The Sakhalin Island with the chain of the Kuril Islands is a wild, mountainous land famous for its severe and rugged beauty. You just cannot imagine it without sea roar, weirdly shaped rocks and transparent rivers.

Sakhalinsky region comprises 99 islands, commonly known as the Kuril Islands. Nearly two-thirds of the Sakhalin area is mountainous. The Northern part of the island is a swampy plain covered with the dessiduous taiga. There are two mud volcanoes, more than 60 thousand rivers and streams.

Sakhalin is one of the largest islands in Russia, interesting both geographically and historically. A view from Space shows Sakhalin as a fish swimming from Japanese to Okhotskoe Sea. The island is approximately the same area as Scotland and has a population of about 650,000.

It was discovered and first charted in 1739 by Russia’s Great Northern Expedition. In 1869-1906 Sakhalin was the area of the largest penal colony in Russia, this historical period being painstakingly depicted by famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov in his book “Island Sakhalin”.

The seas washing the coast of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands are among the most productive areas of ocean in the world. Many valuable species of food fish thrive in these waters: salmon, herring, flounder, mackerel, cod, rasp, and halibut.

Sakhalin provides visitors with all types of hiking, camping and other adventurous tours. Volcanoes, lower plains covered by 3m-high grasses and bamboos, mountain terrains; crystal clear lakes, etc. make Sakhalin one of the most interesting and attractive places to explore.

Ushakova Alexandra