Shikotan, Hokkaido

Shikotan is a notional village administrative unit claimed by Japan in Shikotan District, Hokkaido. It is located in the disputed Northern Territories area of the Kuril Islands. Shikotan is currently administered by Russia as part of Yuzhno-Kurilsky District in Sakhalin Oblast, although Japan continues to claim it as part of their own territory.

Etymology

The name was originally called Shakotan and it comes from the Ainu language.

Geography

The municipality and island is formed by the volcanic rock and sandstone of the Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods. There are two extinct volcanoes on Shikotan: Mount Tomari and Mount Notoro.