The Habomai Islands are a group of uninhabited islets (excluding the Russian guards stationed there) in the southernmost Kuril Islands. The islands have been under Soviet/Russian administration since the 1945 invasion of the Kuril Islands by the Soviet Union near the end of World War II. However, together with Iturup (Etorofu), Kunashir (Kunashiri), and Shikotan, the islands are claimed by Japan.
Etymology
The English name Habomai and Russian name () are derived from the Japanese name , which itself comes from the Ainu (), which means "small island that appears when the drift ice retreats".
In 1732 the islands were mapped during the Russian Great Eastern Expedition.
The Treaty of Shimoda, signed by Russia and Japan in 1855, recognised Japanese ownership of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands.
The Habomai Islands were occupied by Soviet forces in the last few days of World War II. The islands were eventually annexed by the Soviet Union, which deported all the island residents to Japan.
In 1956, after difficult negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to cede the Habomai to Japan, along with Shikotan, after the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries. As the treaty was never concluded, the islands remained under Soviet jurisdiction. However, the promise of a two-island solution (for the purpose of simplicity, the Habomai islets count as one island) has been renewed in the Soviet-Japanese, and later Russo-Japanese negotiations. Formerly home to a Japanese fishing community, the islands are now uninhabited except for the Russian border guard outpost.
720px|thumb|left|View of the Habomai Islands from [[Cape Nosappu (March 26, 2005).]]
List of islands
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!style="width:7em;"|Island
!style="width:7em;"|Japanese name
!style="width:10em;"|Russian name
!Ainu transcription(s)
!align=center|Area<br />km
!align=center|Highest point<br />m
!align=center|Latitude N
!align=center|Longitude E
!align=center|Distance from Cape Nosappu<br />km
|-
| Shikotan
| <br /><br />
|
| si-kotan (Big village)
|| 255 || 412.6 || 43°47' || 146°44' || 73.3
|- style="background-color:#ddf"
|colspan="9" align=center| Spangberg channel (Habomai islands are shown below.)<br />
|-
| Oskolki
| <br /><br />
|
| todo-mosir (Steller sea lion island)
|| 1.5 || 38 || 43°34'|| 146°24' ||
|-
| Polonskogo
| <br /><br />
|
| torar-uk (Take in the strap)
|| 11.69 || 25 || 43°37'|| 146°19' || 45.5
|-
| Chayka rock
| <br /><br />
|
|
|| || || || ||
|-
| Petsernaya
| <br /><br />
|
|
|| || || || ||
|-
| Shishki
| <br /><br />
|
|
|| || || || ||
|- style="background-color:#ddf"
|colspan="9" align=center| Polonskogo channel<br />
|-
| Zelyony
| <br /><br />
|
| sipe-op (A place where a shoal of Chum salmon)
|| 58.3 || 45 || 43°29'|| 146°09' || 25.5
|- style="background-color:#ddf"
|colspan="9" align=center| Vojeikov channel<br />
|-
| Demina
| <br /><br />
|
| haru-kar-kotan (Village of harvesting Cardiocrinum cordatum bulbs)
|| 2 || 34 || 43°25'|| 146°10' ||
|-
| Yuri
| <br /><br />
|
| urir (Cormorant island)
|| 10 || || 43°25'|| 146°04' || 16.6
|- style="background-color:#ddf"
|colspan="9" align=center| Yuri channel
|-
| Anuchina
| <br /><br />
|
| aki-urir (Yuri's young brother)
|| 5 || 33 || 43°21'|| 146°00' || 13.7
|-
| Tanfilyeva
| <br /><br />
|
| si-so (Big bare rock)
|| 21 || 15 || 43°26'|| 145°55' || 7.2
|- style="background-color:#ddf"
|colspan="9" align=center| Goyōmai channel<br />
|-
| Storozhevoy
| <br /><br />
|
| moi-mosir (A calm island)
|| 0.07 || 11.8 || 43°23'|| 145°53' || 6.0
|-
| Rifovy
| <br /><br />
|
|
|| 0.001 || 3.6 || 43°23'|| 145°52' ||
|-
| Signalny
| <br /><br />
|
| kay-ka-ra-i (Low thing above the wave)
|| || || 43°23'|| 145°51' || 3.7
|-
|colspan="9" align=center| Cape Nosappu, Hokkaido
|}
See also
- Offshore islets of Shikotan
Notes
References
External links
- Habomai islet gets Russian Orthodox church
- The Kurile Islands