Sakhalin; also Saghalien; is a large island in the North Pacific; which is officially part of Russia; administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast. The indigenous peoples of the island are the Sakhalin Ainu; Oroks and Nivkhs. Most Ainu relocated to Hokkaido when the Japanese were displaced from the island in 1949. Sakhalin was claimed by both Russia and Japan in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries; which led to bitter disputes between the two countries over control of the island.