It was founded in 1869 as a Russian outpost Tikhmenevsky near the Nivkh and Ainu settlements in the area.[citation needed] The Treaty of Portsmouth transferred it to Japanese control along with the rest of the southern half of the island of Sakhalin. It was renamed Shisuka (敷香町, Shisuka-chō), said to mean "Sisi Tukari (in front of the mountain)" or "Siika (big river)" in the Ainu language, remaining under Japanese control until the Soviet Army retook the whole of the island in 1945.
After the town had been granted to the Soviet Union, it was named Poronaysk in 1946, after the river on which it stands. The river's name is from Ainu poro nay, meaning "broad river," "big river," or "growing river." Various Japanese place names such as Horonai (幌内) share the same etymology with Poronaysk.
Poronaysk has a paper mill, as well as timber and fishing industries. Sakhalinskaya GRES power station is supplied with coal from an open cut mine close to the town.
Transportation
The town lies on the island's railway network, as well as on the main highway connecting Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk with Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky.
Climate
Poronaysk, owing to the cold Sea of Okhotsk surrounding the town, has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with short, mild and very foggy summers and very cold winters.
Climate data for Poronaysk (extremes 1908–present)
^Bronisław Piłsudski, Jan Michał Rozwadowski, Materials for the study of the Ainu language and folklore, Imperial academy of sciences (Spasowicz fund), 1912, p. 177.
Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №25-ЗО от 23 марта 2011 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №62-ЗО от 27 июня 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 10 Закона Сахалинской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 9 апреля 2011 г.. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №55(3742), 29 марта 2011 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #25-ZO of March 23, 2011 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #62-ZO of June 27, 2013 On Amending Article 10 of the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of April 9, 2011.).
Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №524 от 21 июля 2004 г. «О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №45-ЗО от 27 мая 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в Закон Сахалинской области "О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №175–176(2111–2112), 31 июля 2004 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #524 of July 21, 2004 On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #45-ZO of May 27, 2013 On Amending the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of January 1, 2005.).
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