Ōmishima Island (大三島, Ōmishima) is the largest island in the Geiyo Islands chain, and the westernmost which accommodates the Nishiseto Expressway between Honshu and Shikoku. It is located in the Seto Inland Sea. The island's highest peak is Washigatozan (鷲ヶ頭山) at an altitude of 437 m (1,434 ft).

Geography

Ōmishima is kidney-shaped and together with Ōsakikamijima on the west encloses the calm bay of Utena, where primary seaport of Miyaura [ja] is located. The island's Utena dam [ja] reservoir is the primary freshwater source for Ōmishima itself and nearby Hakata.

Climate

Climate data for Ōmishima (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.0
(60.8)
20.2
(68.4)
25.4
(77.7)
27.9
(82.2)
30.4
(86.7)
33.7
(92.7)
38.0
(100.4)
37.4
(99.3)
36.1
(97.0)
31.9
(89.4)
24.1
(75.4)
20.4
(68.7)
38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)
10.2
(50.4)
13.4
(56.1)
18.6
(65.5)
23.2
(73.8)
26.1
(79.0)
30.0
(86.0)
32.0
(89.6)
28.3
(82.9)
22.8
(73.0)
17.2
(63.0)
12.0
(53.6)
20.3
(68.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9)
5.6
(42.1)
8.4
(47.1)
13.1
(55.6)
17.6
(63.7)
21.3
(70.3)
25.3
(77.5)
26.8
(80.2)
23.4
(74.1)
18.0
(64.4)
12.5
(54.5)
7.7
(45.9)
15.4
(59.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.3
(34.3)
1.1
(34.0)
3.4
(38.1)
8.0
(46.4)
12.7
(54.9)
17.6
(63.7)
22.0
(71.6)
23.2
(73.8)
19.7
(67.5)
13.8
(56.8)
8.2
(46.8)
3.4
(38.1)
11.2
(52.2)
Record low °C (°F) −5.9
(21.4)
−6.2
(20.8)
−4.4
(24.1)
−1.5
(29.3)
3.6
(38.5)
9.6
(49.3)
15.5
(59.9)
15.6
(60.1)
11.1
(52.0)
5.5
(41.9)
−1.3
(29.7)
−3.5
(25.7)
−6.2
(20.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 40.8
(1.61)
54.0
(2.13)
89.5
(3.52)
98.0
(3.86)
116.2
(4.57)
186.3
(7.33)
194.6
(7.66)
93.5
(3.68)
133.4
(5.25)
96.3
(3.79)
66.0
(2.60)
50.1
(1.97)
1,218.6
(47.98)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.3 6.7 9.0 8.9 8.7 11.1 9.4 6.7 8.8 7.3 6.4 6.0 94.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 146.1 151.2 182.0 200.2 214.7 157.1 201.2 233.9 171.2 180.4 159.2 144.3 2,141.6
Source: JMA[1][2]


History

Transportation

Ōmishima is connected to the mainland of Honshu and Shikoku islands by bridges of Nishiseto Expressway (Shimanami Kaidō). Also, ferry is available to Ōsakikamijima, Okamura Island and Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island). Ōmishima Island is served by the national Route 317.

Attractions

Notable residents

External links

References

  • This article incorporates material from Japanese Wikipedia pages 大三島 and 大三島町, accessed 13 September 2017