Kii Peninsula
Kii Peninsula | |
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Kansai Region : | |
Rivers | Kinokawa River, Kushida River |
The Kii Peninsula (
Overview
The area south of the “
The natural landscape of the Kii Peninsula is dense temperate rainforest, but the vast majority of forests are monoculture pine plantations which were planted to rebuild after the destruction of World War II. The region is well known for its citrus varieties and orchards. Much of the coast consists of networks of small rias into which flow very steep and rapid streams characterised by numerous high waterfalls. Forestry and fishing were the traditional economic mainstays of the region and remain important even today despite a declining population and labour force. The region is affected by the dual-crises of severe population decline and widespread poverty.[6]
Location
Wakayama Prefecture occupies much of the area, including the entire southern part. To the northwest of Wakayama Prefecture is Osaka Prefecture, whose southern part is on the peninsula. East of Osaka Prefecture is landlocked Nara Prefecture; farther east is Mie Prefecture.
The Seto Inland Sea lies to the west of the Kii Peninsula. To the south and east is the Pacific Ocean and to the north is the valley of the Kiso Three Rivers and Ise Bay.
Notable places
Notable places in the Kii Peninsula include:
- capitalof Japan.
- Mount Kōya (or Kōyasan), the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
- Wakayama, former home of the Kii (or Kishu) Tokugawa clan. It is the location of the Hinokuma Shrine, which is affiliated to the Grand Shrine of Ise.
- Shirahama, a resort town famous for its beachside onsens.
- Matsuzaka, now the center of a major beef-producing area, formerly the center of Ise merchants.
- Grand Shrine of Iseand center of pearl production.
- Nanboku-chōperiod of Japanese history.
- Muro District.
- Kushimoto, Wakayama, the southernmost point in Honshū.
- Taiji, Wakayama, the birthplace of Japanese traditional whaling.
The Kii Peninsula is the location of a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.[7]
In 2004,
- Mount Omine, mountainous areas in the north of the peninsula.
- Kumano Shrines, three shrines at the southern tip of the peninsula.
- Mount Kōya, the mountain at the west of the peninsula.
Transportation
- Nanki-Shirahama Airport in Shirahamaserves the southern part of the Kii Peninsula.
- The Kisei Main Line connects Wakayama to Mie Prefecture and runs along the peninsula's coastline.
Notes
- ^ "Kii Peninsula" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ a b Coral Reefs of Japan. Ministry of the Environment, Japan. 2004.
- ^ Rangers, Earth (2014-04-11). "Coral Reefs of Canada: Pacific Coast Rocky Reefs | Earth Rangers: Where kids go to save animals!". Earth Rangers. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
- S2CID 29615751.
- ^ "Typhoon in the Kii Peninsula, Japan, September 2011 | GSI HOME PAGE". www.gsi.go.jp. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ISBN 0-7748-0883-7
- ^ The List
External links
- Visit Wakayama
- Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau Archived 2011-09-25 at the Wayback Machine