Editing Iturup (section)

{{Short description|Largest of the Kuril Islands}}
{{Infobox islands
| disputed                   = yes
| name                       = Iturup
| native_name                = {{nobold|{{langx|ain|エツ゚ヲロㇷ゚シㇼ}}}}
| other_names                = {{langx|ru|Итуру́п}}; {{langx|ja|択捉島}}
| image_name                 = Iturup sentinel-2.jpg
| image_size                 = 300px
| image_caption              = [[Sentinel-2]] image of Iturup (May 2023)
| pushpin_map                = Japan#Russia
| pushpin_map_relief  = 1
| image_map                  = IturupMap.png
| location                   = [[Sea of Okhotsk]]
| coordinates                = {{coord|45|02|N|147|37|E|scale:2500000|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago                = [[Kuril Islands]]
| area_km2                   = 3139
| length_km                  = 200
| width_km                   = 27
| elevation_m                = 1634
| highest_mount              = [[Stokap]]
| country                    = {{flag|Russia}}
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Federal subjects of Russia|Federal subject]]
| country_admin_divisions_1  = [[Sakhalin Oblast]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Raion|District]]
| country_admin_divisions_2  = [[Kurilsky District|Kurilsky]]
| country1                   = {{flag|Japan}}
| country1_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| country1_admin_divisions_1 = [[Hokkaido]]
| country1_admin_divisions_title_2 = [[Subprefectures of Hokkaido|Subprefecture]]
| country1_admin_divisions_2 = [[Nemuro Subprefecture|Nemuro]]
| population                 = 7,500
| population_as_of           = 2003
| module              = {{Infobox mapframe
 |wikidata=yes
 |zoom=07
 |marker  = marker-stroked
 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}

'''Iturup''' ({{langx|ru|Итуру́п}}; {{langx|ja|択捉島}}), also historically known by [[#Names|other names]], is an [[island]]  in the [[Kuril Archipelago]] separating the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] from the [[North Pacific Ocean]]. The town of [[Kurilsk]], administrative center of [[Kurilsky District]], is located roughly midway along its western shore. Iturup is the largest and northernmost of the southern Kurils, [[Kuril Islands dispute|ownership of which is disputed]] between [[Japan]] and [[Russia]]. It is located between [[Kunashiri]] {{convert|19|km|mi|sp=us|abbr=on}} to its southwest and [[Urup]] {{convert|37|km|mi|sp=us|abbr=on}} to its northeast. The [[Vries Strait]] between Iturup and Urup forms the Miyabe Line dividing the predominant plants of the Kurils.

The native inhabitants of the islands since at least the 14th century were the [[Ainu people|Ainu]]. Various [[Age of Exploration|European explorers]] passed the area over the years but settlement varied between Russian and Japanese. The island was formally claimed as Japanese territory in 1855. Near the end of the [[Second World War]] in 1945, the [[Soviet Union]] occupied the southern Kurils and forcibly removed its Japanese residents. Japan continues to claim the islands and considers the northern edge of the island to be its own northernmost point.

{{anchor|Etymology|Toponymy|Name}}