Shikoku (四国, Shikoku^? "four countries") is the smallest and least populous (4,141,955 as of 2005) of the four main islands of Japan. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima (伊予之二名島), Iyo-shima (伊予島), and Futana-shima (二名島). The current name refers to the four former provinces which made up the island: Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo. The Shikoku ( 四国犬; alternative names: Kochi-ken, Mikawa Inu) is a native, primitive Japanese breed of dog from Shikoku island(located near Osaka) that is similar to a Shiba Inu. ... Shikoku DVD cover Shikoku is a J-Horror film written and produced in Japan in 1999. ... Before the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni (国, countries), usually known in English as provinces. ... Awa (阿波国; -no kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area that is today a part of Tokushima prefecture on Shikoku. ... The article incorporates text from OpenHistory. ... Sanuki (讃岐国; -no kuni) was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. ... The article incorporates text from OpenHistory. ...

Geography

The Shikoku region, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets, covers about 18,800 km² and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. Across the Inland Sea lie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures on Honshu. To the west lie Ōita and Miyazaki Prefectures on Kyūshū. The prefectures of Japan are the countrys 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one metropolis (都 to), Tokyo; one circuit (道 dō), Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures (府 fu), Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures (県 ken). ... Ehime agency Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県; Ehime-ken) is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. ... Kagawa Prefecture ) is located on Shikoku island, Japan. ... Kōchi Prefecture ) is located on the south coast of Shikoku, Japan. ... Tokushima Prefecture ) is located on Shikoku island, Japan. ... An inland sea is a shallow sea that covers central areas of continents during high stands of sea level that result in marine transgressions. ... Wakayama Prefecture ) is part of the Kii Peninsula in the Kinki region on HonshÅ« island, Japan. ... Osaka Prefecture (大阪府 ÅŒsaka-fu) is part of the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Okayama Prefecture ) is located in the ChÅ«goku region on HonshÅ« island, Japan. ... The headquarters of the government of the prefecture are in this building in the city of Hiroshima. ... Yamaguchi Prefecture (山口県 Yamaguchi-ken) is located in the Chugoku region on Honshu island, Japan. ... HonshÅ« (本州 Literally Main State) is the largest island of Japan, called 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. ... ÅŒita Prefecture ) is located on KyÅ«shÅ« Island, Japan. ... Map of Miyazaki Prefecture. ... KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ...

The 50th largest island by area, Shikoku is smaller than Sardinia and Bananal, but larger than Halmahera and Seram. By population, it ranks 23rd, having fewer inhabitants than Sicily or Pulau Ujong, but more than Puerto Rico or Negros. This is a list of islands in the world ordered by area. ... Sardinia (pronounced ; Italian: ; Sardinian: or Sardinnya) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea,(after Sicily). ... Bananal Island, or Ilha do Bananal is a large island in the state of Tocantins in Brazil. ... Halmahera (also Jilolo or Gilolo) is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. ... Seram (formerly Ceram, also called Seran or Serang) is an island in the Maluku province of Indonesia. ... This is a list of islands in the world ordered by population. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Pulau Ujong (Malay meaning island at the end [of the peninsula]) or Singapore Island is the main island of the island country of Singapore. ... Map of the Philippines showing the location of 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 (石鎚山) in Ehime at 1982m 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 (讃岐うどん) became an important part of meal in Kagawa Prefecture (former Sanuki Province) in the Edo period. Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山 Ishizuchi-san, 1982m), located in Ehime prefecture, is the tallest mountain on the island of Shikoku in Japan. ... The Besshi copper mine ) was a rich source of copper in Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. ... Tempura Udon Udon (Hiragana:うどん; Kanji:饂飩, rarely 餛飩; Traditional Chinese: , wÅ«dōng, sometimes 烏冬麵, wÅ«dōngmiàn) is a type of thick wheat-based noodle popular in Japanese cuisine. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Edo Period. ...

Shikoku in relation to the Inland Sea and Honshū.

The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is a small alluvial plain at Kochi, a 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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1700x1200, 325 KB) Description: I made this Map of the japanese Inland Sea (Setonaikai,瀬戸内海) for the german Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1700x1200, 325 KB) Description: I made this Map of the japanese Inland Sea (Setonaikai,瀬戸内海) for the german Wikipedia. ... An inland sea is a shallow sea that covers central areas of continents during high stands of sea level that result in marine transgressions. ... Honshū (本州 Literally Main State) is the largest island of Japan, called 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. ... Kōchi (高知市 Kōchi-shi) is the capital city of Kochi on the Shikoku island of Japan. ...

Shikoku has four important capes. Gamōda in Anan, Tokushima is the easternmost point on the island, and Sada in Ikata, Ehime the westernmost. Muroto in Muroto, Kochi and Ashizuri, the southern extreme of Shikoku, in Tosashimizu, Kochi, jut into the Pacific Ocean. The island's northernmost point is in Takamatsu, Kagawa. Anan (阿南市; -shi) is a city located in Tokushima, Japan. ... Ikata (伊方町; Ikata-cho) is a town located in Nishiuwa District, Ehime, Japan. ... Muroto (室戸市; -shi) is a city located in Kochi, Japan. ... Tosashimizu (土佐清水市; -shi) is a city located in Kochi, Japan. ... Takamatsu (高松市; -shi lit. ...

Transportation

Shikoku is connected to Honshu by ferry and air and, since 1988, by the Great Seto Bridge network. Until completion of the bridges, the region was isolated from the rest of Japan, and the freer movement between Honshu and Shikoku was expected to promote economic development on both sides of the bridges, which has not materialized yet. Honshū (本州 Literally Main State) is the largest island of Japan, called 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. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Great Seto Bridge (Seto Ohashi in Japanese) is a series of suspension bridges linking the islands of Honshu and Shikoku across a series of small islands in the Seto inland sea, built over the period 1978 - 1988. ...

Within the island, a web of national highways connects the major population centers. These include Routes 11, 32, 33, 55, and 56. National Route 2 connects Osaka and Fukuoka. ... National Route 11 ) is a Japanese highway on the island of Shikoku. ... National Route 33 ), the Tosa kaido, is a Japanese highway on the island of Shikoku. ...

The Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) serves the island. JR lines include: The Shikoku Railway Company (四国旅客鉄道 Shikoku Ryokaku Tetsudo) is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railway. ...

• Yosan Line
• Dosan Line
• Kōtoku Line
• Tokushima Line
• Mugi Line
• Naruto Line
• Uchiko Line
• Yodo Line
• Honshi Bisan Line
• Seto Ōhashi Line

Private railway lines operate in each of the four prefectures on Shikoku. Map showing Yosan line in red The Yosan Line ) is a railway line serving the island of Shikoku, Japan. ... The Kōtoku Line ) is one of the main railway lines of the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) in Japan. ...

The principal center for air transportation is Tokushima Also in Shikoku are Takamatsu, Matsuyama, and Kochi (Kochi Ryoma) Airports. All Airports have flights to Tokyo and other major Japanese Cities such as Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, and Fukuoka. International flights to Seoul, South Korea is serviced by Asiana Airlines from Matsuyama and Takamatsu. There are periodic international charter flights as well. Tokushima Airport ) (IATA: TKS, ICAO: RJOS) is an airport in Matsushige, Tokushima, Japan. ... Takamatsu Airport is an airport in Konan, Kagawa Prefecture. ... Matsuyama Airport is an airport in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan (IATA: MYJ, ICAO: RJOM). ... Kochi Airport is a regional airport in Nankoku, Kōchi, Japan (IATA: KCZ, ICAO: RJOK) on the southeastern coast. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Osaka )   is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of HonshÅ«. The city is the capital of Osaka Prefecture. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Sapporo redirects here. ... This page is about Fukuoka, Fukuoka (福岡市), a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. ... Seoul   is the capital of South Korea and is located on the Han River in the countrys northwest. ... // Asiana Airlines (아시아나 í•­ê³µ Asiana Hanggong KOSDAQ: 020560) is an airline based in Seoul, South Korea and is one of South Koreas two major airlines, along with Korean Air. ... Matsuyama ) is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. ... Takamatsu (高松市; -shi lit. ...

Ferries link Shikoku to destinations including Kyūshū and islands around Shikoku. KyÅ«shÅ« region of Japan and the current prefectures on KyÅ«shÅ« island KyÅ«shÅ« ), literally Nine Provinces, is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ...

Movements

Pioneering organic farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, author of The One-Straw Revolution, developed his methods here on his family's farm. Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables in Capay, California. ... Masanobu Fukuoka (福岡 正信 Fukuoka Masanobu), born February 2, 1914, author of The One-Straw Revolution, The Road Back to Nature and The Natural Way Of Farming, is one of the pioneers of no-till grain cultivation. ... The One Straw Revolution is the most famous book by Masanobu Fukuoka concerning his methods of natural farming. ...

Traditions

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". The 88 sacred places of Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国八十八箇所, Shikoku HachijÅ«hakkasho) is an important pilgrimage of eighty-eight temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan. ... Painting of KÅ«kai (774-835). ...

Tokushima prefecture also has its annual Awa-Odori running in August in time with the obon festival which attracts thousands of tourists each year from all over Japan and from abroad.

References

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.

 - Japan 

The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

See also

Look up Shikoku in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Geography of Japan
• Regions of Japan

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Japan is an island nation in East Asia comprised of a large stratovolcanic archipelago extending along the Pacific coast of Asia. ... Map of the regions of Japan. ...

External links

• Wikitravel: Shikoku

Coordinates: 33°45′N, 133°30′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...