Karafutoball

Karafutoball 樺太
↓ ↓ 1907 – 1945 (de facto)/1949 (de jure)
General information
Government	Colony of Empire of Japanball (1905-1907) Colonial prefecture of Empire of Japanball (1907-1943) Mainland prefecture of Empire of Japanball (1943-1945)
Language(s)	Japanese Ainu languages Sakhalin Ainu
Capital	Ōtomariball (1905-1907) Toyoharaball (1907-1945)
Affiliation	Japanese Empireball
Religion	Shintoism Buddhism Christianity Eastern Orthodoxy
Historical information
Preceded by	Russian Empireball
Succeeded by	Soviet Unionball Sakhalinball

Karafutoball (commonly called South Sakhalinball) was a prefectureball of Japanese Empireball after the Russo-Japanese War on southern  Sakhalinball island from 1905 to 1945.

Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin Island south of 50°N became a colony of Japanese Empireball in 1905. In 1907, the prefecture of Karafuto was established, with its capital at Ōtomari (now Korsakov) in 1905, and later Toyohara (now Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk) in 1907. In 1945, with the defeat of Japan in World War II, Karafuto was occupied by Soviet troops and its Japanese administration ceased to function. Karafuto Prefecture was formally abolished as a legal entity on June 1, 1949, and was gobbled up by Soviet Unionball. Since 1951, the southern part of Sakhalin has been a part of  Sakhalin Oblast in Russiaball.