Shimokita Peninsula

Shimokita Peninsula
Shimokita Peninsula
Peninsula
	Topographic map
	Location of Shimokita Peninsula in Japan
Location	Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Area
• Total	1,876.86 square kilometres (724.66 sq mi)
Highest elevation	879 meters (Mount Kamafuse)

Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島, Shimokita-hantō) is the remote northeastern cape of the

Hokkaidō

.

Overview

Shimokita Peninsula

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Location of Shimokita Peninsula

It is bordered by the

sand dunes in Japan (the Sarugamori Sand Dunes

).

The peninsula owes its name to its being the lower (shimo) portion of the former Kita District (North District) of Mutsu Province before the premodern province was divided in 1868.

Administratively the area is a part of Aomori Prefecture, and the bulk of the area falls within the jurisdiction of the city of Mutsu, with a number of small towns and villages along the periphery. Most of the inhabitants live in coastal areas rather than the mountainous interior.

Portions of the peninsula are within the borders of

Hotokegaura, Cape Shiriya to the northeast, and the volcanic interior of the peninsula, including Mount Osore and Lake Usori

. Tourist attractions include Yagen Valley, known for its hot springs.

Economically, the mainstays of the local economy are

Rokkasho

, at the southern end of Shimokita Peninsula, home to a range of nuclear facilities.

In 2012, Japan set a new world record for

ocean drilling depth, reaching 2,111 meters below the seafloor off Shimokita Peninsula.^[1]

Since the

strata into an anticline.^[2]

This peninsula is also called "Axe Peninsula" from the shape.