List of extreme points of Japan
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Extreme_points_japan_map.png/276px-Extreme_points_japan_map.png)
The extreme points of Japan include the coordinates that are farthest north, south, east and west in Japan, and the ones that are at the highest and the lowest elevations in the country. Japan's northernmost point is disputed, because Japan considers it to be on Iturup, an island de facto governed by Russia. The southernmost point is Okinotorishima; the westernmost is Cape Irizaki on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture, and the easternmost is Minami Torishima. The highest point in Japan is the summit of Mount Fuji at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). At 150 m (492 ft) below sea level, the bottom of Hachinohe mine is the country's lowest point. The surface of Hachirōgata is Japan's lowest natural point at 4 m (13 ft) below sea level. With the exception of Cape Irizaki, the westernmost location of Japan, all other extreme locations are uninhabited.
Japan extends from 20° to 45° north latitude (Okinotorishima to Benten-jima) and from 122° to 153° east longitude (Yonaguni to Minami Torishima).[1] The coordinates used in this article are sourced from Google Earth, which makes use of the World Geodetic System (WGS) 84.
Extreme points
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/The_northernmost_point_of_Japan_monument_in_Soya_cape.jpg/220px-The_northernmost_point_of_Japan_monument_in_Soya_cape.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/The-westernmost-monument-yomaguni.jpg/220px-The-westernmost-monument-yomaguni.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Aerial-View-Minamitori-Island-1987.jpg/220px-Aerial-View-Minamitori-Island-1987.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Hateruma-minami.jpg/220px-Hateruma-minami.jpg)
The northernmost point that Japan claims lies on the disputed island of Iturup. Japan's claim to the three southernmost islands of the Kuril Islands is disputed by Russia, who de facto controls the islands. This list provides the northernmost point as claimed by Japan as well as the northernmost undisputed point in Japan.
Overall
Heading | Location | Prefecture | Bordering entity | Coordinates† | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North (disputed) |
Cape Kamoiwakka | Hokkaido‡ | Sea of Okhotsk | 45°33′26″N 148°45′09″E / 45.55722°N 148.75250°E | [2] |
North (undisputed) |
Benten-jima | Hokkaidō | La Pérouse Strait | 45°31′38″N 141°55′06″E / 45.52722°N 141.91833°E | [3] |
South | Okinotorishima | Tokyo | Philippine Sea | 20°25′31″N 136°04′11″E / 20.42528°N 136.06972°E | |
East | Minami Torishima | Tokyo | Pacific Ocean | 24°16′59″N 153°59′11″E / 24.28306°N 153.98639°E | |
West | Yonaguni | Okinawa | East China Sea | 24°26′58″N 122°56′01″E / 24.44944°N 122.93361°E | Monument of Japan the westernmost |
Five main islands
The five main islands of Japan are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Shikoku, Kyūshū and Okinawa.[4] All of these points are accessible to the public.
Heading | Location | Prefecture | Bordering entity | Coordinates† | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North | Cape Sōya | Hokkaidō | La Pérouse Strait | 45°31′22″N 141°56′11″E / 45.52278°N 141.93639°E | |
South | Cape Takanasaki | Okinawa | East China Sea | 26°04′30″N 127°40′51″E / 26.07500°N 127.68083°E | |
East | Cape Nosappu | Hokkaidō | Pacific Ocean | 43°23′06″N 145°49′03″E / 43.38500°N 145.81750°E | |
West | Cape Irizaki | Okinawa | East China Sea | 26°11′55″N 127°38′11″E / 26.19861°N 127.63639°E |
Hokkaidō
Heading | Location | Prefecture | Bordering entity | Coordinates† | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North | Cape Sōya | Hokkaidō | La Pérouse Strait | 45°31′22″N 141°56′11″E / 45.52278°N 141.93639°E | |
South | Cape Shirakami | Hokkaidō | Tsugaru Strait | 41°23′51″N 140°11′51″E / 41.39750°N 140.19750°E | |
East | Cape Nosappu | Hokkaidō | Pacific Ocean | 43°23′06″N 145°49′03″E / 43.38500°N 145.81750°E | |
West | Cape Obana | Hokkaidō | Sea of Japan | 42°18′11″N 139°46′01″E / 42.30306°N 139.76694°E |
Honshū
- Northernmost point
- Cape Ōma (大間崎, Ōmazaki), Ōma, Aomori Prefecture
- Southernmost point
- Cape Shionomisaki (潮岬, Shiono-misaki), Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture
- Westernmost point
- Easternmost point
- Cape Todo (魹ヶ崎, Todogasaki), Miyako, Iwate Prefecture
Shikoku
Heading | Location | Prefecture | Bordering entity | Coordinates† | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North | Cape Takei | Kagawa | Bungo Channel | 34°24′01″N 134°08′12″E / 34.40028°N 134.13667°E | |
South | Cape Ashizuri | Kōchi | Philippine Sea | 32°43′19″N 133°00′19″E / 32.72194°N 133.00528°E | |
East | Cape Gamōda | Tokushima | Kii Channel | 33°50′03″N 134°45′00″E / 33.83417°N 134.75000°E | |
West | Cape Sada | Ehime | Hōyo Strait | 33°20′38″N 132°00′45″E / 33.34389°N 132.01250°E |
Kyūshū
- Northernmost point
- Tanoura reclaimed area (田野浦埋立地, Tanorua umetatechi), Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture
- Southernmost point
- Cape Sata (佐多岬, Sata-misaki), Minamiōsumi, Kagoshima Prefecture 30°59′10″N 130°39′42″E / 30.98611°N 130.66167°E
- Westernmost point
- Kōzakihana (神崎鼻), Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture 33°12′51″N 129°33′18″E / 33.21417°N 129.55500°E
- Easternmost point
- Cape Tsurumi (鶴御崎, Tsurumisaki), Saiki, Ōita Prefecture
Okinawa
- Northernmost
- Southernmost
- Cape Arasaki (Itoman, Okinawa)
- Easternmost
- Setasaki (Kunigami District, Okinawa)
- Westernmost
- Oosaki (Naha, Okinawa Prefecture)
Extreme altitudes
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/MtFuji_FujiCity.jpg/220px-MtFuji_FujiCity.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Oga_Peninsula_and_Hachirogata_Akita_Japan_SRTM.jpg/220px-Oga_Peninsula_and_Hachirogata_Akita_Japan_SRTM.jpg)
Extremity | Name | Altitude | Prefecture | Coordinates† | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Highest | Mount Fuji | 3,776 m (12,388 ft) | Yamanashi | 35°21′29″N 138°43′52″E / 35.35806°N 138.73111°E | [5] |
Lowest (man-made) |
Hachinohe mine | −170 m (−558 ft) | Aomori | 40°27′10″N 141°32′16″E / 40.45278°N 141.53778°E | [6] |
Lowest (natural) |
Hachirōgata | −4 m (−13 ft) | Akita | 39°54′50″N 140°01′15″E / 39.91389°N 140.02083°E | [5] |
See also
- Geography of Japan
- Japanese archipelago
- List of Japanese islands
- Extreme points of Asia
- Kuril Islands dispute
Notes
- ^† Coordinates obtained from Google Earth. Google Earth makes use of the WGS84 geodetic reference system.
- ^‡ Although Japan claims this island as part of Hokkaido, this territory is disputed and Iturup is currently under Russian administration.
References
- ^ "GeoHack - Geography of Japan". GeoHack. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- ^ "Google Maps (Cape Kamoiwakka)". Google. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "Google Maps (Bentenjima)". Google. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "離島とは(島の基礎知識) (what is a remote island?)". MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original (website) on 2007-11-13. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
MILT classification 6,852 islands(main islands: 5 islands, remote islands: 6,847 islands)
- ^ a b "Japan: Geography". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ 施設見学ガイド 八戸鉱山株式会社 八戸石灰鉱山(八戸キャニオン). The Information Center for Energy and Environment Education (in Japanese). Retrieved 2016-04-06.