Shumshu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shumshu is the northernmost island of the Kuril Islands group. It is situated only 11km south of Cape Lopatka on the Kamchatka Peninsula and has an area of 388 km². The island is the least elevated in the entire Kuril group with a height of 189 metres. The terrain is low-lying and covered in numerous lakes and marshland.
Due to its proximity to Kamchatka Shumshu became the first of the Kurils to be reached by Cossacks from the peninsula in the first years of the 18th century. It was from this base that Russian fur hunters and traders gradually expanded into other islands of the chain and Sakhalin;The town of Bajkovo (Kataoka) is the main populated settlement and administrative center on Shumshu island.
In 1945 the island was the scene of the last battle of World War Two between Soviet invasion forces and Japanese troops. The battle commenced on 18th August, three days after the Imperial rescript for surrender had been issued by Emperor Hirohito.
