The are a group of islands in the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

, under the administration of

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

and

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. Some of the largest islands in archipelago are connected by the

Nishiseto Expressway The , often called the is an expressway in Japan that connects Onomichi, Hiroshima and Imabari, Ehime, going through nine of the Geiyo Islands, including Ōshima, Ōmishima, and Innoshima. The road and multiple bridges crossing across the Set ...

bridge system connecting

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

and

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

. The Geiyo Archipelago is roughly defined as lying in the western part of

, from to . A narrower definition of the archipelago only includes the islands between the former provinces of Iyo and Bizen. The islands of in

Hiroshima Bay is a bay in the Inland Sea, Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hiroshima Wan" in . Administratively, the bay is divided between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures. The bay's shore is a Ria. Its surface area is about 1,000 km², ...

, most notably

Etajima , also called , ''Nomijima'', ''Nomi Island'', or is an island in Hiroshima Bay located in southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The mess with island name originates from the ancient (and possibly legendary) strait at now town . Geography Th ...

and

Kurahashi-jima , also called in ancient texts, is an island in Hiroshima Bay located in southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Geography The island is roughly T-shaped, with the northern, most mountainous lobe sandwiched between mainland Kure and Etajima ...

, are therefore excluded from the latter definition.

Economy and industry

Due to the calm yet deep waters of the

, the Geiyo Islands are one of the main hubs of shipbuilding,Onomichi's maritime industries
/ref> fishing, and aquaculture in Japan.

List of islands

The largest islands in the group, each with an area of more than 20 km², are: * Hakata *

Ikuchi-jima is one of the Geiyo Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, belonging to Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. Ikuchi-jima is administered as part of Onomichi city. The bridges connecting Ikuchi-jima to the mainland ( Honshū) via Innoshima and to Shikoku ...

Innoshima is an island and former city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The island is located within the Geiyo Islands of the Seto Inland Sea. The city was founded on May 1, 1953. , the city had an estimated population of 27,465 and a population density o ...

* Mukaishima * Ōmishima * Ōsakikamijima * Ōshima Other notable islands in the group include: *

Nii Ōshima , or sometimes just , is an inhabited island located roughly 1.5 kilometers northeast of the city of Niihama (which it is officially a part of) in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Geography Nii Ōshima is located in the Seto Inland Sea. It has a circ ...

Okamura Okamura (written: 岡村 lit. "hill village") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * , Japanese voice actor * , Japanese photographer * Allison Okamura, American roboticist * Arthur Okamura, American silk screen artist ...

Ōkunoshima is a small island in the Inland Sea of Japan. It is considered to be part of the city of Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi and Ōmishima. There are campsites, walking trails and places of historical i ...

* Tsushima * Uoshima The following islands may sometimes be included under the archipelago's broader definition: *

Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as , which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in ...

Ninoshima Ninoshima () is an island in the Seto Inland Sea, located near Hiroshima. Gakuen-mae pier on Ninoshima is located 4 km from Hiroshima (Ujina) Port. It takes only half an hour to get to Ninoshima from wharf 4 of Hiroshima Port (Ujina Port) by ...

Gallery

File:Innoshima habu port 001.JPG, The urban area of

File:JMSDF-Officer-Candidate-School-Former-Japanese-Naval-Academy.png, in

(the former

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy The was a school established to train line officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888. Students stu ...

) File:Chigirishima001.jpg, File:Iwagijima.JPG, The fishing port in

References

External links

Navigating the Geiyo Islands
at

NASA Earth Observatory NASA Earth Observatory is an online publishing outlet for NASA which was created in 1999. It is the principal source of satellite imagery and other scientific information pertaining to the climate and the Environment (biophysical), environment whi ...

, April 30, 2022 {{Authority control Archipelagoes of Japan Islands of Hiroshima Prefecture Islands of Ehime Prefecture Islands of the Seto Inland Sea Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean