Gotō Islands

Goto Islands in relation to Nagasaki Prefecture

The Gotō Islands (五島列島, Gotō-rettō, literally: "five-island archipelago") are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. They are part of Nagasaki Prefecture.

Geography

There are 140 islands, including five main ones: Fukue Island (福江島, Fukue-jima), Hisaka Island (久賀島, Hisaka-jima), Naru Island (奈留島, Naru-shima), Wakamatsu Island (若松島, Wakamatsu-jima), and Nakadori Island (中通島, Nakadōri-jima).

The group of islands runs approximately 85 km (53 mi) end-to-end; its center is at .

To the north is Tsushima Island in the Tsushima Strait and to the east is Kyūshū and the rest of Nagasaki Prefecture. It is about 100 km from the port of Nagasaki. The Tsushima Current (a branch of the Kuroshio) passes around the islands.

The southern of the two principal islands, Fukue, measures approximately 25 km north-to-south by 25 km east-to-west; the northern, Nakadori Island, measures approximately 40 km north-to-south by 20 km east-to-west at its widest point. Most of Nakadori Island, however, is quite narrow, measuring less than 6 km wide for much of its length. Some dome-shaped hills command the old castletown of Fukue. The islands are highly cultivated; deer and other game abound, and trout are plentiful in the mountain streams.

As a result of a merger on August 1, 2004, the city of Gotō was established. It occupies Fukue, Hisaka, and Naru islands, and seven inhabited ones. The town of Shin-Kamigotō, itself the product of a simultaneous, separate merger in 2004, occupies Nakadōri and Wakamatsu islands, two of the five main islands of the Gotō archipelago, in addition to the small inhabited islands of Arifuku, Kashiragashima, Hinoshima, Ryōzegaura, and Kirinoko and a great number of uninhabited islets.

The small island of Kabajima is east of Hisaka Island and northeast of Fukue Island. It belongs to Gotō City.

Demographics

Many of the inhabitants are descended from Christians of the Catholic Church ("Kakure Kirishitan"). Until recently Hanare Kirishitans still lived there; the majority either returned to Catholicism after it was legalized in the 19th century or reverted to earlier practices. The islands have numerous Catholic churches, the oldest and most famous of which is Dōzaki church, built in 1868 and located about 6 km north of Fukue port.

Products

Marine products, such as oysters and sea urchins, are the main products of the island. Natural camellia oil of Fukuejima is famous in Japan for cosmetic use.

Tourism

The islands are famous for a large species of rockfish, called "Arr-a".

Transportation

The Gotō-Fukue Airport (FUJ/RJFE) is on Fukue Island.

Ferry services from Nagasaki and Sasebo are offered by Kyusyu Shosen Co. Ltd. Both standard ferry and hydrofoil services operate.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 

External links

• (Japanese) Gotō Tourism site