The Kii Peninsula is one of the largest peninsulas on the island of Honshu in Japan. Wakayama Prefecture occupies much of the area, including the entire southern part. To the northwest of Wakayama is Osaka Prefecture, whose southern part is on the peninsula. East of Osaka is landlocked Nara Prefecture; farther east is Mie Prefecture.

The Inland Sea lies to the west of the Kii Peninsula. To the south is the Pacific Ocean.

Notable places in the Kii Peninsula include

• Nara, former capital city
• Mt. Koya (or Koyasan), the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism
• Wakayama, former home of the Kii (or Kishu) Tokugawa family
• Matsusaka, center of major beef-producing area
• Ise, the location of the Ise Shrine and center of pearl production
• Iga Ueno, fabled for its ninja
• Yoshino, a wild region of heavily forested deep mountains, home of the Southern Imperial Court during the Namboku-cho period of Japanese history
• The Kumano region, home of the Kumano Shrines and the impressive Nachi Waterfall

In 2004, UNESCO designated three locations on the Kii Peninsula as World Heritage Sites. They are

• Yoshino and Omine, mountainous regions in the north of the peninsula
• Kumano Shrines, three shrines at the southern tip of the peninsula
• Koyasan, the holy mountain at the west of the peninsula

External links

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (UNESCO). (http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1142)