The Sakhalin Island taiga ecoregion (WWF ID:PA0607) covers most of Sakhalin Island, the largest island of Russia, which is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The region is one of taiga (coniferous and mixed broad leaf forest landscape, with mixed larch forests at the lower elevations and shrubs at higher elevations). The vegetation is influenced by a maritime climate that is relatively warmer than the colder continental taiga in Siberia to the west. A long, thin island (1,000 km by 200 km), Sakhalin is connected to the mainland by ice bridges in the winter, so it shares certain flora and fauna species. It is in the Palearctic realm, and mostly in the taiga biome with a Humid continental climate, cool summer climate. It covers 403,504 km2 (155,794 sq mi)