Paramushir

an island in the northern part of the Greater Kuril Chain, in Sakhalin Oblast, RSFSR. It is separated from neighboring islands by the straits of Alaid, Luzhina, and the Second and Fourth Kurils. It has an area of 2,042 sq km and is 100 km long and about 20 km wide. The Vernadskii and Karpinskii mountain ranges consist of volcanic chains of which the following are active: Ebeko, Chikurachki (1,816 m), Fussa, and Karpinskii. The mountain slopes are covered with a Krummholz of cedar and alder and a heath of Ledum and alder bushes. There are sea meadows on the coastal terraces and high-altitude grasses in the valleys. The city of Severo-Kuril’sk is located on the northeastern part of the island.