Tsushima Island - Geography

Geography

Tsushima Island is located west of the Kanmon Strait at a latitude between Honshu and Kyushu of the Japanese mainland. The Tsushima Strait splits at the Tsushima Island Archipelago into two channels; the wider channel, also closer to the mainland of Japan, is the Tsushima Strait. Ōfunakoshi-Seto and Manzeki-Seto, the two canals built in 1671 and 1900 respectively, connect the deep indentation of Asō Bay to the east side of the island. The archipelago comprises over 100 smaller islets in addition to the main island.

Tsushima is the closest Japanese territory to the Korean Peninsula, lying approximately 50 km from Busan; on a clear day, the hills and mountains of the Korean peninsula are visible from the higher elevations on the two northern mountains. The nearest Japanese port Iki, situated entirely in the Tsushima Basin, is also 50 km away. Tsushima Island and Iki Island contain the Iki–Tsushima Quasi-National Park, designated as a nature preserve and protected from further development. Much of Tsushima, 89%, is covered by natural vegetation and mountains.

The Japanese government administers Tsushima Island as a single entity, although artificial waterways have separated it into two islands connected by the narrow isthmus outlined by the Aso Bay. The northern area is known as Kamino-shima (上島), and the southern island as Shimono-shima (下島). Both sub-islands have a pair of mountains: Shimo-no-shima has Mount Yatate (矢立山), 649 m (2,130 ft) high, and Ariake-yama (有明山), 558 m (1,831 ft) high. Kami-no-shima has Mi-take (御嶽), 487 m (1,598 ft). The two main sections of the island are now joined by a combination bridge and causeway. The island has a total area of 696.26 km2.