Shimabara Peninsula
Shimabara Peninsula | ||
Landsat image of the Shimabara Peninsula |
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Geographical location | ||
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Coordinates | 32 ° 45 ′ 0 ″ N , 130 ° 16 ′ 0 ″ E | |
Waters 1 | Amakusa-nada | |
Waters 2 | Ariake lake | |
Shimabara Peninsula from the ferry to Kumamoto seen from |
The Shimabara Peninsula ( Japanese 島 原 半島 , Shimabara-hantō ) is located in the northwest of the Japanese main island Kyūshū in Nagasaki Prefecture , about 40 km east of the city of Nagasaki . The relief of the peninsula is dominated by the active volcanic mountain Unzen , which is 1500 meters high . The two highest peaks of the Unzen are the 1,359.3 meter high Fugen-dake and the 1,486 meter high Heisei-Shinzan.
To the north is Isahaya Bay ( 諫 早 湾 , Isahaya-wan ) and to the south and east is Shimabara Bay , both of which belong to the Ariake Sea . To the west is the Tachibana Bay ( 橘 湾 , Tachibana-wan ) of the Amakusa-nada ( 天 草灘 ) body of water .
Much of the island is part of the Unzen Amakusa National Park . Due to the strong volcanic activity, there are numerous hot springs ( onsen ) on the peninsula , the most famous being the Unzen Onsen .
On the peninsula is the city of Shimabara with some historical houses and the Shimabara Castle . The castle went down in history primarily through the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637/38, a revolt of the Japanese Christians at the beginning of the Edo period .
Also on the peninsula is the village of Mizunashihonjin, which was buried in an eruption of the Oz in the early 1990s and is now open to tourism.