Shikotan

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Shikotan, both in Russian (Шикотан) and Japanese (色丹島), and one of the bigger islands of the Kuril Islands, is located in the Sakhalin Oblast of Russia. Although this island is a part of Russia, Japan maintains a claim to it along with the other three southermost Kuril islands (see Kuril Island conflict). The name of "Shikotan" derives from the Ainu language word for "best place."

The total land area of Shikotan is 225 sq km. The island is hilly, averaging 300 meters in elevation. The shores of the island are very indented and covered with oceanic meadows. The highest altitude is 412 m. The island is formed with the volcanic rock and sandstone of Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods. There are two extinct volcanoes on Shikotan: Mount Tomari and Mount Notoro.

Vegetation mostly consists of Sakhalin fir, larch, deciduous trees, bamboo underbrush, juniper brushwood.

Settlements - Malokurilskoye and Krabozavodskoye.

Primary economic activity is fishery and sea hunting, with principle marine products being cod, crab and kelp.

An earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused major damage on October 4 1994.