Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk ( rus, Ю́жно-Сахали́нск, a=Ru-Южно-Сахалинск.ogg, p=ˈjuʐnə səxɐˈlʲinsk, literally "South Sakhalin City") is a city on

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...

island, and the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast ( rus, Сахали́нская о́бласть, r=Sakhalínskaya óblast', p=səxɐˈlʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Russian ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...

. It is located in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

part of Russia, situated north of Japan. Gas and oil extraction as well as processing are amongst the main industries on the island. It was called Vladimirovka () from 1882 to 1905, then during its period of

Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitutio ...

ese control from 1905 to 1946. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 181,728.

History

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk began as a small Russian settlement called Vladimirovka, founded by convicts in 1882.Южно-сахалинск - Исторический словарь - Словари и Энциклопедии
/ref> The

Treaty of Portsmouth A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

in 1905, which brought an end to the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and ...

of 1904–1905, awarded the southern half of the

Island to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Vladimirovka was renamed Toyohara (meaning "bountiful plain"), and was the prefect capital of the Japanese

Karafuto Prefecture Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949. Karafuto became ter ...

. During the

Soviet–Japanese War The Soviet–Japanese War (russian: Советско-японская война; ja, ソ連対日参戦, soren tai nichi sansen, Soviet Union entry into war against Japan), known in Mongolia as the Liberation War of 1945 (), was a military ...

within World War II, the city was captured by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

troops. Ownership of the city was transferred to the Soviet Union and it was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Town status was granted to it in 1946. File:Vladimirovka.gif, Early days of Vladimirovka File:Japanese SL D51-22.jpg, This Japanese

D51 steam locomotive The is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR), the Japanese National Railways (JNR), and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kisha Seizo, Hitachi, Nippon Sharyo, Mitsubishi, and Mitsubishi H ...

stands outside the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station File:Католическая церковь в Южно-Сахалинске. (1).JPG, Catholic church in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Administrative and municipal status

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the

of the

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...

.Law #25-ZO Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with ten rural localities, incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

. As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is incorporated as Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Urban Okrug.

Economy and infrastructure

Due to significant investment from oil companies like

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...

and

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has experienced substantial economic growth. Although this growth has primarily occurred in the northern part of the island, both companies maintain headquarters and residential complexes in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk itself. The demand for natural resources by the

ese,

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

, and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

ns has ensured continued prosperity in the foreseeable future for the entire island. There has been significant criticism, including from Presidential Envoy

Kamil Iskhakov Kamil Iskhakov, (russian: Камиль Шамильевич Исхаков, tt-Cyrl, Камил Шамил улы Исхаков) (born February 8, 1949 in Kazan) is Russian regional development minister's assistant. He is of Tatar descent. He ...

, that Sakhalin is not caring for its citizens. Despite sizable gas deposits and incoming investments from gas companies, the regional administration does not yet have plans for the installation of gas services on the island. The oblast also continues to have the highest rate of juvenile crime in all of Russia, and more than 40% of its businesses are unprofitable. One of the very few remaining Japanese buildings in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk now functions as the

local museum A local museum or local history museum is a type of museum that shows the historical development of a place/region (local history) using exhibits. These museums usually maintain a collection of historic three-dimensional objects which are exh ...

. The building was designed in the Emperor's Crown Style by Japanese architect Yoshio Kaizuka, and completed in 1937. File:Downtown Yuzhno.jpg, Central part of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk File:Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Victory Day Parade (2019) 06.jpg,

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

in central part of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk File:Toyohara museum.jpg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk museum in Japanese days File:Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Museum July 2012.jpg, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk museum in 2012 Мемориальный комплекс "Победа".jpg, Victory Memorial Complex

Transportation

The city hosts the head office of Aurora Airline, subsidiary of

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (russian: ПАО "Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии", ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; russian: Аэрофлот, , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. The ...

. it is served by the

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport (russian: Аэропорт Южно-Сахалинск, ), also called Khomutovo (), is an airport in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the Russian island of Sakhalin. The airport was established in 1945 as a military airfield. With ...

. The city is also the hub for the island's narrow gauge railway network that underwent conversion to Russian broad gauge in August 2019. In addition to railways, the town is also a hub for roadways, such as the A-391 (which travels south to Korsakov) and the A-392 (which travels west to

Kholmsk Kholmsk (russian: Холмск), known until 1946 as Maoka ( ja, 真岡), is a port town and the administrative center of Kholmsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is located on the southwest coast of the Sakhalin Island, on coast of the ...

). Due to restrictions, foreigners wishing to leave Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in order to travel to any other part of the Sakhalin Oblast and its internal and territorial waters are required to seek permission from the

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

(FSB) and the

Border Guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In d ...

. Scuba diving and recreating on the seacoast is permitted only in places defined by the Border Guard. Yuzhno Sakhalinsk train station.JPG, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station 22090307285-yuzhno-sakhalinsk-airport-2015-russia.jpg,

Aurora_Airbus_A319_at_SVO.jpg, Airbus A319 of Aurora Airline Проспект Победы. Вид снизу. (1).JPG, Victory Avenue

Education

Institutes of elementary and middle education include Sakhalin International School. Institutes of higher education in the city include Sakhalin State University and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Institute of Economics, Law and Informatics. There are also some branches of other universities: *Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk institute (branch) of Russian State trade-economics university *Branch of Far East State university of railways *Branch of Modern Academy of the humanities *Branch of The Pacific State economics university *Branch of Russian economics academy named after G.V. Plekhanov *Branch of Far East law institute

Sport

There exist numerous sport venues and clubs in Sakhalin. FC Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, PSK Sakhalin, Vostok-65, Sakhalin Sharks,

for football, hockey, basketball, youth hockey and volleyball respectively. Mount Bolshevik provides the Gorny Vozdukh ("Mountain Air") ski resort which is qualified for international competitions. 2015-sakhalin-oji_eagles.jpg, PSK Sakhalin players in Crystal Ice Palace Spartak_Stadium_Yuzhno_Sakhalinsk.JPG, Spartak Stadium of FC Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Горный воздух Южно-Сахалинске.JPG, Gorny Vozdukh ski resort Gondola_lift_to_Skiing_resorts_"Gorny_Vozdukh"_in_summer._Sakhalin,_Russia.jpg, Ski lifts of Gorny Vozdukh ski resort Арена-Сити. Южно-Сахалинск..JPG, Arena City Ice Palace

Mass media

Television

*3 - 1TV Russia *5 - Rossiya-24 (

Russia-24 Russia-24 (russian: Россия-24) is a state-owned Russian-language news channel from Russia. It covers major national and international events as well as focuses on domestic issues. It is owned by VGTRK. History The broadcast began January 1 ...

) *10- Rossiya-1 (Russia-1) *12 - ASTV (Alternative Sakhalin Television) *21 - The first multiplex digital TV DVB T2 *23 - Che *27 -

Domashny Domashny ( rus, Домашний, p=dɐˈmaʂnʲɪj, t=Home Channel) is a Russian TV network which targets female viewers aged 25–60. It was launched in March 2005. Domashny was aimed to deliver programming to capture an attractive audience in ...

/ OTV (Sakhalin Regional Television) *30 -

NTV Russia NTV (Cyrillic: НТВ) is a Russian free-to-air television channel that was launched as a subsidiary of Vladimir Gusinsky's company . Since 14 April 2001 Gazprom Media controls the network. NTV has no official meaning according to Igor Malashen ...

*33 - STS *35 - Ren-TV / Echo of Sakhalin *43 -

Match TV Match TV (russian: Матч ТВ) is a Russian federal sports channel owned by Gazprom Media. The channel began broadcasting on November 1, 2015 and was created in accordance with the order of Russian president Vladimir Putin, with the assis ...

Russia (ex. Russia-2) *46 - Petersburg–Channel 5 *49 - Rossiya-K (Russia-K) *51 - The second multiplex of digital TV DVB T2

Radio

*87,9 Autoradio (plan) *88,3 Retro FM *88,9

Radio Record Radio Record is a Russian radio station that broadcasts on 106.3 FM from Saint Petersburg. It airs an electronic dance music format with primarily trance and house offerings now expanded to variety of different genres including Rock, Deep House, ...

*89,9 Russian Radio *101,7 Radio Chanson *102,5

Europa Plus Europa Plus () is a Russian commercial radio station. It is owned by the European Media Group and started broadcasting on 30 April 1990. It is mainly formatted with Hot AC and Top 40. Europa Plus began brodcasting in the USSR in 1990. Europa P ...

*102,9 Humor FM *103,5

Mayak The Mayak Production Association (russian: Производственное объединение «Маяк», , from 'lighthouse') is one of the biggest nuclear facilities in the Russian Federation, housing a reprocessing plant. The closest ...

*104,4

Love Radio Love Radio is a broadcast FM radio network in the Philippines owned by Manila Broadcasting Company. Its headquarters are located at Cultural Center of the Philippine Complex, Pasay, Manila. The network's original format is easy-listening unti ...

*105,1 Radio Dacha (plan) *105,5 Radio ASTV *106,0

Radio Rossii Radio Rossii (russian: Радио России, ''Radio of Russia'') is the primary public radio station in Russia. History Radio Rossii began broadcasting on December 10, 1990. The radio station is part of the state-owned unitary enterprise ...

*106,5 Dorognoe Radio *107,2

Vesti FM Vesti FM (russian: Радиостанция «Вести ФМ») is a radio station based in Russia and owned by VGTRK. It started broadcasting on February 5, 2008, at 6:00 am Moscow Time. The station is included in the first multiplex of di ...

Demographics

Population

Most residents are ethnic

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

, but there also exists a sizable population of Korean Russians. Of the 43,000

Sakhalin Koreans Sakhalin Koreans are Russian citizens and residents of Korean descent living on Sakhalin Island, who can trace their roots to the immigrants from the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces of Korea during the late 1930s and early 1940s, the latter ha ...

, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population. Also smaller numbers of indigenous minorities, such as

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East * Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu l ...

Nivkhs The Nivkh, or Gilyak (also Nivkhs or Nivkhi, or Gilyaks; ethnonym: Нивхгу, ''Nʼivxgu'' (Amur) or Ниғвңгун, ''Nʼiɣvŋgun'' (E. Sakhalin) "the people"), are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the northern half of Sakhalin Islan ...

and

Oroks Oroks (''Ороки'' in Russian; self-designation: ''Ulta, Ulcha''), sometimes called Uilta, are a people in the Sakhalin Oblast (mainly the eastern part of the island) in Russia. The Orok language belongs to the Southern group of the Tungus ...

can be found.

Religion

The majority of the population are

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most C ...

Geography and climate

The city is located on the Susuya River. It is the largest city on the island, and the only one with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The straight-line distance to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

is . The climate is

humid continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezin ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') with mild summers and cold winters. Maritime influences can be seen in that precipitation is much higher than in interior Russia and that summers are distinctly cooler than in

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of t ...

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is the 25th-larges ...

, while winters are much milder. Summers are frequently

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily inf ...

gy, reducing the amount of sunshine. Considering its southerly maritime position winters are very cold, albeit warmer than expected for surrounding inland areas affected by the

Siberian High The Siberian High (also Siberian Anticyclone; russian: Азиатский антициклон (''Aziatsky antitsiklon'')) is a massive collection of cold dry air that accumulates in the northeastern part of Eurasia from September until April. It ...

. Snowfall is more frequent than in those areas, due to said maritime influence bringing moisture to the coastline. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is relatively sunny compared to

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

locations, but gloomy by the lower latitudes of the Russian Far East's standards.

Twin towns and sister cities

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is twinned with: *

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiyam ...

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 41 ...

, Japan *

Wakkanai ' meaning "cold water river" is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Sōya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen. As of ...

, Japan *

Yanji Yanji (; Chosŏn'gŭl: 연길, ''Yeon-gil;'' Hangul: 옌지, ''Yenji;'' alternately romanized as Yenki) is a county-level city in the east of China's Jilin Province, and is the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. Its populat ...

, China *

Ansan Ansan (Hangeul: , ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies southwest of Seoul and is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. It is connected to Seoul by rail via Seoul Subway Line 4. It is situated on the Yellow Sea coast and ...

References

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

Official website of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
{{Use mdy dates, date=May 2011 Russian Far East 1882 establishments in the Russian Empire Imperial Crown Style architecture