Chūgoku Mountains

Chūgoku Mountains (中国山地, Chūgoku Sanchi) is a mountain range in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. It runs in an east-west direction and stretches approximately 500 km (311 mi) from Hyōgo Prefecture in the east to the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The range also reaches under the Pacific Ocean.[1][2][3]

Chūgoku Mountains
Highest point
PeakDaisen, Tottori Prefecture
Elevation1,729 m (5,673 ft)
Coordinates35°22′16″N 133°32′47″E 
Naming
Etymologycentral country
Native name中国山地 Chūgoku Sanchi
Geography
CountryJapan
PrefecturesHyōgo, Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi
RegionChūgoku

The two tallest mountains in the group are Daisen and Mount Hyōno, which are 1,729 m (5,673 ft) and 1,510 m (4,954 ft), respectively. Many other mountains in the ranger are also over 1,000 m (3,281 ft), while some of the smaller mountains are less than 500 m (1,640 ft).[1] Granite is the most common stone found among the mountains, much of which has been exposed through erosion.

Geography

Other than Daisen, most of the mountains run along the border of Tottori and Okayama prefectures and the border of Shimane and Hiroshima prefectures. The mountains form a drainage divide and natural barrier in western Japan between the San'in Region to the north and the San'yō Region to the south.[1][2]

Major mountains

Rivers

The Chūgoku Mountains are the source of several rivers in western Japan. All flow either north to the Japan Sea or south to the Inland Sea with the exception of the Gōnokawa River (206 kilometres (128 mi)), which runs along the mountain range in Hiroshima and Shimane prefectures.

The Sendai River (52 kilometres (32 mi)), the Tenjin River (32 kilometres (20 mi)), the Hino River (77 kilometres (48 mi)), and the Kando River (82 kilometres (51 mi)) all run steeply from the Chūgoku Mountains to the Japan Sea. The Yoshii River (83 kilometres (52 mi)), the Asahi River (88 kilometres (55 mi)), and the Ōta River (655 kilometres (407 mi)) form a broader alluvial plain to the south of the mountain range and empty in to the Inland Sea.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Economy

The Chūgoku Mountains are a source of iron sand, and the region was home to some of the earliest production of ironware in Japan. The broad tablelands of the mountain region support cattle ranches, notably for the production of wagyu beef. The numerous rivers of the Chūgoku Mountains support an extensive network of rice production in western Japan.[3]

References
  1. "Chūgoku Mountains". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  2. "中国山地" [Chūgoku Mountains]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  3. "中国山地" [Chūgoku Mountains]. Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 153301537. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  4. "Ōtagawa". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  5. "天神川" [Tenjin River]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  6. "江の川" [Gōnokawa River]. Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 173191044. dlc 2009238904. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  7. "神戸川" [Kando River]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  8. "Yoshiigawa". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
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