Geography of Karafuto

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Karafuto was a former Japanese prefecture in the southern part of Sakhalin island, from 1905 to 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 Shisuka.

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

Lakes[]

• Lake Taraika 多来加湖
• Lake Tonnai 富内湖
• Lake Raichishi 来知志湖
• Lake Tōbuchi 遠渕湖
• Lake Waai 和愛湖
• Lake Chibesan 地邊讃湖
• Lake Tōhoro 遠幌湖
• Lake Ondō 恩洞湖
• Lake Hakuchō 白鳥湖
• Lake Omudō 雄武洞沼
• Lake Tōro 塔路沼

Rivers[]

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

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 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[]

• 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.

References[]