is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

located in

Shiribeshi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The subprefecture's capital is Kutchan. As of July 31, 2004, the estimated population was 256,184 and the area was 4,305.65 km2. Geography Municipalities Mergers History ...

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. As of 2004, the district 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 usi ...

of 2,947 and a

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. Mathematicall ...

of 12.37 persons per km². The total area is 238.20 km². Towns and villages in the area include Shakotan.

Geography and climate

Shakotan District is a peninsula located on the southwestern coast of Hokkaido. The district borders the city of Otaru in the Shiribeshi District to the east and is approximately forty miles from the prefectural capital Sapporo. Shakotan District is characterized by steep mountains as high as 1,300m interspersed with flatlands suitable to farming. Small streams flow down from the mountains feeding small wetlands and ponds. Shakotan District has a humid continental climate. As with much of Hokkaido, the temperature of the district varies widely, from mild, humid summers to snowy winters.

Economy

The district's economy is dominated by rural farming, commercial fishing, and to a lesser extent, local tourism. Shakotan village is known for its strong sea urchin fishery, although in recent years the government has had to limit public overfishing of urchins. Tourists mainly from Sapporo come to the district for hiking, fishing, and the peninsula's scenery. Districts in Hokkaido {{Hokkaido-geo-stub