Sakhalin Island
Sakhalin (Karafuto in Japanese) is a very long (c.a. 1000 km) but narrow island located between Japanese and Russian maritime territory. It is separated from Asian continent by a narrow strait of 6 km in width, leading early explorers to record it as a peninsula. The native people who settled thousands of years ago on Sakhalin Island are the Nivkhi (current population 2,000), the Ul'la or Oroche (population 500) and the Evenki (population 180). The Nivkhi maintain the allegoric belief that Sakhalin is a giant seal, whose mountains and forests are ruled by the deity, Palis, and whose seas are ruled bu the god, "Tolis". Rare birds include the white tailed sea eagle, Steller sea eagle, spotted greenshank and Blackston's fish owl. Brown bears, sable, river otters, musk deer and foxes all live in the forests. Whales, dolphins, sea lions, walruses and a variety of seals feed off Sakhalin's shore line and that of the Kuriles.
