Sakhalin Oblast

Sakhalin Oblast (Russian: Сахали́нская о́бласть, tr. Sahalínskaya óblast', IPA: [səxɐˈlʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia. Specifically, it is an oblast. It is the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Russian Far East. The area of the oblast is 87,100 square kilometers (33,600 sq mi). Its administrative center (capital city) and largest city is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. As of the 2010 Census, around 500,000 people lived there. Most of the people living in the oblast are ethnic Russians. However, there are also a few Koreans and other groups. Sakhalin Oblast has much natural gas and oil. So, it is Russia's fourth wealthiest federal subject and wealthiest oblast. Nearby is Khabarovsk Krai to the west and Kamchatka Krai to the north, and Hokkaido, Japan to the south. Population Population: 497,973 (2010 Census); 546,695 (2002 Census); 709,629 (1989 Census). Ethnic groups: 409,786 ethnic Russians are the largest group, followed by 24,993 Koreans (see Sakhalin Koreans), 12,136 Ukrainians and many smaller ethnic groups, including 219 Japanese and Ainu (0.05%), who were native to the region and opposed the Soviet Union taking the territory after World War II. The ethnic groups of the oblast in 2010 were: Russians: 86.5% Koreans (Sakhalin Koreans): 5.3% Ukrainians: 2.6% Tatars: 1% Belarusians: 0.6% Japanese or Ainu: 0.05% References Other websites (in Russian) Official website of Sakhalin Oblast (in English) Official website of Sakhalin Oblast Steam and the Railways of Sakhalin