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. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.
Contents |
There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands: Fukue Island (福江島 Fukuejima), Hisaka Island (久賀島 Hisakajima), Naru Island (奈留島 Narushima), Wakamatsu Island (若松島 Wakamatsujima), and Nakadori Island (中通島 Nakadorijima). [1]
The group of islands runs approximately 85 km (53 mi) end to end and its center is located at .
To the north is Tsushima Island in the Tsushima Strait, and to the east is Kyūshū and the rest of Nagasaki Prefecture. The island is about 100 km away from the port of Nagasaki. Tsushima Current (a branch of the Kuroshio) passes around the islands.
The southern of the two principal islands, Fukue Island, 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 in 2004, the city of Gotō was established. It occupies Fukue Island, Hisaka Island, Naru Island, and seven other inhabited islands. The town of Shinkamigotō, itself the product of a 2004 merger, occupies Nakadōri Island and Wakamatsu Island.
Many of the inhabitants are descended from Christians of the Catholic-derived Kakure Kirishitan sect,[2] and until recently Hanare Kirishitans still lived there, but 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 Dozaki church, built in 1868 and located about 6 km north of Fukue port.
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.
The Gotō-Fukue Airport (FUJ/RJFE)[3] is located on Fukue Island.
Ferry services from Nagasaki and Sasebo are offered by Kyusyu Shosen Co. Ltd. Both standard ferry and hydrofoil services operate:- http://www.kyusho.co.jp/kouro/index.html
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.