Second World War
You did read that correctly. The Second World War is hardly "little known," either. The fact that it's still going on, though? That is, perhaps, less widely known. Although they are also claimed by Japan, the Kuril Islands, also known as the Northern Territories, are a collection of islands off the northern coast of that country that are under Russian authority.
The islands, which were occupied during World War II, were first inhabited by the Ainu people, who were subsequently driven out over the course of generations by Japanese settlers. It was taken by Red Army troops in the last months of the war in 1945, and all of its Japanese residents were driven out in 1946.
Because of this disagreement, Japan and Russia have yet to formally ratify a peace accord, keeping the Second World War alive. Although Japan still regards the islands as being a part of its borders, many would just dismiss it as a technicality. Additionally, since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, tensions between the two nations have increased, and Russia has specifically used this to rule out any chance of peace talks over the islands.
Date:1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945(6 years and 1 day)
Location: Major theaters:Europe, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, South-East Asia, China, Japan, Middle East, Mediterranean, North Africa ,Horn of Africa, Central Africa ,Australia ,North and South America
Result: Allied victory
- Fall of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan
- Allied military occupations of Germany, Japan, Austria, and Korea
- Beginning of the Nuclear Age
- Dissolution of the League of Nations and creation of the United Nations
- Decolonisation of Asia and Africa and decline of European international influence
- Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as rival superpowers and beginning of the Cold War (see Aftermath of World War II)
