Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.

It is part of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast

Sakhalin Oblast

Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...

. Sakhalin, which is about one-quarter the size of Japan, is just off the East coast of Russia, and just north of the top of Japan.

The indigenous peoples of the island are the Sakhalin Ainu

Ainu people

The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...

, Oroks and Nivkhs.