The Shikoku region, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about convert|18800|km2|sqmi|0 and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. Across the
Inland Sealie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures on Honshū. To the west lie Ōita and Miyazaki Prefectures on Kyūshū.
The 50th largest island by area, Shikoku is smaller than
Sardiniaand Bananal, but larger than Halmaheraand Seram. By population, it ranks 23rd, having fewer inhabitants than Sicilyor Singapore, but more than Puerto Ricoor Negros.
Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a narrow northern subregion, fronting on the Inland Sea, and a southern part facing the
Pacific Ocean. Most of the 4.5 million inhabitants live in the north, and all but one of the island's few larger cites are located there. Mount Ishizuchi( _ja. 石鎚山) in Ehime at convert|1982|m|ft|0|abbr=on is the highest mountain on the island. Industry is moderately well developed and includes the processing of ores from the important Besshi copper mine. Land is used intensively. Wide alluvial areas, especially in the eastern part of the zone, are planted with rice and subsequently are double cropped with winter wheat and barley. Fruit is grown throughout the northern area in great variety, including citrus fruits, persimmons, peaches, and grapes. Because of wheat production Sanuki udon ( _ja. 讃岐うどん) became an important part of the diet in Kagawa Prefecture (former Sanuki Province) in the Edo period.
The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is a small alluvial plain at Kōchi, the prefectural capital. The area's mild winters stimulated some truck farming, specializing in growing out-of-season vegetables under plastic covering. Two crops of rice can be cultivated annually in the southern area. The pulp and paper industry took advantage of the abundant forests and hydroelectric power.
Shikoku has four important capes. Gamōda in
Anan, Tokushimais the easternmost point on the island, and Sada in Ikata, Ehimethe westernmost. Muroto in Muroto, Kochiand Ashizuri, the southern extreme of Shikoku, in Tosashimizu, Kochi, jut into the Pacific Ocean. The island's northernmost point is in Takamatsu, Kagawa.
Shikoku is connected to
Honshūby three expressways.
* Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway (Eastern Shikoku)
* Seto-Chūō Expressway (Central Shikoku)
Nishiseto Expressway(Western Shikoku)
The eastern gateway to Shikoku, Naruto City in
Tokushima Prefecturehas been linked to the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway since 1998. This line connects Shikoku to the Kansaiarea which has a large population, including the large conurbations of Osaka, Kyotoand Kobe. Therefore, the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway carries a large traffic volume. Many highway buses are operated between Kansaiand Tokushima Prefecture. The central part of Shikoku is connected to Honshūby ferry, air and since 1988, by the Great Seto Bridgenetwork. Until completion of the bridges, the region was isolated from the rest of Japan. The freer movement between Honshū and Shikoku was expected to promote economic development on both sides of the bridges, which has not materialized yet.
Within the island, a web of national highways connects the major population centers. These include Routes 11, 32, 33, 55, and 56.
Shikoku Railway Company(JR Shikoku) serves the island. JR lines include:
Honshi Bisan Line
Seto Ōhashi Line
Private railway lines operate in each of the four prefectures on Shikoku.
Shikoku lacks a full international airport but has 4 regional airports (Tokushima, Takamatsu, Kochi-Ryoma and Matsuyama Airport). All of these airports have flights to
Tokyoand other major Japanese cities such as Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Fukuoka. International flights to Seoul, South Koreaare serviced by Asiana Airlinesfrom Matsuyama and Takamatsu. There are periodic international charter flights as well.
Ferries link Shikoku to destinations including
Kyūshūand islands around Shikoku.
Pioneering organic farmer
Masanobu Fukuoka, author of " The One-Straw Revolution", developed his methods here on his family's farm.
Shikoku is also famous for its 88-temple pilgrimage of temples associated with the priest
Kūkai. Most modern day pilgrims travel by bus, rarely choosing the old-fashioned method of going by foot. They are seen wearing white jackets emblazoned with the characters reading "dōgyō ninin" meaning "two traveling together".
Tokushima Prefecture also has its annual
Awa Odorirunning in August at the time of the Obonfestival, which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad.
*loc - [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan]
Geography of Japan
Regions of Japan
* [http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Shikoku Wikitravel: Shikoku]
* [http://www.notesfromshikoku.com/ Notes from Shikoku]
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