Urup

Urup (Russian: Уруп; japanese :得 抚 岛, Uruppu -tō ) is an island of the Kuril archipelago. The island belongs to Russia.

Geography

Urup located northeast of Hokkaido, approximately on the latitude of the southern tip of Sakhalin. The island has an area of 1,430 km ².

The highest elevation is 1,426 meters, the mountain Wyssokaja. A series of mountain chains that are fused at the base into each other, is of volcanic origin; of the approximately 25 volcanoes are still active two: the Tresubez and Hill.

History and Politics

Urup was originally inhabited by Ainu. In the 18th century Russian traders and hunters came to the island, which led to conflicts with the Ainu in 1772. 1801 declared the Japanese government Urup to Japanese territory.

1855, the island was by the Treaty of Shimoda to Russian territory. 1875 Urup became Japanese territory again by the Treaty of Saint Petersburg. 1945 Urup, all the other islands of the Kuril Islands also occupied by Soviet troops and as a part of since 1946 the Soviet or Russian territory since 1991. Japan was in 1951 in the Treaty of San Francisco all claims to the island.