Kunashir (Russian: Кунаши́р, koo-nah-SHIHR) is the southernmost of the Kuril Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast. The island is also 24 km away from Hokkaido, Japan, and is known as Kunashiri (国後, "after the country") there. The native Ainu name Kunashir possibly means Black Island or Grass Island.

Cities

• 1 Yuzhno-Kurilsk

Understand

Russia administers and views the island as part of its territory since WWII, but Japan still claims it, making it a part of the South Kuril border dispute.

Get in

SAT Airlines flies from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Yuzhno-Kurilsk four times a week.

A ferry operates from Korsakov on Sakhalin, taking roughly 12 hours.