman D. Shabalin. They managed to win the favor of the Kurils, and in 1778-1779 they managed to bring into citizenship more than 1,500 people from Iturup, Kunashir and even Matsumaya (now Japanese Hokkaido). In the same 1779, Catherine II, by decree, freed those who had accepted Russian citizenship from all taxes. But relations with the Japanese were not built: they forbade the Russians to go to these three islands. In the “Extensive Land Description of the Russian State...” of 1787, a list of 21 islands belonging to Russia was given. It included islands as far as Matsumaya (Hokkaido), the status of which was not clearly defined, since Japan had a city in its southern part. At the same time, the Russians had no real control even over the islands south of Urup. There, the Japanese considered the Kurilians their subjects and actively used violence against them, which caused discontent. In May 1788, a Japanese merchant ship arriving at Matsumai was attacked. In 1799, by order of the central government of Japan, two outposts were founded in Kunashir and Iturup, and security began to be maintained constantly.

Fifthly, starting from the 18th century, the islands passed from hand to hand under various treaties between Russia and Japan. In reality, both countries only indicated their presence there: the Russians beat the beast, the Japanese mined sulfur and bred arctic foxes and foxes. The owners of the Kuril Islands were the Ainu until the mid-19th century.

Sixth, yes, there are reserves of some minerals on the islands, but it is now only economically efficient to mine rhenium. Coastal waters, fishing and offshore mining can, of course, be considered as economic benefits from owning the islands, but for post-industrial Japan, and for Russia, by and large, it is much more profitable to purchase raw materials in third countries, such as Korea and China etc., whose fishermen are ready to sell the same fish at a price significantly lower than the cost of catching it by Japanese fishermen. It’s the same with mining: the cost of mining in the Kuril Islands, taking into account investments in infrastructure, will be cosmic. The strategic position of the islands is such only for Russia, since the blockade of the Pacific Fleet is hardly considered an important task for Japan (although the United States, in my opinion, would be happy to place bases there, but they are not a party to this conflict).

Thus, from all of the above, I draw one simple conclusion: the territorial dispute is purely political in nature for both Russia and Japan. Although no one needs these islands, no one wants to give in, because this will be political death for him. There was even a moment when Khrushchev (oh, that Khrushchev!) almost handed over these islands to Japan. In 1956, the Moscow Declaration was signed, which ended the state of war and established diplomatic and consular relations between the USSR and Japan. Article 9 of the Declaration, in particular, states: the USSR, meeting the wishes of Japan and taking into account the interests of the Japanese state, agrees to the transfer to Japan of the Habomai Islands and Shikotan Islands, however, that the actual transfer of these islands to Japan will be made after the conclusion of the Peace Treaty. However, the danger of placing American military bases on these islands and, as a consequence, blocking the only two ice-free Kuril straits (Friez and Catherine) for the USSR forced them to abandon the ratification of the treaty (Wikipedia, however, is modestly silent about this).

In short, our response to Japan's territorial claims is set on the top of the Ebeko volcano (to be seen better from Japan):

In conclusion, as usual, easy reference information from Wikipedia: The Kuril Islands are a chain of islands between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the island of Hokkaido, separating the Sea of ​​Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean with a slightly convex arc. Length - about 1200 km. The total area is 15.6 thousand km². To the south of them lies the state border Russian Federation with Japan. The islands form two parallel ridges: the Greater Kuril and the Lesser Kuril. Includes 56 islands. They have important military-strategic and economic significance. The Kuril Islands are part of the Sakhalin region of Russia.

Old shell. They say that when the pioneers fired an old Japanese cannon at Severo-Kurilsk as a joke, the road to the Japanese arsenal was dismantled out of harm's way. Don't worry, the shell didn't explode then.

The Kuril Islands belong to the regions Far North. The climate on the islands is maritime, quite harsh, with cold and long winters, cool summer, high air humidity. The mainland monsoon climate undergoes significant changes here. In the southern part of the Kuril Islands, frosts in winter can reach −25 °C, the average February temperature is −8 °C. In the northern part, winter is milder, with frosts down to −16 °C and −7 °C in February. average temperature August in the southern part of the Kuril Islands - +17 °C, in the northern - +10 °C.

Japanese capillary bridge. I think the principle of operation is clear:

Geologically, the Kuril Islands are a typical ensimatic island arc on the edge of the Okhotsk plate. It lies above a subduction zone in which the Pacific plate is being absorbed. Most of the islands are mountainous. Highest height 2339 m - Atlasov Island, Alaid Volcano. The Kuril Islands are located in the Pacific volcanic ring of fire in a zone of high seismic activity: out of 68 volcanoes, 36 are active, and there are hot mineral springs. Large tsunamis are common. The best known are the tsunami of November 5, 1952 at Paramushir and the Shikotan tsunami of October 5, 1994. The last major tsunami occurred on November 15, 2006 in Simushir.

Due to the large extent of the islands from north to south, the flora of the Kuril Islands varies extremely greatly. On the northern islands (Paramushir, Shumshu and others), due to the harsh climate, tree vegetation is quite sparse and is represented mainly by shrub forms (elfin trees): alder (alder), birch, willow, rowan, dwarf cedar (cedar). On southern islands(Iturup, Kunashir) coniferous forests grow from Sakhalin fir, Ayan spruce and Kuril larch with a large participation of broad-leaved species: curly oak, maples, elms, calopanax seven-lobed with a large number of woody vines: petiole hydrangea, actinidia, Chinese magnolia vine, wild grapes, poisonous toxicodendron eastern, etc. In the south of Kunashir, the only wild species of magnolia in Russia is found - magnolia obovate. One of the main landscape plants of the Kuril Islands, starting from the middle islands (Ketoi and to the south) is Kuril bamboo, forming impenetrable thickets on the mountain slopes and forest edges. Due to the humid climate, tall grass is common on all islands. Various berries are widely represented: crowberry, lingonberry, blueberry, honeysuckle and others.

The city of Severo-Kurilsk is the administrative center of the North Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region. Population for 2014 - 2487 people. The climate of Severo-Kurilsk is subarctic. The annual rainfall is very high, due to the influence of cyclones from the Pacific Ocean. The warmest month is August, and the coldest month is February. The annual fluctuations in average temperatures are only 16.4 °C; this is one of the least contrasting settlements in Russia in terms of the difference between winter and summer.

Well, actually, part of S-K itself. In my opinion, the poorest and most unkempt settlement of all three Kurils:

In 1952, Severo-Kurilsk was completely destroyed by a tsunami. The tsunami was caused by a powerful earthquake (according to various sources, it ranges from 8.3 to 9 magnitudes), which occurred in the Pacific Ocean an hour earlier, 130 kilometers from the coast of Kamchatka. Three waves up to 15-18 meters high (according to various sources) destroyed the city of Severo-Kurilsk and caused damage to a number of other settlements. According to official data, 2,336 people died. According to those who accompanied us resident of S-K More than half the city's population died. The population of Severo-Kurilsk before the tragedy was approximately six thousand people. Severo-Kurilsk was awakened by an earthquake, some buildings were damaged. An hour after the earthquake the first wave arrived. Most of the residents escaped to the nearby hills and returned to the village, not expecting subsequent waves. The second - the highest - wave took people by surprise and destroyed the remaining buildings. The third (last) wave was the weakest. A rescue operation was carried out in Severo-Kurilsk using airplanes and all available ships. Then a significant part of the population was evacuated to Sakhalin, and the village was rebuilt.

Well, a few photos in conclusion to brighten up the muddy post:

As always, don't hesitate to ask if there's anything you're interested in.

General information

Administratively, the island is part of the North Kuril urban district of the Sakhalin region of Russia. It is surrounded by the islands of Shumshu, Atlasov, Antsiferov, Makanrushi and Onekotan.

Population

In the north of Paramushir is the city of Severo-Kurilsk (2,400 inhabitants in 2011) - the administrative center of the region and the only residential settlement on the island at the beginning of the 21st century.

Non-residential settlements - Podgorny and Shelikhovo. The settlements of Antsiferova, Vasilyevo, Galkino, Kamenisty, Kitovy, Mayorovo, Okeansky, Pribrezhny that existed on the island according to the 2002 census also do not have a permanent population.

On the Vasiliev Peninsula there is an air defense company, a border outpost, a company naval intelligence and a lighthouse (on the Khmyr rock).

Climate

At the extreme southern tip of Paramushir, the Cape Vasiliev weather station has been operating since the island became part of the USSR. According to its data, it was in the south of Paramushir that a wind speed record for the entire archipelago was recorded, reaching 230 km/h.

The growing season is short. The snow cover is thick. The extremely harsh wind regime, as well as the low Kira coefficient (12.6 °C), is the reason for the absence of forests here. In river valleys, fragmentary open forests are formed only by willow uda. When moving from north to south, the average annual temperature rises from 2.8 to 3.8 °C. The most warm place The islands are the valleys of the southern rivers (Tukharka and Shimoyur), where the snow melts first.

Nature and geography of the island

Paramushir is one of the most northern islands Kuril ridge. Being the second largest island of the Kuril Islands (2053 km² in area), Paramushir Island stretches more than 100 kilometers in length, from northeast to southwest. The average width of the island is about 19-22 kilometers. From the northwest it is washed by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, from the southeast by the Pacific Ocean. On the sea side, the island is higher and steeper, less indented by bays, and the coastline is narrow. On the ocean side, on the contrary, the coast is flatter and more complex in relief, with low-lying sections of the coast, bays, steep capes and many rocky reefs extended 2-3 kilometers into the ocean.

Paramushir Island is the most mountainous of large islands Kuril ridge. In the north and south of the island mountain range higher, and in the middle part it is somewhat lower, forming, as it were, a flat saddle with many peaks. In the north of the island, the main highest points are Mount Nasedkina (up to 1152 meters) and Mount Vetrenaya (up to 1088 meters). The spurs of Mount Vetrenaya in the north descend to the sea and form Cape Zemleprokhodets - the most northern point islands. Between these peaks, in the chain of the Vernadsky ridge, 6-7 kilometers from the city of Severo-Kurilsk, there is an active Ebeko volcano (up to 1156 meters). The highest point of this ridge is Mount Vernadsky itself (up to 1183 meters).

At the southern tip of the island, in the same direction from north to south, there is another, larger Karpinsky ridge. It is formed by such main peaks as Chikurachki Volcano - the highest point of the island (up to 1817 meters), Lomonosov Mountain (up to 1681 meters), Arkhangelsky Mountain (up to 1463 meters), Topor Mountain (up to 1199 meters), Karpinsky Volcano (up to 1345 meters ), Mount Barkova (up to 1314 meters).

The south of the island ends with Cape Kapustny and the tip of the Vasiliev Peninsula, Cape Gilyak (another name is Yumen - the southernmost point of the island), between which is Vasiliev Bay. To the west of the Karpinsky Ridge, jutting out into the sea by the Fussa Peninsula, there is a large (up to 1772 meters) Fussa volcano, standing alone, with its spurs forming the westernmost point of the island, Cape Neproyedenny. In total, there are 23 volcanoes on Paramushir, 5 of which (Ebeko, Chikurachki, Tatarinova, Fuss and Karpinsky) are active.

The easternmost point of the island is Cape Ozerny, located in a low-lying area abounding in reservoirs.

Paramushir is separated by the Alaid Strait from Atlasov Island, located 20 kilometers to the northwest; The second Kuril Strait - from Shumshu Island, located 2 kilometers northeast; Luzhin Strait (Third Kuril) - from Antsiferov Island, located 15 kilometers to the west; The fourth Kuril Strait - from the islands of Onekotan located southwest, 54 kilometers, Makanrushi, 60 kilometers.

Near the island there are also several small islands, rocks and reefs: Chaikin Islands, Kit Island, Ptenets Island, Bazarny Island, Barrier Island, Smoke Island, Torchki Rock, Uno Rock, Opasnaya Rock, Khitraya Rock, Khmyr Rocks, Penistye Rocks and others.

A group of small islands called Ptichya, otherwise Brothers (Bazarny Island, Dve Gagara Islands, Baklaniy Island), are located in the northeast, opposite Cape Levashov and separated from Paramushir by a strait, also named after the navigator Mikhail Dmitrievich Levashov. All three of these islets are part of a volcanic caldera protruding from the water. Their old Japanese names: the higher southern one (up to 47 meters) is Togari (Ganimusir), the northern and lower ones are Kotani (Kotanimusir) and Tsiri (Tsirimusir). The islands received their current names thanks to numerous bird colonies and nesting sites for guillemots, puffins, fulmars, gulls and cormorants.

Volcanoes of Paramushir Island

There are several volcanoes on the island, of which 5 are active or potentially active.

• Chikurachki: 1816 m, 50°19′ N. w. 155°28′ E. d. HGIOL - highest peak islands
• Fussa: 1772 m, 50°16′ N. w. 155°15′ E. d. HGIOL
• Tatarinova: 1530 m, 50°18′ N. w. 155°27′ E. d. HGIOL
• Karpinsky: 1345 m, 50°08′ N. w. 155°22′ E. d. HGIOL
• Ebeko: 1156 m, 50°41′ N. w. 156°01′ E. d. HGIOL

Hydrography

Flora and fauna

Due to the lack of forests and mountain tundra, the species diversity of the island's flora is less than in southern Kamchatka, but more significant than on the neighboring smaller islands. By 2012, at least 542 species of higher vascular plants were identified on the island. For comparison, on Onekotan there are only 316. Elfin cedar and shrubby alder, locust, lingonberry, princeberry, blueberry, and shiksha are common on the island. In general, the flora is characterized as subalpine meadow. A lot of mushrooms. In the largest river of the island, Tuharka (about 20 km long), pink salmon, sockeye salmon, and coho salmon spawn.

The island is home to more than 100 brown bears, fire foxes, white hare, ermine, sea otters and Japanese smooth whales roost on the coast. Endemic to Paramushir is the Paramushir shrew. The brown bear lives on Paramushir; the bear is also found on Shumshu, although during a long-term stay on the island military base, and also due to its relatively small size, the bears on Shumshu were mostly driven out. Since Shumshu is a connecting island between Paramushir and Kamchatka, bear populations here are quickly recovering.

Story

As part of Japan

In 1884, the Paramushira Ainu were resettled by Japanese authorities to Shikotan.

In 1898, on the site of the largest Ainu village, the Japanese founded the city of Kashiwabara, which turned into the main port and fishing base of the island.

From 1943 until the very end of the war, all military installations on the island became targets of attacks by the American Navy and Air Force based in the Aleutian Islands.

As part of the USSR/RSFSR - Russia

In 1946, the city of Kashiwabara received the Russian name - Severo-Kurilsk. Based on the infrastructure of Suribachi, the village of Okeansky arose (now Kolokoltseva Bay and Cape Okeansky). At the base of Musashi - Shkilevo (now Cape Vasiliev). Kakumbetsu was named Shelekhovo. And Kitanodai - Rifovoye (Rifovaya Bay, Cape Reefovoy).

On November 5, 1952, the island's settlements were virtually destroyed by a major natural disaster (the 1952 Severo-Kurilsk Tsunami).

Many of the now abandoned settlements, for example, the village of Okeansky, were depopulated precisely after the devastating tsunami of 1952.

The large number of casualties is explained by the fact that the new population of the island, consisting of Soviet citizens, replacing the repatriated Japanese, for the most part did not know how to behave under the threat of a tsunami. It was after the 1952 tsunami that the Tsunami Warning System began to be created in the USSR, and 1955 is considered the year of its birth.

In the 1950s main city island - Severo-Kurilsk - was rebuilt on a new, higher location.

Since 1991, it has been part of Russia as the successor country of the USSR. By the end of the 20th century, the only populated area The islands remained Severo-Kurilsk.

Notes

1. Akulov A.Yu. History of the Ainu language: a first approximation // Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Series 9. Philology. Oriental studies. Journalism. - 2007. - Issue. 2-I. -