• In 1909-1914 the Sakhalin Region comprised the northern part of Sakhalin Island
• From 1914-1920 it also included Udskyi district and the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur
• On October 20, 1932 the Sakhalin Region, consisting of the area of North Sakhalin, was included within the structure of the Far East
• Since 1938, it was included within the structure of the Khabarovsk Territory.

On January 2, 1947, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were included as parts of the Sakhalin Region, and the Region was simultaneously designated as a separate territory of the Russian Federation.

Amazon.com Books

The Island
by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Hardcover (March 1977)
The Russian Far East : A History by John J. Stephan. Paperback (March 1996)
Sakhalin: a history by John J. Stephan.
A brief history of Sakhalin and the Kurils by M. S. Vysokov.
Skazki Sakhalina

•  About 25,000-24,000 years ago — Sakhalin is again connected with the mainland and Hokkaido by land bridges. Shum-shu and Paramushir Islands become a part on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kunashir Island and Malaya Kuril Ridge join with the Sakhalin-Hokkaido Peninsula. The first people may have appeared on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
• 2nd-1st centuries. — the ancient Chinese Geographic tract "Shan Khai Tsin" (Mountains and Seas Catalogue) say that there is "Syuan Go Go" (land of black-legged people) northeast of China and north of it there is "??? Min Go" (land of hairy people) and "Zao Min" (people of Zao.) Many researchers believe that these entries refer to the Gilyaks (Nivkhi) and Ainu lands.
• 15th century - Japanese settlers on Hokkaido, headed by the Matsumae Clan, play an important role in the development of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands by Japan.
• 1412 - Chinese Emperor Cheng-tsu decides to send a large expedition to the Lower Amur headed by the court eunuch Yi Shiha.
• 1542 - Portuguese sailors first reach the shores of Japan.
• 1580s - appearance of a legend about a golden and silver island in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.
• 1639 — Russian Cossack detachments headed by I. Moskvitin come to the Sea of Okhotsk.
• 1640 — I. Moskvitin gets the first information about the Sakhalin peoples.
• 1643 — the Dutch expedition on the brig "Castricum" and the yacht "Brekens" under the command of M.G. Vries explores the coastline of the Lesser Kurils, Kunashir, Iturup, Urup and Southern Sakhalin.
• 1645 - the participants of the Amur campaign, headed by V.D. Poyarkov, sight the north-western shores of Sakhalin for the first time.
• 1689 - in Nerchinsk the Treaty between Russia and Manchu is signed. Russia has to leave Priamurje. As a result Sakhalin proves to be beyond the sphere of Russia influence for a long time.
• 1711 - a detachment of Kamchatka Cossacks under the leadership of D.Ya. Antsiferov and I.P. Kozyrevskyi lands on Shumshu , the northernmost of the Greater Kurils.
• 1713 - a detachment of Russian Cossacks and tradesmen under the leadership of I.P. Kozyrevskyi lands on Paramushir. The indigenes of Paramushir have to pay yasak (a form of tax) and acknowledge the suzerainty of Russia. Based on the information collected during the expedition I.P. Kozyrevskyi manages to compile his "Sketch of the Sea Islands", which included various information about most of the Kuril Islands, as well as Hokkaido and Japan.
• 1722 - I.B. Yevreinov is received by Peter I and hands his map of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands to the tsar.
• 1738 - while exploring the Kuril Islands, a Russian expedition of three vessels captained by M.P. Spanberg, makes an attempt to reach the shores of Japan from Kamchatka. Spanberg sails alone as far as Urup, naming and entering on a map the various islands he passes. Spanberg lists 31 Kuril Islands.
• 1739 - 4 Russian vessels captained by M.P. Spanberg set sail for Japan. On their way back Russian sailors discover Shokotan and Iturup Islands.
• 1779 - Empress Ekatherina II's Ukaz (decree) about prohibition of collecting yasak from the Ainu living on the southern Kurils, is issued.
• 1786 - the Japanese expedition under leadership of Oishi Ippei journeys to south Sakhalin.
• 1786 - the Japanese explorer Mogami Tokunai visits Kunashir and Iturup Islands.
• 1787 - the French expedition under command of J.F.G. de la Perouse conducts its explorations of Sakhalin coastline.
• 1799 - formation of the Russian-American Company. The privileges of the Company allow it to "utilize ... all industries and institutions" on the Kuril Islands.
• 1803-1806 — the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe by the sloops "Nadezhda" and "Neva" under command of I.F. Kruzenshtern.
• 1804-1805 — an unsuccessful Russian diplomatic mission is made to Japan under the leadership of N.P. Ryazanov.
• 1806-1807 — the first Russian-Japanese armed conflict on southern Sakhalin.
• October 20 (8 October according to the old calendar) 1806 - N.A. Khvostov nrnclaims Sakhalin ? Russian nossession.
• 1808 - the Board of Directors of the Russian-American Company wangles permission from the Russian Government to found its own settlements on Sakhalin.
• 1808 - the Japanese officials Matsuda Denjiro and Mamiya Rinzo travel along the eastern and western coastlines of Sakhalin.
• 1809 - Mamiya Rinzo travels for the second time to Sakhalin and also visits the Amur River.
• 1821 - Emperor Alexander I grants new-privileges to the Russian-American Company. The southern cape of Urup is declared the extreme possession of the Russian Empire on the Kuril Islands.
• 1849 - the Russian transport "Baikal" under command of G.I. Nevelskoy explores the mouth of the Amur River and its estuary. The southern entrance to the Amur estuary — the straits between Sakhalin and the mainland, is found by the Russian mariners.
• 1850 - G.I. Nevelskoy raises the Russian [lag not far from the mouth of the Amur River and proclaims the Amur valley and Sakhalin a possession of Russia.
• 7 February (26 January) 1855 — the Russian-Japanese Treaty is signed in Shimoda. According to the Treaty the boundaries between Russia and Japan passes between the islands of Etorofu and Uruppu and Sakhalin remains unparti-tioned between Russia and Japan.
• 1858 - the Russian-Chinese Treaty is signed in Aigun. According to the Treaty the left bank of Amur River becomes the property of Russia.
• 1858 - the first exile appears on Sakhalin.
• 1869 - Sakhalin is officially announced to be a zone of penal servitude and exile.
• 7 May (25 April) 1875 - the Russian-Japanese Treaty is signed in St. Petersburg. According to the Treaty Japan cedes to Russia the part of territory of the island of Sakhalin which they pos sessed. Reciprocally, Russia cedes to Ja pan the group of the Kuril Islands belong ing to Russia (Urup and all islands to the north up to and including Shumshu.)
• 1890 - A.P. Chekhov's tour to Sakhalin.
• 1895 - the first edition of "Sakhalin Island" by A.P.Chekhov is published
• 20 August (7 August) 1904 - the Russian cruiser "Novik" is attacked in Aniva Bay by the Japanese cruiser "Tsushima". Following the battle Russian mariners scuttle the damaged "Novik" not far from Korsakov Post.
• June-July 1905 - Japanese troops occupy Sakhalin.
• 5 September (23 August) 1905 - the Peace Treaty between Russia and Japan is signed in Portsmouth (USA.) According to this Treaty Russia cedes the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan.
• 1906 - the Russian Government abrogates penal servitude and exile.
• 1906 - the first railway connecting Otomary (Korsakov) and Vladimirovka (the town of Toyohara; since 1946 the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) is built in Sakhalin by a railway battalion of the Japanese army.
• 1907 - the Japanese Government decides to establish the governorship of Karafuto on the territory of Southern Sakhalin.
• 1908 - the town of Toyohara becomes the centre of the governoship of Karafuto.
• 1908 - the Russian Government declares Sakhalin open to free settlement.
• March 1917 - the Administration of North Sakhalin appointed by the tsarist government is swept away. The Committee for Community Safety, headed by the Commissar of the Provisional Government, takes power into its own hands.
• Autumn 1918 — the authority of the administration of Admiral A. Kolchak is extended to the island.
• 13-14 January 1920 — anti-Kolchak coup in Alexandrovsk. All power on the island is in the hands of the Provisional Revolutionary Committee headed by A.T. Tsapko.
• 9 March 1920 — the power of the Soviets is proclaimed over North Sakhalin.
• 22 April 1920 — a 2000-man Japanese military contingent is landed in Alcx-androvsk. The power on Sakhalin then shifts into the hands of the Japanese military government. The supporters of Soviet power are arrested and the most influential ones are killed.
• 14 May 1925 — the last Japanese detachment withdraws from North Sakhalin. The authority of the Soviet Government is reasserted on the northern half of the island.
• 1925 - concessions for exploitation, over a period of 45 years, of the oil and coal deposits of North Sakhalin are signed by the representatives of the USSR and Japan.
• 1930 - the start of regular air service between North Sakhalin and the mainland (Khabarovsk - Okha, Khabarovsk - Alexandrovsk.)
• 13 April 1941 - signing of the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact.
• 26 November 1941 - the Japanese aircraft carrier squadron leaves Hitokappu Bay near Iturup for the Hawaiian Islands. On 7 December planes taking off from Japanese aircraft carriers decimate the US Navy's Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbour.
• 1944 - abolition of Japanese concessions on North Sakhalin.
• 11 February 1945 - I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill sign an agreement regarding entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan at the Yalta Conference.
• 8 August 1945 - the USSR declares war against Japan.
• 11-25 August 1945 - the battle for liberation of Southern Sakhalin.
• 18 August - 1 September 1945 - liberation of the Kuril Islands.
• 2 January 1947 - abolition of the Southern Sakhalin Region and its incorporation into the newly-formed Sakhalin Region, independent of the Khabarovsk Krai.
• 8 September 1951 - the Peace Treaty with Japan is signed in San Francisco. The text of the San Francisco Treaty says that Japan "renounces its rights, privileges and claims to the Kurils and to that part of the island of Sakhalin and its adjoining islands over which Japan obtained sovereignty by the terms of the Treaty of Portsmouth". However, the party to whom Japan transferred its rights is not specified. The Soviet delegation does not sign the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
• 5 November 1952 - a gigantic tsunami wave strikes the North Kurils. The town of Severo-Kurilsk and the settlements of Paramushir and Shumshu are almost completely destroyed. More than 2300 lives are lost.
• 19 October 1956 - A Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration is signed in Moscow. The state of war between the USSR and Japan is terminated from the date of ratification of the Declaration. Article 9 further stipulates that talks be continued regarding conclusion of a peace treaty between the USSR and Japan, and that following the signing of such a treaty, the USSR will transfer the islands of Habomai and Shikitan to Japan.
• 1960 - the Soviet Government refuses to perform the obligations ithas taken upon itself in Article 9 of the Moscow Declaration.
• 1 September 1983 — a Soviet pursuit plane shoots down a South Korean passenger air-liner in the sky over Sakhalin. 269 lives are lost.
• 1991-1993 — co-existence of the Regional Soviets and a Head of the Administration appointed by the President.
• 28 May 1995 — Neftegorsk is completely ruined as a result of disastrous earthquake. About 2000 lives are lost.