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The Kuril Islands are a relatively poorly known region of the North Pacific Rim between Hokkaido and Kamchatka. This article presents new information on the settlement history and human biogeography of the central and northern Kuril Islands resulting from a three-week, international survey and testing project in the summer of 2000. The paper introduces the Kuril chain (little known outside of Japan and Russia), presents a chronology of settlement based on new AMS radiocarbon dates, and examines the role of volcanic and tectonic forces on human prehistory and site preservation. The research results presented here add significantly to the record of Kuril archaeology and offer conclusions of broader applicability to the prehistory of the North Pacific and the archaeology of island chains.

The flora of Chirpoi, Kuril Islands, was poorly known prior to field work performed under the auspices of the International Kuril Island Project (IKIP) in 1995. A preliminary plant list is provided here. The flora of Chirpoi is compared with that of the nearest large islands, Urup and Simushir. Of 105 species identified from Chirpoi, one hundred species occur on both Urup and Simushir, four (Ledum palustre subsp. diversipilo-sum, Mertensia pterocarpa var. pterocarpa, Ixeris repens and Carex macrocephala) on Urup but not on Simushir, and one (Persicaria scabra) is absent from the adjacent Islands. Chirpoi is the eastern distribution limit of the temperate taxon, Ledum palustre subsp. diversipilosum. Three taxa (Mertensia pterocarpa var. pterocarpa, Ixeris repens and Carex macrocephala) have a bilateral distribution pattern — they occur on both southern and northern islands in the Kurils, but have not been reported from the middle islands. Persicaria scabra has a similar distribution pattern, but has not been found in the northern Kurils. Chirpoi is the eastern limit of migration from the south for these five taxa. Possible causes (land bridges, sea currents, and geographical distance) of these floristic features are discussed.

With map and illustrations by the author.