The Sakhalin region is located in the Far East of the Russian Federation, near the eastern shores of the Eurasian continent in the transition zone from the continent to the Pacific Ocean. The time difference between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Moscow is 8 hours. The total area of the Sakhalin region is 87.1 thousand square kilometers. The Sakhalin region is the country's only island region located on 87 islands. As of January 1, 2021, the region's population totaled 485.6 thousand people. The main climate-forming factor on Sakhalin is the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan surrounding it. Their influence is manifested in the softening of winter colds and abundant winter precipitation, making the island one of the most snow-covered areas of Russia. The reserves of mineral resources of the region are diverse. The mineral resource base includes 35 types of various minerals, of which oil, gas, hard and brown coal, gold and silver, peat, fresh groundwater are of industrial importance.