Peripherality of the Kuril Islands - a Development Barrier or a Development Factor?

Abstract

The paper discusses development barriers and development factors of one of Russia's key peripheral regions - the Kuril Islands, an archipelago with a small area but a strategic location in the Russian Far East. The geographical distance from the state's decision-making centres and the peripherality of the archipelago's location have been in the past and remain at present the main factors underpinning the Islands' development. The paper also points out future development opportunities for the archipelago in the context of the still unresolved territorial conflict between Russia and Japan.