was a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
located in
Shikama District,
Hyōgo Prefecture,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. It actually is a group of 44 small islands (4 main inhabited ones and 40 smaller uninhabited ones) about 18 kilometers off the coast of
Himeji and
Akō. Ieshima is one of the big islands but the name ''Ieshima'' is also used to refer to the entire chain of Islands.
On March 27, 2006, the towns Ieshima,
Yumesaki (also from
Shikama District),
Yasutomi (
Shisō District), and
Kōdera (
Kanzaki District) were merged into the expanded city of
Himeji and are no longer independent
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
.
Main islands
*Ieshima (家島): 5.46 km
2, about 4,000 inhabitants
*Bozejima (坊勢島): 1.87 km
2, about 4,000 inhabitants
*Nishijima (西島): 6.59 km
2, about 100 inhabitants
*Tangajima (男鹿島): 4.57 km
2, about 150 inhabitants
Most of the population lives on Ieshima and Bozejima. Ieshima is divided into 2 "hamlets" called Miya and Maura. The two main industries of Ieshima are fishing and quarrying. Tangajima and Nishijima have been quarried for at least 400 years and supplied stones used in the building of
Osaka Castle. The eastern part of Nishijima is maintained as a camping and recreation ground by Hyogo Prefecture. Ieshima is host to the annual Open Water Swim Competition which has been rapidly gaining fame as one of the most popular open water swim competitions in Japan. The race takes place between the islands of Tangajima and Ieshima.
Transport
Ieshima and Bozejima can be reached by a 35-minute boat ride from Himeji Port.
Climate
Gallery
Image:Bozeshima1.jpg, From front to back: Nishijima, Bozejima, Ieshima, Tangajima
Image:Tangashima1.jpg, Tangajima quarry
Image:BozeshimaHarbour.jpg, Bozejima harbour
References
External links
Official websitein Japanese
Website for Ieshima Nature Learning Centerin Japanese
Dissolved municipalities of Hyōgo Prefecture
Archipelagoes of Japan
Islands of Hyōgo Prefecture
Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean
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