Kuril Islands

American  

[koor-il ahy-luhnz, koo-reel] / ˈkʊər ɪl ˈaɪ lənz, kʊˈril /

plural noun

1. a chain of more than 55 small volcanic islands off the northeast coast of Asia, extending from northern Japan to the southern tip of Kamchatka: under Russian administration since Soviet invasion 1945, but subject to dispute, as with Japan’s ongoing claim to the four southernmost islands.

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Kuril Islands British  

/ kʊˈriːl /

plural noun

1. Japanese name: Chishima.  a chain of 56 volcanic islands off the NE coast of Asia, extending for 1200 km (750 miles) from the S tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula to NE Hokkaido. Area: 14 990 sq km (6020 sq miles)

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Etymology

Origin of Kuril Islands

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Russian Kuríl'skiye Ostrová, from Ainu kur “man”

Example Sentences

“Morton launched his last two torpedoes,” Mr. Clavin writes of a 1943 encounter off the Kuril Islands, somewhere between Russia and Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Sakhalin region declared a state of emergency in the northern Kuril islands, where the power grid was shut down after it was damaged by the quake.

From BBC

A review of Seventh Fleet drills since January reveals the fleet conducted more than 37 military exercises in a region that spans some 75 million square miles, and stretches from Japan’s northern Kuril Islands, west to the Indian Ocean, and south to Antarctica.

From Washington Times

"Troop exercises are taking place near the Kuril Islands, which seriously complicates the situation in the Asia-Pacific region."

From Reuters

Defending against attacks on Sakhalin Island and the southern Kuril Islands — claimed by both Russia and Japan — was among the objectives of the drills.

From Washington Times