Karafuto Prefecture
| Karafuto Prefecture 樺太県 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Prefecture and region | |||
| Japanese transcription(s) | |||
| • Japanese | 樺太県 | ||
| • Rōmaji | Karafuto-ken | ||
 | |||
| |||
| Country |
 Japan | ||
| Region | Karafuto | ||
| Island | Karafuto | ||
| Capital | Toyohara | ||
| Subdivisions | Districts: 28, Municipalities: 56 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Ikuo Satake | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 72,492 km2 (27,989 sq mi) | ||
| Population (31 May 2021) | |||
| • Total | 527,894 | ||
| • Density | Bad rounding here7.3/km2 (Bad rounding here19/sq mi) | ||
| Symbols | |||
| Bird | Nordmann's greenshank (Tringa guttifer) | ||
| Flower | Bird cherry (Prunus padus) | ||
| Tree | Ezo spruce (Picea jezoensis) | ||
Karafuto Prefecture (樺太県 Karafuto-ken?), Russian: Префектура Карафуто, romanized: Prefektura Karafuto, is a prefecture and region comprising the entirety of the island of Karafuto (formerly known as Sakhalin) and its surrounding islands, including the Chishima Islands (also known as the Kuril Islands). It is the northernmost major island of the Japanese archipelago and is situated between the Sea of Okhotsk to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. Immediately to the west of Karafuto is Ussuria and to the south of Karafuto is the prefecture, region, and island of Hokkaido.
The most populous city on Karafuto is Toyohara. Karafuto is divided into 28 districts and 56 municipalities. Karafuto's population in 2021 was approximately 528,000.
Karafuto has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years. The indigenous population on Karafuto include the Ainu, Oroks, and {Nivkhs. Karafuto was part of China during the Qing dynasty but by the 19th and 20th centuries, Russia and Japan claimed the island. The two powers periodically fought over the island. In 1875, Japan ceded its claims to the island to Russia in exchange for the northern Chishima Islands. Following the Russo-Japanese War, the island was divided, with the southern half of the island ceded to Japan. In the aftermath of Great War II, Japan was granted full control over Karafuto and Chishima Islands as part of the postwar partition of Russia and guaranteed assurances from the Western Bloc that contributed to Japan's early conditional surrender.
The vast majority of Karafuto's population are ethnic Japanese, with a small minority of Russians, Koreans, and Chinese, as well as the indigenous Ainu. Its economy is primarily based on natural gas and oil.