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Izu Peninsula | |
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 Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle | |
 Interactive map of Izu Peninsula | |
| Coordinates:34°54′N138°57′E / 34.900°N 138.950°E /34.900; 138.950 | |
| Location | Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,421.24 square kilometres (548.74 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,406 metres (4,613 ft) |
TheIzu peninsula (伊豆半島,Izu Hantō;Japanese pronunciation:[i.(d)zɯ,i.(d)zɯhaꜜn.toː][1]) is a mountainouspeninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on thePacific coast of the island ofHonshu,Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known asIzu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part ofShizuoka Prefecture. The peninsula has an area of 1,421.24 km2 (548.74 sq mi) and its estimated population in 2005 was 473,942 people. The peninsula's populated areas are located primarily on the north and east.
Tectonically, the Izu peninsula results from thePhilippine Sea Plate colliding with theOkhotsk Plate at theNankai Trough. The Philippine Sea Plate, theAmurian Plate, and theOkhotsk Plate meet atMount Fuji, atriple junction. The peninsula itself lies on the Philippine Sea Plate.
The southern portion of the peninsula is composed largely ofbreccia, and the central and northern portions consist of numerous highly erodedvolcanoes. The Amagi Mountain Range dominates the center of the peninsula withMount Amagi (1,406 metres (4,613 ft)) and Mount Atami (773 metres (2,536 ft)) in the east and Mount Daruma (982 metres (3,222 ft)) in the west, with the eastern and western portions of the range extending underwater intoSagami Bay andSuruga Bay. The peninsula's major river, theKano River in the north, flows through agraben valley created by plate tectonics.
As a result of its underlying geology, the peninsula is prone to frequentearthquake swarms andtsunamis, and it abounds inhot springs.
All of Izu Peninsula is withinShizuoka Prefecture. It is administratively divided into eight cities and five towns:[citation needed]
A popular resort region for tourists from theKantō region, the Izu peninsula is primarily known foronsen hot spring resorts inAtami,Shuzenji, and Itō. The area is also popular for sea bathing, surfing, golfing and motorcycle touring. The peninsula abutsMount Fuji and is a part ofFuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
The southwest coast of Izu, from the municipalities of Matsuzaki, Nishiizu and Minamiizu was designated aNational Place of Scenic Beauty in 1937.[2]
Aside from tourism, agriculture and fishing are the mainstays of the local economy. Izu is one of the biggest producers ofwasabi in Japan, and the local cuisine offers dishes flavored withwasabi. Nevertheless, these industries are not lucrative enough to prevent a heavy loss of population to Greater Tokyo and Shizuoka, particularly among the young.
The northern parts of Izu peninsula is easily accessible from Tokyo and points west via theTōkaidō Shinkansen, which has stations in bothAtami in the northeast andMishima in the northwest. JRItō Line and theIzu Kyūkō Line provides service along the east coast of the peninsula to Shimoda, however given the lack of population, these services are less regular.
Central Izu is served by theSunzu Line as far as Shuzenji. The west coast of the peninsula is less developed, and has no train service.
Izu Peninsula is served by numerous expressways. By car, it is 103.3 km (64.2 mi) from theYōga Interchange (用賀インターYōga Intā) on the Tokyo end of theTōmei Expressway to Numazu.To get to the eastern side, a branch atAtsugi leads to theOdawara-Atsugi Road, which continues pastOdawara to Yugawara,Atami, and Shimoda. Izu Peninsula is also served byJapan National Route 135,Japan National Route 136, andJapan National Route 414. Izu also offers two scenic roads, called "Izu Skyline" (伊豆スカイライン) and "Western Izu Skyline" (西伊豆スカイライン) that offer beautiful views on nature and Mt. Fuji. Both skyline roads are favorite spots of car and motorcycle enthusiasts.
TheOdakyu Electric Railway runs local bus services fromOdawara andHakone, and there is an extensive but infrequent internal bus network.
On August 12, 1985, FlightJAL 123, while crossing peninsular airspace, experienced an explosion in the aft pressure bulkhead, resulting in an accident that killed 520 people, becoming one of the deadliest air disasters in human history.
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