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 name: Chishima-rettō. Russian name: Kuril'skiye Ostrova
Kuril Islands in American English
(ˈkurɪl; kuˈril) or Kurile Islands (ˈkurɪl; kuˈril)
chain of islands belonging to Russia, between N Hokkaido, Japan, and Kamchatka Peninsula: formerly Japanese (1875-1945): c. 6,000 sq mi (15,540 sq km)