|
At latitude 50.80N, longitude 155.50E, Oyakoba
is the northernmost island of the
Kuriru-retto (Kuril
islands). It is essentially the cone of a submarine volcano protruding above
the sea to a height of 2339m (7672ft).
The island has an area of 119 sq km
(46 sq mi). Its near perfect shape gave rise to many legends among the
natives, e.g. the Kamchadal and Kuril
Ainu told
Krasheninnikov the story that it was
once a mountain on the nearby
Kamchatka peninsula, but the neighbouring mountains became jealous and
exiled it to the sea, leaving behind lake Kuril in southern Kamchatka. Ito
Osamu (1926) described it as more exquisitely shaped than
Fuji. It is uninhabited. Synonyms: Uyakhuzhach, Araito (Alaid), Atlasova.
|
