Geography of Karafuto

Karafuto is a former prefecture in the southern part of Sakhalin which was administrated by Japan from 1905 till 1945.

Islands

• Names in italics are the current Russian names.

The Karafuto Prefecture incorporated several smaller islands.

• Karafuto Island 樺太島 Sakhalin
• Kaiba Island 海馬島 Moneron Island
• Kaihyō Island 海豹島 Tyuleniy Island
• Nijōiwa Rock 二丈岩 Kamen Opasnosti Rocks

Mountains

Karafuto was a very mountainous area. Its highest mountain was Mount Shikuka.

• Mount Shikuka 敷香岳 (1,375 km) Mount Vozvrasheniye
• Mount Horoto 幌登岳 (1,259m) Mount Matorosovskaya
• Mount Esutoru 恵須取岳 (1,135m) Mount Ugoli
• Mount Kamabushi 釜伏岳 (1,087m) Mount Krasnova
• Mount Suzuya 鈴谷岳 (1,045m) Mount Chekhova
• Mount Furito 振戸岳 (1,035m) Mount Korzhevina
• Mount Niitoi 新問岳 (1,034m) Mount Odinokaya
• Mount Nodasamu 野田寒岳 (1,029m) Mount Spambergo
• Mount Kitasōya 北宗谷岳 (1,009m)

Lakes

• Lake Taraika 多来加湖 Lake Nevskoye
• Lake Tonnai 富内湖 Lake Tunaicha
• Lake Raichishi 来知志湖 Lake Ainskoye
• Lake Tōbuchi 遠渕湖 Lake Busse
• Lake Waai 和愛湖 Lake Bolishoe Vavaiskoye
• Lake Chibesan 地邊讃湖 Lake Chibisanskoye
• Lake Hōhoro 遠幌湖 Lake Russkoye
• Lake Ondō 恩洞湖 Lake Izvenchiboye
• Lake Hakuchō 白鳥湖 Lake Lebyazhiye
• Lake Omudō 雄武洞沼 Lake Protochnoye
• Lake Tōro 塔路沼 Lake Touro

Rivers

• Horonai River 幌内川 Poronai River
• Naibushi River 内渕川 Naiva River
• Rūtaka River 留多加川 Lyutoga River
• Rukutama River 留久玉川 Rukutama River
• Susuya River 鈴谷川 Susuya River
• Esutoru River 恵須取川 Uglegorka River
• Raichisi River 来知志川 Sura River
• Chinnai River 珍内川 Krasnogorka River
• Kitanayoshi River 北名好川 Lesogorka River

Bays and gulfs

• Aniwa Bay 亜庭湾 Aniva Bay
• Gulf of Taraika (Gulf of Patience) 多来加湾 Gulf of Terpeniya

Capes and Peninsulas

• Cape Nakashiretoko 中知床岬 Cape Aniva
• Cape Nishinotoro 西能登呂岬 Cape Crillon
• Cape Kitashiretoko 北知床岬 Cape Terpeniya

Straits

• Sōya Strait 宗谷海峡 La Pérouse Strait
• Mamiya Strait 間宮海峡 (Strait of Tartary) Strait of Nevelskoy

Important ports

See also: Political divisions of Karafuto Prefecture

• Maoka 真岡 Kholmsk
• Ōdomari 大泊 Korsakov

Climate

Owing to the influence of the raw, foggy Sea of Okhotsk, the climate is very cold. At Dui the average yearly temperature is only 0.5°C (January -15.9°; July 16.1°), 1.7° at Kushunkotan and 3.1° at Aniwa (January, -12.5°; July, 15.7°). At Mamiya near Dui the annual range is from 27° in July to -39° in January, while at Rūtaka in the interior the minimum is -45°C. The rainfall averages 570 mm. Thick clouds for the most part shut out the sun; while the cold current from the Sea of Okhotsk, aided by north-east winds, brings immense ice-floes to the east coast in summer.

During the winter, the Sea of Okhotsk turns to ice, rendering the northern coast impassable to marine traffic, and halting the lucrative fisheries there until the thaw.