Geiyo Islands

Geiyo Islands

Native name: 芸予諸島
File:View of Imabari.jpg View of Geiyo Islands and Shimanami Kaidō from Imabari, Ehime
Geography
Location	Seto Inland Sea
Coordinates
Major islands	43
Length	98 km (60.9 mi)
Width	38 km (23.6 mi)
Administration
Japan
Prefecture	Hiroshima and Ehime
Demographics
Ethnic groups	Japanese

The Geiyo Islands (芸予諸島, Geiyo Shotō) are a group of islands in the Seto Inland Sea, under the administration of Hiroshima Prefecture and Ehime Prefecture. Some of the largest islands in the archipelago are connected by the Nishiseto Expressway bridge system connecting Honshu and Shikoku, as well as the Akinada Tobishima Kaido from Kure, Hiroshima.

The Geiyo Archipelago is roughly defined as lying in the western part of Seto Inland Sea, from Hiuchi-nada to Aki-nada. A narrower definition of the archipelago only includes the islands between the former provinces of Iyo and Bizen. The islands in Hiroshima Bay, most notably Etajima and Kurahashi-jima, are therefore excluded from the latter definition.

Economy and industry

Due to the calm yet deep waters of the Seto Inland Sea, the Geiyo Islands are one of the main hubs of shipbuilding, fishing, and aquaculture in Japan.

List of islands

The largest islands in the group, each with an area of more than 20 km², are:

• Hakata
• Ikuchi-jima
• Innoshima
• Mukaishima
• Ōmishima
• Ōsakikamijima
• Ōshima

Other notable islands in the group include:

• Hyōtanjima
• Nii Ōshima
• Okamura
• Ōkunoshima
• Ōsakishimojima
• Tsushima
• Uoshima

The following islands may sometimes be included under the archipelago's broader definition:

• Etajima
• Itsukushima (Miyajima)
• Kurahashi-jima
• Ninoshima

Gallery

• The urban area of Innoshima
  The urban area of Innoshima
• JMSDF Officer Candidate School (ja) in Etajima (the former Imperial Japanese Naval Academy)
  JMSDF Officer Candidate School in Etajima (the former Imperial Japanese Naval Academy)
• Chigiri-shima (ja)
  Chigiri-shima
• The fishing port in Iwagi-jima (ja)
  The fishing port in Iwagi-jima

External links

• Navigating the Geiyo Islands at NASA Earth Observatory, April 30, 2022