- Kii Peninsula
Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
State Party = JPN
Type = Cultural
Criteria = ii, iii, iv, vi
ID = 1142
Region = Asia-Pacific
Year = 2004
Session = 28th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1142The Nihongo|Kii Peninsula|紀伊半島|Kii Hantō is one of the largest
peninsula s on the island ofHonshū inJapan .Location
Wakayama Prefecture occupies much of the area, including the entire southern part. To the northwest of Wakayama Prefecture isOsaka Prefecture , whose southern part is on the peninsula. East of Osaka Prefecture is landlockedNara Prefecture ; farther east isMie Prefecture .The
Seto Inland Sea lies to the west of the Kii Peninsula. To the south is the Pacific Ocean.Especially, the south from
Central Tectonic Line is called Nanki (南紀).Notable places
Notable places in the Kii Peninsula include :
* Nara, formercapital of Japan.
*Mount Koya (or Kōyasan), the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.
*Wakayama , former home of the Kii (or Kishu)Tokugawa clan .
* Matsusaka, now the center of major beef-producing area, former the center ofIse merchant s.
* Ise, the location of theGrand Shrine of Ise and center of pearl production.
* Yoshino District, a wild area of heavily forested deep mountains, home of the Southern Imperial Court during theNanboku-chō period of Japanese history.
*Kumano Province , home of theKumano Shrine s and the Nachi Waterfall. Another name isMuro District .
*Shiono Point , the southernmost point in Honshū.
*Taiji, Wakayama , the birth place of the Japanese traditional whaling.In 2004, UNESCO designated three locations on the Kii Peninsula as World Heritage Sites. They are
* Yoshino and
Mount Omine , mountainous areas in the north of the peninsula.
*Kumano Shrine s, three shrines at the southern tip of the peninsula.
*Mount Koya , the holy mountain at the west of the peninsulaTransportation
*
Nanki-Shirahama Airport in Shirahama serves the southern part of the Kii Peninsula.
*Kisei Main Line connects Wakayama to Mie Prefecture and runs along the peninsula's coastline.External links
* [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=1142 Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (UNESCO)]
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