|
 Honshu
is the largest island of Japan, also known as the Mainland; it is south
of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the
Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait. It is the
seventh largest island and the second most populous island in the world
after Java.
The island is roughly 1300 km long and ranges from 50 to 230 km wide,
and its total area is 230,500 km², around 60% of the total area of
Japan. It is larger than the island of Great Britain, and ranks between
the states of Minnesota and Michigan in area. Honshu has 5450 km of
coastline.
Mountainous and volcanic Honshu has frequent earthquakes, especially
around Fujiyama. The highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji which
towers at 3,776 m. There are many rivers, including the Shinano River,
Japan's longest. The climate is highly variable from the cool north to
the subtropical south. It has valuable forest, but a limited amount of
arable land. Oil, zinc, and copper are found on the island.
 The
island is nominally divided into five regions and contains 34
prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo, Japan’s capital.
The regions are Chugoku (southern), Kansai (southern, above Chugoku),
Chubu (central), Kanto (eastern), and Tohoku (northern).
In the central part of the island is the Kanto or Kwanto Plain it
contains the Tokyo-Yokohama industrial belt. Other large industrial
regions include Osaka, Kobe (in the Kinki district), and Nagoya (on the
Nobi Plain).
Other cities include Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Sendai.
Most of Japan’s great ports are on Honshu. Kyoto, formerly the capital
of Japan, is an ancient seat of culture and also the chief handicraft
center of Honshu. Electronics, metallurgical, chemical, and textile
industries are very important on the island, although the larger cities
have diverse industries.
Politically the island is divided into 34 prefectures. The
prefectures are:
Chugoku — Hiroshima-ken, Okayama-ken, Shimane-ken, Tottori-ken,
Yamaguchi-ken.
Kansai — Hyogo-ken, Kyoto-fu, Mie-ken, Nara-ken, Osaka-fu, Shiga-ken,
Wakayama-ken.
Chubu — Aichi-ken, Fukui-ken, Gifu-ken, Ishikawa-ken, Nagano-ken,
Niigata-ken, Toyama-ken, Shizuoka-ken, Yamanashi-ken.
Kanto — Chiba-ken, Gunma-ken, Ibaraki-ken, Kanagawa-ken, Saitama-ken,
Tochigi-ken, Tokyo-to.
Tohoku — Akita-ken, Aomori-ken, Fukushima-ken, Iwate-ken, Miyagi-ken,
Yamagata-ken.
The island also includes important agricultural regions. Agriculture is
varied; rice, other grains, cotton, fruits, and vegetables are grown.
The bulk of Japan’s tea and silk comes from Honshu. Niigata is noted as
an important producer of rice. The Kanto and Nobi plains produce rice
and vegetables. Yamanashi is a major fruit-growing area, and Aomori is
famous for its apples.
 A
mountain range runs along the length of Honshu from end to end. In
addition to Mt. Fuji, the Japanese Alps are features of Honshu. The
mountains are responsible for a marked difference in climate between the
eastern or southern (Pacific or Inland Sea coast) side, and the western
or northern (Sea of Japan coast) side.
Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku by
tunnels or bridges. It is separated from Hokkaido by the Tsugaru Strait,
from Kyushu by Shimonoseki Strait, and from Shikoku by the Inland Sea.
Three new bridge systems have been built across the islands of the
Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku (Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and the
Ohnaruto Bridge; Shin-Onomichi Bridge, Innoshima Bridge, Ikuchi Bridge,
Tatara Bridge, Ohmishima Bridge, Hakata-Ohshima Bridges, and the
Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge; Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, Hitsuishijima Bridge,
Iwakurojima Bridge, Yoshima Bridge, Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, and the
Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge), and the Seikan Tunnel (completed in 1988)
connects Honshu with Hokkaido (Hondo).
|
