How many people are there in the 4 northern islands?

The four northern islands belong to the Sakhalin Oblast and have about 10,000 residents, the vast majority of whom are immigrants from various parts of the former Soviet Union.

The so-called four northern islands mainly refer to the four islands of Kunashiri, Ortor, Habomai and Shikotan between the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and Hokkaido in Japan. The four northern islands geographically belong to the Kuril Islands, so Russia also calls them the Southern Kuril Islands. This area has been ruled by ethnic minorities in Northeast China since ancient times. For example, it was successively ruled by Donghu, Xiongnu, Xianbei and other ethnic groups. The rule of northern Northeast China and Kuye Island was under the central jurisdiction of the Bohai regime in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty. This was only achieved under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, but at that time the central government did not effectively rule this area, which was very different from the Western Regions. After the Tang Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty ruled this area. At this time, Congku The vast area from the Ye Island area (of course, including the four northern islands) to the Aral Sea was under the rule of the Liao Dynasty. In other words, the Tang Dynasty established its rule over this area since ancient times, and it was the Liao Dynasty that finally established the rule. After the Second Opium War, it was occupied by Russia, and after the Russo-Japanese War, Japan occupied The Soviet Union retook this area before World War II. At this point, the four northern islands belonged to today's Russia. Historically, Russia and Japan both acquired the four northern islands in the process of mutual territorial expansion. of domination. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan in response to the Allies' request. The Yalta Agreement placed the entire Kuril Islands, including the four northern islands, under the ownership of the Soviet Union. Since Japan was the instigator of the war of aggression and ended with unconditional surrender, the cession of the four northern islands was essentially a punishment to Japan. The United States also received trusteeship of some Pacific islands from Japan. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Japan relied on its strength as an economic power and used both soft and hard tactics to try to claim the four northern islands under Russian control.

The two islands of Elokura and Kunashiri are the two southernmost islands of the Kuril Islands, Habomai and Shikotan and Shikotan are islands affiliated with Hokkaido. The four islands are located in the northeast of Hokkaido, Japan, with a total area of ??4996 square kilometers. Not only is its strategic position very important, but it is also rich in resources. The continental shelf gas resource reserves are about 1.6 billion tons, gold reserves are about 1,867 tons, silver 9,284 tons, iron 273 million tons, and sulfur 117 million tons. In addition, Etorho Island is also rich in rhenium, which is more valuable than gold, with reserves as high as 36 tons. Although Habomai and Shikotan Islands are small, the nearby continental shelf is rich in seafood, with an annual output of about 800,000 tons. According to statistics, the total resource value of the four islands and the continental shelf reaches US$45.8 billion. Therefore, it has always been highly valued by Japan and Russia.