First-level administrative division of Russia
Oblast in Far Eastern, Russia
Sakhalin Oblast
(Russian:
Сахали?нская о?бласть
,
romanized
:
Sakhalinskaya oblast'
,
IPA:
[s?x??l?insk?j?
?obl?s?t?]
) is a
federal subject
of
Russia
(an
oblast
) comprising the island of
Sakhalin
and the
Kuril Islands
in the
Russian Far East
. The oblast has an area of 87,100 square kilometers (33,600 sq mi). Its
administrative center
and largest
city
is
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
. As of the
2021 Census
, the oblast has a population of roughly 500,000.
[10]
The vast majority of the oblast's residents are ethnic
Russians
, with a small minority of
Sakhalin Koreans
. Sakhalin Oblast is rich in
natural gas
and
oil
, and is
Russia's fourth wealthiest federal subject and wealthiest oblast
.
[11]
It borders by sea
Khabarovsk Krai
to the west and
Kamchatka Krai
to the north, along with
Hokkaido
,
Japan
to the south.
History
[
edit
]
The etymology of Sakhalin can be traced back to the Manchu hydronym
Sahaliyan Ula
(
Manchu
:
?????????
???
) for "Black River" (
i.e.
the
Amur River
). Sakhalin shares this etymology with the Chinese province of
Heilongjiang
(Chinese for "black
dragon
river (
Chinese
: 黑?江, H?ilongji?ng)").
The
indigenous people
of Sakhalin are the
Nivkhs
,
Oroks
, and
Ainu
minorities.
The first Europeans to explore the waters around Sakhalin Island were
Ivan Moskvitin
and
Martin Gerritz de Vries
in the mid-1600s,
Jean-Francois de La Perouse
in 1787 and
Adam Johann von Krusenstern
in 1805. Early maps of Sakhalin reflect the uncertainty of the age as to whether or not the land mass was attached to the
Asian continent
. The fact that it is not connected was conclusively established by
Mamiya Rinz?
, who explored and mapped Sakhalin in 1809 and definitively recorded by Russian navigator
Gennady Nevelskoy
in 1849.
Japanese
settlement on Sakhalin dates to at least the
Edo period
.
?tomari
was supposedly established in 1679, and cartographers of the
Matsumae domain
mapped the island, and named it "Kita-
Ezo
". During the
Ming
and
Qing
dynasties
China
considered the island part of its empire, and included the Sakhalin peoples in its "system for subjugated peoples". At no time though was any attempt ever made to establish an Imperial military presence on the island. Japan, concerned about
Russian
expansion in northeast Asia, unilaterally proclaimed
sovereignty
over the whole island in 1845. Russian
settlers
ignored the claim (and the similar claim of China), however, and, beginning in the 1850s, established coal mines, administration facilities, schools, prisons and churches on the island.
Aleksandrovskaya Prison in
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky
in 1903
In 1855, Russia and Japan signed the
Treaty of Shimoda
, which declared that both nationals could inhabit the island: Russians in the north, and Japanese in the south, without a clear boundary between. Russia also agreed to dismantle its military base at ?tomari. Following the
Second Opium War
, Russia forced the Qing to sign the
Treaty of Aigun
and
Convention of Peking
, under which China lost all territories north of
Heilongjiang
(
Amur
) and east of
Ussuri
, including Sakhalin, to Russia. A
Czarist
penal colony
was established in 1857, but the southern part of the island was held by the Japanese until the 1875
Treaty of Saint Petersburg
, when they ceded it to Russia in exchange for the
Kuril
islands. After the
Russo-Japanese War
, Russia and Japan signed the
Treaty of Portsmouth
of 1905, which resulted in the southern part of the island below 50° N passing to Japan; the Russians retained the other three-fifths of the area. South Sakhalin was administered by Japan as
Karafuto-ch?
(樺太?), with the capital Toyohara, now known as
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
.
Anton Chekhov museum in
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky
. It is the house where he stayed in Sakhalin during 1890
After the
Russian Revolution
and subsequent
civil war
northern Sakhalin ultimately became governed by the
Russian SFSR
as a part of
Far Eastern Oblast
(1922?1926),
Far Eastern Krai
(1926?1938) and
Khabarovsk Krai
(included Russian-administered territories of Sakhalin in 1938?1947). Sakhalin Oblast was established on 20 October 1932 as a part of Far Eastern Krai, and became part of
Khabarovsk Krai
upon the latter foundation in 1938.
In August 1945, the
Soviet Union
took over the control of the entire Sakhalin
and Kuril Islands
. The Soviet attack on South Sakhalin started on August 11, 1945, about a month before the
Surrender of Japan
in World War II. The
56th Rifle Corps
consisting of the
79th Rifle Division
, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, the 5th Rifle Brigade and the
214th Tank Brigade
attacked the Japanese 88th Division. Although the Red Army outnumbered the Japanese by three times, they could not advance due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113th Rifle Brigade and the 365th Independent Naval Infantry Rifle Battalion from Sovietskaya Gavan (Советская Гавань) landed on T?r? (塔路), a seashore village of western Sakhalin on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line. Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fighting continued until August 21. However, this was relatively limited in scope. From August 22 to August 23, most of the remaining Japanese units announced truce. The Soviets completed the conquest of Sakhalin on August 25, 1945, by occupying the capital of Sakhalin, then known as Toyohara. Japanese sources claim that 20,000 civilians were killed during the invasion.
Shakhtyorsk narrow gauge railway
750 mm
(
2 ft
5
+
1
⁄
2
in
), Central Processing Plant in
Shakhtyorsk
This Japanese
D51 steam locomotive
stands outside present day Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station Sakhalin Island, Russia
Post-war
[
edit
]
Soviet-conquered areas of South Sakhalin and Kuril Islands were declared a South Sakhalin Oblast by the Soviet authorities in a decree issued on 2 February 1946.
[12]
Almost a year later, on January 2, 1947, the South Sakhalin Oblast was disbanded and included into Sakhalin Oblast, forming present-day boundary of the latter. On the same day Sakhalin Oblast was excluded from
Khabarovsk Krai
.
[13]
The Japanese who had been living there before mostly repatriated to Japan, but at least one-third of Koreans were refused repatriation; stuck on the island, they and their descendants became known as the
Sakhalin Koreans
. The Karafuto Prefecture was abolished by Japan as a legal entity on June 1, 1949.
The
Treaty of San Francisco
(1952) provides, that Japan renounces "all right, title and claim to the Kurile Islands, and to that portion of Sakhalin and the islands adjacent to it over which Japan acquired sovereignty as a consequence of the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5, 1905". However, the status of the
southern Kuril Islands
remains
disputed
, as Japan does not consider them to be a part of the Kuril Islands (calling them "Northern Territories" instead) and, thus, claims sovereignty over them as "unaffected" by the 1952 renunciation. The issue remains a major strain on
Japanese-Russian relations
. Even now, no official peace treaty has been signed between the two nations.
[14]
In addition, because the treaty did not explicitly specify cession of the renounced areas to the Soviet Union, Japan officially considers South Sakhalin and northern Kuril Islands to be a territories of undetermined ownership and these areas are marked as No Man's Land with white color on Japanese maps, although Japan currently has a Consulate-General in Sakhalin's capital city of
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
, located on the renounced territory.
[15]
On September 1, 1983, the Soviets downed
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
, carrying 269 occupants, including U.S. Congressman
Larry McDonald
, west of Sakhalin Island near the smaller
Moneron Island
.
In 1995 the 7.0 M
w
Neftegorsk earthquake
shook the former settlement of
Neftegorsk
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity
of IX (
Violent
). Total damage was
$
64.1?300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt. On 24 April 1996 Sakhalin Oblast, alongside
Rostov Oblast
, signed a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy.
[16]
This agreement would be abolished on 4 March 2002.
[17]
Ainu
[
edit
]
As of the 2002 census, 333 residents of the oblast still identified themselves as ethnic Japanese.
[
citation needed
]
Most of the 888 Japanese people living in Russia (2010 Census) are also of mixed Japanese-Ainu ancestry, although they do not acknowledge it (full Japanese ancestry gives them the right of visa-free entry to Japan).
[18]
Post-war population
[
edit
]
According to the first post World War II Soviet Census in 1959, the population of the oblast numbered 649,405. That figure dropped slightly to 615,652 in 1970 before rising to 661,778 in 1979 and peaking at 710,242 in 1989. Throughout this time period, the Russian population increased slightly in percentage from 77.7% in 1959 to 81.6% in 1989. Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union
in 1991, the population of the oblast has declined sharply. Compared with the Soviet 1989 Census, the population of the Oblast according to the Russian 2002 Census had declined by 163,547 or 23.0%, to 546,695. The 2010 population of 497,973 recorded in 2010 is the lowest on record since the oblast was created, although the decline was less (8.9%) than during the 1990s.
Oil, gas, and coal
[
edit
]
Several Russian, French, South Korean, British, Canadian and American
oil
and
gas
companies have been either drilling or prospecting for oil and gas on the island since the mid-1990s.
[19]
Coal
and some
manganese
had been mined there by the
Soviet
authorities since the 1920s.
Politics
[
edit
]
The building of the Sakhalin Oblast Government House, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
The governor
Alexander Khoroshavin
was appointed on August 9, 2007.
[
citation needed
]
He was succeeded by
Oleg Kozhemyako
on March 25, 2015, in 2018 he was replaced by
Valery Limarenko
.
Administrative divisions
[
edit
]
Tourism
[
edit
]
Due to restrictions, the entire Sakhalin Oblast and its internal and territorial waters except for
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
are considered to be a
border zone
, which means that the freedom of movement for foreigners is dramatically restricted and any movement outside of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk requires registration to the
Federal Security Service
(FSB) and the
Border Guard
. Scuba diving and recreation on the seacoast is permitted only in places defined by the Border Guard.
[20]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Population:
466,609 (
2021 Census
)
;
[21]
497,973 (
2010 Russian census
)
;
[22]
546,695 (
2002 Census
)
;
[23]
709,629 (
1989 Soviet census
)
.
[24]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1897
| 28,113
| ?
|
---|
1926
| 11,859
| ?57.8%
|
---|
1939
| 99,925
| +742.6%
|
---|
1959
| 649,405
| +549.9%
|
---|
1970
| 615,652
| ?5.2%
|
---|
1979
| 654,915
| +6.4%
|
---|
1989
| 709,629
| +8.4%
|
---|
2002
| 546,695
| ?23.0%
|
---|
2010
| 497,973
| ?8.9%
|
---|
2021
| 466,609
| ?6.3%
|
---|
Source: Census data
|
Vital statistics for 2022:
[25]
[26]
- Births: 4,972 (10.3 per 1,000)
- Deaths: 6,444 (13.3 per 1,000)
Total fertility rate (2022):
[27]
1.81 children per woman
Life expectancy (2021):
[28]
Total ? 68.42 years (male ? 63.72, female ? 73.41)
Ethnic groups:
[10]
394,794 ethnic Russians are the largest group, followed by 16,060 Koreans (see
Sakhalin Koreans
), 3,634 Ukrainians and a host of less numerous ethnic groups, including 93
Japanese
and
Ainu
(0.02%), who were native to the region and opposed the Soviet acquisition of the territory following
World War II
.
The ethnic composition of the oblast in 2021 by percentages was as follows:
Religion
[
edit
]
According to a 2012 survey
[30]
21.6% of the population of Sakhalin Oblast adheres to the
Russian Orthodox Church
, 4% are unaffiliated generic
Christians
, 2% adheres to other
Orthodox churches
or is an Orthodox believer without belonging to any church, 1% of the population adheres to the
Slavic native faith
(Rodnovery) or to local Siberian native faiths, 1% adheres to forms of
Protestantism
. In addition, 37% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 15% is
atheist
, and 18.4% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.
[30]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. ≪О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе≫. Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", No. 20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г.
(President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000
On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District
. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
- ^
Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. ≪Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы≫, в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР.
(
Gosstandart
of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995
Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions
, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
- ^
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- ^
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a
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.
- ^
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(in Russian)
- ^
Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР от 2 января 1947 года "О ликвидации Южно-Сахалинской области и включении ее территории в состав Сахалинской области"
(in Russian)
- ^
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. BBC News
. Retrieved
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- ^
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.
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. Retrieved
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- ^
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.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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. Retrieved
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- ^
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(PDF)
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. 5-tv.ru. March 22, 2011
. Retrieved
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- ^
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- ^
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[Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities?Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000]
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[All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers].
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.
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[Total fertility rate].
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. Perepis-2010.ru. December 19, 2011. Archived from
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c
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- ^
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. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017.
Archived
.
External links
[
edit
]
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International
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Geographic
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