Yakushima Kagoshima Prefecture Japan seen from distance

is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Kumage District, Kagoshima is a Districts of Japan, district located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The district covers two islands from the Ōsumi Islands, Tanegashima and Yakushima. The district has an estimated population of 29,706 with a total area of 789.16 km2 ...

, Japan. The town is on the island of

Yakushima , native_name_link = , image_caption = Landsat image of Yakushima , image_size = , nickname = , location = East China Sea , coordinates = , map = Japan#Japan Kagoshima Prefecture , map_relief ...

and

Kuchinoerabujima , native_name_link=, image_caption=Kuchinoerabu-jima from Nagatadake on Yakushima, image_size=, map_image=OsumiIslands.png, map_caption=, location=East China Sea, coordinates=, archipelago=Ōsumi Islands, total_islands=, major_islands=, area_km2=38 ...

History

On October 1, 2007, the town was formed by the merger of the towns of Kamiyaku and Yaku, both from Kumage District.

Geography

Major settlements of the island are the port towns of

Anbo Antanas Gustaitis (March 26, 1898 – October 16, 1941) was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army. He was the architect or aeronautical engineer who ...

and

Miyanoura is a town located in Kumage District, Kagoshima, Japan. The town is on the island of Yakushima and Kuchinoerabujima. History On October 1, 2007, the town was formed by the merger of the towns of Kamiyaku and Yaku, both from Kumage District. ...

. Other settlements are the coastal villages of Hiranai, Kuriobashi, Nagata, Okonotaki and the abandoned forest village of Kosugidani. Among the localities, there are the gorges of Shiratani Unsui, Arakawa,

Yakushima Airport is an airport located on the island of Yakushima in Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. History The airport was opened in 1963 with an 1100-meter runway. The runway was extended to 1200 meters in 1975 and to 1500 meters in 1976. ...

, Kigensugi and Yakusugi.

Demographics

As of 2008, the town has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 13,486 and the

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 24.9 persons per km². The total area is 540.98 km².

Transport

serves Yakushima. There are also

hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...

s and

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

serving the island. Kuchinoerabujima is accessible by a municipal ferry. Inside the island there is a

forest railway A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felling, felled logs to sawmills or railway stations. In most cases th ...

, the

Anbo Forest Railway Antanas Gustaitis (March 26, 1898 – October 16, 1941) was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army. He was the architect or aeronautical engineer who u ...

Education

;High schools *Kagoshima Prefectural Yakushima High School *Yakushima Ōzora High School (correspondence course high school) ; Junior high schools *Anbō Junior High School *Gakunan Junior High School *Issō Junior High School *Kanadake Junior High School *Koseda Junior High School *Miyaura Junior High School *Nagata Junior High School ;Elementary schools *Anbō Elementary School *Hachiman Elementary School *Issō Elementary School *Kamiyama Elementary School *Kanadake Elementary School *Koseda Elementary School *Kurio Elementary School *Miyaura Elementary School *Nagata Elementary School

Climate

References

External links

*
Yakushima official website
Towns in Kagoshima Prefecture {{Kagoshima-geo-stub