It occupies a territory of 78,000 square km and stretches from north to south for 948 km. It is separated from the mainland of the Far East by the Tartar Strait, borders the Pacific Ocean on the east and the Sea of Ohotsk to the north. In the south, Sakhalin is separated by the La Perouse Strait between Sakhalin Island and the Japanese Island of Hokaido. The climate in Sakhalin is mild compared to that of the Khabarovski Krai because it is influenced by the sea. Spring arrives in April and the months of May, June and July can be very rainy and foggy.
Summer is cool except for the northern regions.
Temperatures in the south range between 17-19C. Winter comes early and is accompanied by lots of snow. Temperatures range from -15C and up. The mysterious islands of Sakhalin and the Kuriles were a long time source of great attention by many navigators, explorers and sailors. The first explorers of Sakhalin were the Cossacks, Ivan Moskvitin in 1640 and Vasily Poyarkov and Ivan Nagita in 1643-46. They actually brought these islands to the attention of the Russian government.