Kojima (Hokkaido) Explained

Ko
Native Name:小島, Ko-jima
Location:East Asia
Archipelago:Japanese Archipelago
Area Km2:1.54
Coastline Km:5
Highest Mount:Ko Island
Elevation M:282.1
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Country:Japan
Country Admin Divisions Title:Prefecture
Country Admin Divisions:Hokkaido
Country Admin Divisions Title 1:Subprefecture
Country Admin Divisions 1:Oshima Subprefecture
Country Admin Divisions Title 2:District
Country Admin Divisions 2:Matsumae District
Country Admin Divisions Title 3:Town
Country Admin Divisions 3:Matsumae
Population:uninhabited

or Kojima is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Sea of Japan, 23km (14miles) southwest of the mainland portion of the town of Matsumae and is the southernmost point in Hokkaidō. It is under the administration of the district of Matsumae in Oshima Subprefecture in Hokkaido, Japan. To distinguish Ko Island from other islands with the same name, it is sometimes known as or .

Ko Island is the world's smallest volcanic island.[2] It has an area of 1.54km2. The island is an andesitic stratovolcano.[3] The peak consists of non-alkali mafic rocks, dating from the Early Pleistocene overtop of non-alkali felsic rocks from the Late Miocene-Pliocene.[4]

Several smaller islets surround Ko Island, including Daihiyakushima, Shohiyakushima, Tenjinshima, and Sazaeshima.

To provide refuge for fishing vessels, a small harbor has been put in place.

Flora and fauna

Ko Island has been designated a natural monument. It is a breeding ground for common guillemot, Japanese cormorant, and black-tailed gull. The island, along with some neighbouring islets, have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they also support colonies of rhinoceros auklets.[5]

15km (09miles) to the west of Ko Island is the Ko Island Bank, where migratory fish tend to gather. In the adjacent seas there is also tuna and squid. In previous times it was referred to as the . For this reason it is a major fishing area for fishermen out of Matsumae, especially because of the decline in the Arabesque greenling over the last 24 to 25 years.[6]

The predominant vegetation on the island is grasses, but there are stands of Acer pictum subsp. mono in the caldera.[7]

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://watchizu.gsi.go.jp/watchizu.html?b=412134&l=1394818. ja:地図閲覧サービス 2万5千分1地形図名: (内挿図又は図葉外). 25,000:1 Topographical Map. Geographical Survey Institute. Japanese. 2008-12-14.
  2. https://www.oxfordsparks.ox.ac.uk/content/smallest-volcanic-island-world The smallest volcanic island in the world?
  3. Web site: OSHIMA KO-JIMA. https://archive.today/20121219225757/http://riodb02.ibase.aist.go.jp/strata/VOL_JP/EN/vol/183.htm. dead. December 19, 2012. 2006. Quaternary Volcanoes of Japan. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST. 2008-12-14.
  4. Web site: Hokkaido. Nov 2, 2007 . Seamless Digital Geological Map of Japan. Geological Survey of Japan, AIST . 2008-12-14.
  5. Web site: Matsumae islets. . 2021. BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 29 January 2021.
  6. Web site: http://www.hk.hkd.mlit.go.jp/port/gyoko/g_kojima.html. ja:小島漁港の概要. Hakodate Development and Construction Department. Japanese. 2008-12-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20110725105946/http://www.hk.hkd.mlit.go.jp/port/gyoko/g_kojima.html. 2011-07-25. dead.
  7. Web site: JP031Matsumae islets. 2009. Important Bird Areas in Japan. Wild Bird Society of Japan (WBSJ). 19 January 2010.