Russia
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
246km²
Area
192km
Coastline
412m
Highest point
2,820
People
15°C
Warmest sea
September
721km
To the mainland
When to go to Shikotan
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in September (15 °C) and coolest in March (0 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in South Kuril Islands
Shikotan is an island in Russia. It belongs to Kuril Islands. It covers 246 km², with 192 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 412 m. About 2,820 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 721 km away.
Getting there
- Nakashibetsu Airport (SHB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 146 km in a straight line
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 721 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Shikotan.
- 191beachesShikotan and 190 more
- 5viewpoints
- 3lighthouses
- 1ferry terminals
- 9named peaksShakotan, Kraynyaya, Ploskaya and 6 more
- 5ruins and archaeological sites
- 6hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 2restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Shikotan in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Shikotan, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
15.1°C
Aoki Wan
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 94 m above the sea. 91 % of it is below 200 m.
- 32 %0–50 m
- 59 %50–200 m
- 9 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Shikotan2,100 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | -1 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
| Night low (°C) | -3 | -4 | -2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Sea (°C) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 46 | 77 | 75 | 97 | 93 | 121 | 134 | 124 | 114 | 94 | 74 |
| Wet days | 13 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Sun h/day | 2.1 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 32 | 30 | 27 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 30 | 33 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.5 | −0.5 | −0.9 | −0.2 | −0.5 | −0.3 | +0.5 | +1.8 | +0.2 | +2.0 | +1.5 | +1.1 |
| 2021 | −0.5 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −0.3 | +0.1 | +1.6 | +2.3 | +1.2 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | −0.2 | −0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | −0.7 | −1.4 | −0.7 | +1.4 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.8 |
| 2023 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.7 | +2.2 | +3.8 | +2.9 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +0.3 |
| 2024 | −0.1 | −0.3 | +0.2 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.0 | −0.1 | −0.6 |
| 2025 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +1.8 | +2.1 | +1.2 | −0.8 | −1.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Japan
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1043128) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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