evidence: The Kuril Islands is an island group in the Russian Far East that forms the boundary between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk. The archipelago, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast (Russia), extends for about 1,300 kilometers from Kamchatka Peninsula’s southern tip to Hokkaido (Japan) northeastern corner. The archipelago comprises 56 islands and several islets and rocks and covers over 15,600 square kilometers. The islands are divided into Greater and Lesser Kuril Chains and have a total population of over 20,000 people. Although Russia administers all the Kuril Islands, some islands are at the heart of the Russo-Japanese feud known as the Kuril Islands dispute. Japan considers the four southernmost islands as part of its Northern Territories. [...] The Kuril Islands, also spelled as Kurile, are known as Chisima Islands in Japan and Kurilskiye Ostrova in Russia. The islands are sometimes referred to as Kuriru Islands. The name "Chisima" translates to "Thousand Islands Archipelago." Kuril originated from the autonym "Kur," designated by the aboriginal Ainu people, islands' first inhabitants. The name is also closely related to the names of the other islands originally inhabited by the Ainu people, including the Kuyi Island. The islands are also informally known as "Kurit," meaning "to smoke" because of the steam and fumes from the nearby volcanoes.