The Yam Islands, Yamsky Islands or Yamskiye Islands (Ямские острова; Yamskiye Ostrova), is a small island group located close to the coast in the northern Sea of Okhotsk. It lies about 250 km east of Magadan, only 10 km from the shores of the Pyagin Peninsula (Poluostrov P'yagina).
The main island is Matykil Island (Остров Матыкиль). It is 6 km long and has a width of 2.2 km. All the other islands are much smaller. The highest point in Matykil is 700 m.
The other islands of the group are: Atykan (Остров Атыкан), Baran (Остров Баран), Khatemalyu (Остров Хатемалью) and Kokontse (Остров Коконце).
The Yam Islands are a home for the Steller sea lion and a variety of birds.
Administratively the Yam Islands belong to the Magadan Oblast of the Russian Federation. They are also a part of the Magandskiy Zapovednik or protected bioregion of the Magadan area.
The Yam Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk should not be confused with Yam Island in Queensland, Australia.
Famous quotes containing the word islands:
“Consider the islands bearing the names of all the saints, bristling with forts like chestnut-burs, or Echinidæ, yet the police will not let a couple of Irishmen have a private sparring- match on one of them, as it is a government monopoly; all the great seaports are in a boxing attitude, and you must sail prudently between two tiers of stony knuckles before you come to feel the warmth of their breasts.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)