User:Prburley/Shima Peninsula

The Shima Peninsula (志摩半島) is a peninsula in southeastern Mie Prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. Shima Peninsula forms the eastern tip of the much larger Kii Peninsula. The peninsula forms the southeastern edge of Ise Bay, and along with the Atsumi Peninsula, separates it from the Pacific Ocean. The entire Shima Peninsula was designated Ise-Shima National Park in 1946.

Etymology
"Shima" as a geographical name referred early in the historical record variously as a district on the southern half of present-day Shima Peninsula, and as Shima Province, one of the provinces of the ancient Tōkaidō region. The name first appears in the written record on a mokkan, or thin strip of wood used for correspondence, excavated from Heijō Palace, and is dated to the year 718. Shima Province appears in the list of events in the year 719 in the Shoku Nihongi, a historical record completed in 797.

Geography
The western border of the Shima Peninsula is defined by a line where the Ise Plain ends, roughly between Matsusaka to the north and Kihoku to the south. The Ise Plain ends at the JR Central Kisei Line follows the western border of the peninsula from Matsusaka Station in the north to Kii-Nagashima Station in the south. The peninsula faces the Pacific Ocean, specifically the Kumanonada Sea to the south, the Enshū Sea to the east, and Ise Bay to the north. The Shima Peninsula is about 30 km from north to south and 50 km from east to west.

The north of the Shima Peninsula is crossed by the south of the Japan Median Tectonic Line. The tectonic line, which runs from Ibaraki Prefecture north of Tokyo to southern Kyushu, is Japan's longest fault system, and the peninsula is grouped by the landmass south of the tectonic line. Paleozoic and Mesozoic layers run east to west across the peninsula.

The climate of the north of the peninsula is typical of that of the Pacific Ocean side of Japan; the areas of the south of the peninsula benefit from the Kuroshio Current, with mild winters and heavy rainfall.

Areas
The Shima Peninsula can be roughly divided into three areas: the north of the peninsula facing Ise Bay, the southeastern tip extending into, and the ria coastline of the south.

North
The north of the Shima Peninsula consists of the Ise Plain, which extends from the interior of the peninsula and descends to the coast of Ise Bay. The north of the peninsula is home to the Ise Grand Shrine, the largest and most revered Shinto shrine in Japan. The temple complex consists of the Naikū, or inner temple, in Ise; the Gekū, or outer temple, in Uji-tachi, and an additional 125 subordinate Shinto shrines in the region. The Ise Grand Shrine, a center of worship since at last the 3rd century, is surrounded by forest, considered sacred. Other than great primeval stands of cedar used for temple structures, the forest contains...Grand Shrine. The highest point of the north of the peninsula is at Mount Asama, which

Southeast
The southeast of the Shima Peninsula is defined roughly by a line between Cape Kuzaki, Yokoyama, and Hamajima. The line encompasses the south of the Sakishima Plain. Here coastal plateau that is formed when the sea level rose once, and left behind an abrasion platform. The prominent hooked peninsula that extends south in the city of Shima is known as the Sakishima Peninsula (さき志摩半島).

South
The south coast of the Shima Peninsula is known for its heavy indentation, and features numerous bays, capes, inlets, and smaller peninsulas. The coastal area of the Shima Peninsula was formed by sea erosion of the Ise Plain after a drop in sea level. The areas is a ria coast, where parallel rias are separated by prominent ridges. The coast of the Shima Peninsula is home to numerous bays, notably Matoya and Ago bays.

Municipalities
The Shima Peninsula is home to seven municipalities, all within Mie Prefecture:


 * Tamaki
 * Watarai
 * Minamiise
 * Ise
 * Toba
 * Shima
 * Meiwa

Economy
The coastal areas of the Shima Peninsula have numerous fishing ports, and the region has historically been supported by the fishing industry. A mokkan wooden document unearthed at the Heijo Palace attests to a tribute of shellfish to the imperial court in Nara as early as 714 AD. Toba, Anori, and Matoya are home to active fishing ports. The peninsula remains an active center of shellfish production, notably the harvesting of abalone and other clams. In contrast, the peninsula has little arable land and has never supported extensive agriculture.

The main industry of the Shima Peninsula is pearl aquaculture. Mikimoto Kōkichi (1858 – 1954), born in Toba, is credited with creating the first cultured pearls. The luxury pearl company Mikimoto is headquartered in Toba, and pearls are cultivated in bays around the peninsula. Matoya and Ago Bays.

The Shima Peninsula is known for the tradition of ama diving. Divers, typically women, have collected shellfish and konbu for 2,000 years along the eastern and southern coast of the peninsula. 1,000 ama divers remain active in the region. Ama now focus on the collection of pearl oysters and abalone.

Rail
The Shima Peninsula is well connected to the larger Chūbu Region by rail.

JR Central Kisei Main Line
The JR Central Kisei Main Line runs along the western border of the peninsula. The western border of the peninsula is served, from north to south, by Matsusaka, Tokuwa, Taki, Ōka, Sana], [[Tochihara Station|Tochihara, Kawazoe, Misedani, Takihara, Aso, Ise-Kashiwazaki, Ōuchiyama, Umegadani, Kii-Nagashima stations.

Kintetsu Lines
Three Kintetsu lines serve the Shima Peninsula.


 * The Yamada Line (Ise-Nakagawa - Ujiyamada)


 * Toba Line (Ujiyamada - Toba)


 * The Kintetsu Shima Line, which runs from Toba Station at the north of the peninsula to Kashikojima Station in the city of Shima, provides local rail service to the numerous small communities of the western Shima Peninsula.

Highway
The Shima Peninsula is bisected by a toll road, the Ise Expressway, which runs 67.7 km from Tsu to the city of Ise. The northern part of the peninsula is crossed by the Ise-Shima Skyline, a scenic tollway that runs 16.3 km between Ise and Toba. The eastern end of the peninsula is connected by Japan National Route 167, which runs 37.9 km between Ise and Shima. Japan National Route 260 runs 115.5 km along the southern end of the Shima Peninsula from Shima to Kihoku. National Route 260 is bisected by Ago Bay in Shima; a passenger ferry connects point at opposite ends of the bay, but the area is not served by a car ferry.

Ferry
The Shima, Atsumi, and Chita peninsulas as connected across Ise Bay by vehicle ferry service. The Isewan Ferry Company connects Toba on the Shima Peninsula to Tahara, Aichi Prefecture on the Atsumi Peninsula. The ferry port at Tahara provides vehicle ferry service on to Minamichita on the Chita Peninsula via the [[Meikaijo . Vehicle ferry service used to bypass the highways around Ise Bay.