Shikoku: Difference between revisions

{{nihongo|'''Shikoku'''|四国|Shikoku|{{lit|four provinces}}}}, {{IPA-ja|ɕikokɯ}} is the second smallest of the [[List of islands of Japan#Main islands|four main islands]] of [[Japan]]. It is {{convert|225300|km|1|abbr=on|disp=or}} long and between {{convert|50|and|150|km|1|abbr=on|disp=or}} at its widest. It has a population of 3.8&nbsp;million ({{As of|2015|lc=y}}, 3.1%), the least populated out of Japan's four main islands. It is south of [[Honshu]] and northeast of [[Kyushu]].<ref name=honshu2>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90C4DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16| page=16| title=The Philippine Archipelago|first=Yves |last=Boquet |publisher=Springer|year= 2017|isbn= 9783319519265}}</ref> Shikoku's ancient names include {{nihongo||伊予之二名島|Iyo-no-futana-shima}}, {{nihongo||伊予島|Iyo-shima}}, and {{nihongo||二名島|Futana-shima}}, and its current name refers to the four former [[provinces of Japan|provinces]] that make up the island: [[Awa Province (Tokushima)|Awa]], [[Tosa Province|Tosa]], [[Sanuki Province|Sanuki]], and [[Iyo Province|Iyo]].<ref name=tourism>{{cite web |url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-607.pdf |title=Shikoku and Awaji Island |publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization |date=September 2011 |access-date=2013-05-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204132833/http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-607.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-04 }}</ref>

Shikoku Island, comprising Shikoku and its surrounding isletsislands<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geography {{!}} The Science of Our World |url=https://geography.com/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=geography.com}}</ref>, covers about {{convert|18800|km2|sqmi|0}} and consists of four [[Prefectures of Japan|prefectures]]: [[Ehime Prefecture|Ehime]], [[Kagawa Prefecture|Kagawa]], [[Kōchi Prefecture|Kōchi]], and [[Tokushima Prefecture|Tokushima]]. Across the [[Seto Inland Sea]] lie [[Wakayama Prefecture|Wakayama]], [[Osaka Prefecture|Osaka]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture|Hyōgo]], [[Okayama Prefecture|Okayama]], [[Hiroshima Prefecture|Hiroshima]], and [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]]s on [[Honshu]]. To the west lie [[Ōita Prefecture|Ōita]] and [[Miyazaki Prefecture]]s on [[Kyushu]].