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Japan Shikoku
The Shikoku region--comprising the entire island of
Shikoku--
covers about 18,800 square kilometers and consists of four
prefectures. It is connected to Honshu by ferry and air
and, since
1988, by the Seto- Ohashi bridge network. Until completion
of the
bridges, the region was isolated from the rest of Japan,
and the
freer movement between Honshu and Shikoku is expected to
promote
economic development on both sides of the bridges.
Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a
narrow
northern subregion, fronting on the Inland Sea, and a
southern part
facing the Pacific Ocean. Most of the population lives in
the
north, and all but one of the island's few larger cites
are located
there. Industry is moderately well developed and includes
the
processing of ores from the important Besshi copper mine.
Land is
used intensively. Wide alluvial areas, especially in the
eastern
part of the zone, are planted with rice and subsequently
are double
cropped with winter wheat and barley. Fruit is grown
throughout the
northern area in great variety, including citrus fruits,
persimmons, peaches, and grapes.
The larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and
sparsely
populated. The only significant lowland is a small
alluvial plain
at Kochi, a prefectural capital. The area's mild winters
stimulated
some truck farming, specializing in growing out-of-season
vegetables under plastic covering. Two crops of rice can
be
cultivated annually in the southern area. The pulp and
paper
industry took advantage of the abundant forests and
hydroelectric
power.
Data as of January 1994
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