Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

"Toyohara" redirects here. For the city previously called Toyohara in Taiwan, see Fengyuan District.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russian: Ю́жно-Сахали́нск, IPA: [ˈjuʐnə səxɐˈlʲinsk] (listen), literally "South Sakhalin City") is a city on Sakhalin island. It is also the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is in the Far East part of Russia. It is north of Japan.^[11] Gas and oil extraction and processing are the main industries of the island. It was named Vladimirovka (Влади́мировка) from 1882 to 1905, then Toyohara (Japanese: 豊原市, Hepburn: Toyohara-shi) when Imperial Japan controlled it from 1905 to 1946. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 181,728.^[5]

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Южно-Сахалинск
City[1]
Top: Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, Gorny Vozduh Resort Cablecar, Center: Sakhalin Regional Museum, Bottom: Yuzhino-Sakhalinsk Gagarin Park, Anton Chekhov Museum and monument (all of item from left to right)
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Location of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Show map of Russia Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Sakhalin Oblast) Show map of Sakhalin Oblast
Coordinates: 46°58′N 142°44′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Sakhalin Oblast[1]
Founded	1882
City status since	1905[2]
Government
• Head	Sergey Nadsadin[3]
Area [4]
• Total	164.7 km2 (63.6 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[5]
• Total	181,728
• Estimate  (2018)[6]	198,973 (+9.5%)
• Rank	99th in 2010
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	city of oblast significance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk[1]
• Capital of	Sakhalin Oblast[1], city of oblast significance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk[1]
Municipal status
• Urban okrug	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Urban Okrug[7]
• Capital of	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Urban Okrug[7]
Time zone	UTC+11 (MSK+8 [8])
Postal code(s)[9]	693000
Dialing code(s)	+7 4242; +7 424[10]
OKTMO ID	64701000001
Twin towns	Hakodate, Asahikawa, Wakkanai
Website	www.yuzhno-sakh.ru

History

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk started as a small Russian settlement called Vladimirovka. It was founded by convicts in 1882.^[2] In the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905, the southern part of Sakhalin was given to Japan. This treaty ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. Because Vladimirovka was in southern Sakhalin, it was given to Japan. Vladimirovka was renamed Toyohara (meaning "bountiful plain" in Japanese).

During the Soviet–Japanese War within World War II, the city was taken by Soviet soldiers. After the war, it was given to the Soviet Union. It was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and given town status in 1946.^[2]

• 
  Early days of Vladimirovka
• 
  This Japanese D51 steam locomotive stands outside the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station
• 
  Catholic church in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Demographics

Population

Year	Population
1959	85,510
1970	105,840
1979	139,861[12]
1989	159,299[13]
2002	175,085[14]
2010	181,728[5]

Most citizens are ethnic Russians, but there is also many Korean Russians. There are also smaller numbers of indigenous minorities, such as Ainu, Nivkhs and Oroks.

Geography

The city is on the Susuya River. It is the largest city on Sakhalin. It is the only one with more than 100,000 inhabitants on the island.

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is twinned with:

• Asahikawa, Japan
• Hakodate, Japan
• Wakkanai, Japan
• Yanji, China
• Ansan, South Korea^[15]