Uruppu (得撫島, urupputou) is one of the Kuril Islands to the north of Japan. Its area is about 1400 sq. km. The island was originally within the fief of the Matsumae clan, before coming under the control of the Hokkaido regional government. Today, along with the rest of the Kurils, Uruppu is disputed between Japan and Russia. The Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́льские острова́, Kurilskie ostrova), also known as Kurile Islands, stretch northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. ... Matsumae was the name of a town in Hokkaido, Japan, near the port of Hakodate. ... Hokkaidō (Japanese: 北海道, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ...

History

The island was originally inhabited by Ainu, the native peoples of the Kurils, Sakhalin and Hokkaido. It was first discovered by Europeans in 1643, when a ship of the Dutch East India Company landed there, probably seeking furs. For Ainu in J.R.R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Arda, see Ainur. ... Sakhalin (Russian: ), also Saghalien, Kuye (Chinese: 庫頁島; pinyin: ), or Karafuto (Japanese: ) is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lying between 45° 50 and 54° 24 N, in Far East, Russia. ... Hokkaidō (Japanese: 北海道, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ... Events January 21 - Abel Tasman discovers Tonga February 6 - Abel Tasman discovers the Fiji islands. ... Dutch colonial possessions, with the Dutch East India Company possessions marked in a paler green, surrounding the Indian Ocean plus Saint Helena in the mid-Atlantic. ...

Russian fur traders appeared in the 18th century, hunting sea otter and seizing foreign ships in the area. There were clashes between the Russians and the Ainu in 1772, and the Russians left for a time, but soon returned. Binomial name Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is a large otter native to the North Pacific, from northern Japan and Kamchatka west across the Aleutian Islands south to California. ... 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1801, the Japanese government officially claimed control of the island, incorporating it into Ezo Province (now Hokkaido Prefecture). This would soon lead to clashes with Russia over Uruppu and the other Kurils. The island officially became Russian territory in 1855, with a treaty that established a border at the straits of Etorofu, but was traded back to Japan twenty years later in exchange for Sakhalin Island. It was during this time that the island came under the administration of the Hokkaido prefectural authorities, and the Ainu were forced out. 1801 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The island remained under Japanese authority until August of 1945, when Soviet forces invaded Manchuria and the Kurils, sending the Japanese inhabitants of Uruppu back to Hokkaido. In 1952, with the peace treaty following World War II, Japan claimed control of the islands once again. Since then, the islands have been disputed territory, as Russia still claims control of them even following the fall of the Soviet Union (see Kuril Island conflict). Extent according to Definition 1 (dark red), Definition 3 (dark red + medium red) and Definition 4 (dark red + medium red + light red) Northeast China (Simplified Chinese: 东北; Traditional Chinese: 東北; pinyin: ; literally east-north) and Manchuria (Manchu: Manju, Simplified Chinese: 满洲; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; pinyin: ) are names of a region... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Kuril Islands with the disputed islands highlighted The Kuril Island conflict is a dispute between Japan and Russia over sovereignty over the southernmost Kuril Islands. ...