Kuril Islands

[ koor-il ahy-luhnz, koo-reel ]

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.

Kuril Islands

/ kʊˈriːl /

plural noun

1. 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) Japanese nameChishima

Word History and Origins

Origin of Kuril Islands¹

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