Kamchatka Peninsula
26-08-2023
11:47 AM
1 min read
Overview:
A volcano erupted recently on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, spewing clouds of dust 20 kilometers (12 miles) into the sky and covering broad areas with ash.
About Kamchatka Peninsula:
- Location: It lies in far eastern Russia, between the Sea of Okhotsk on the west and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea on the east.
- It is one of the world’s most concentrated areas of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes.
- It is about 1,200 km long north-south and about 480 km across at its widest.
- Area: Approximately 370,000 square km.
- About the size of New Zealand, it is one of the largest peninsulas in the world.
- Population: About 300,000 people live on the peninsula. The population density is one of the lowest in the world, at less than a person per square kilometre.
- Climate: Severe, with prolonged, cold, and snowy winters and wet, cool summers.
- Regional Capital: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
- The Kuril island chain runs from the southern tip of the peninsula to a short distance from Japan's northern Hokkaido Island.
Q1) What is the Kuril island chain?
The island chain known as the Kurils stretches north across the Pacific Ocean from the Japanese island of Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - are the subject of a 60-year-old dispute between the two nations.
Source: Volcano eruption in Russia’s Kamchatka spews vast ash clouds